Head of R&D (Bakery Ingredients)

Our client is a food technology company that specializes in R&D, production, and sales of bakery ingredients - especially non-dairy whipped cream.

They are seeking an innovative and meticulous  Head of R&D with a strong background in the bakery ingredients industry, especially for dairy and non-dairy whipped cream products. In this role, you will work closely with executive leadership, sales, marketing, technical application, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain teams to lead product innovation, formulation development, and commercialization initiatives. The ideal candidate should possess extensive experience developing bakery ingredient solutions for commercial bakeries, food manufacturers, and foodservice customers - with a proven track record of bringing revolutionary products from concept to commercial production.

Strong professional working fluency in English, and fluency in Portuguese is REQUIRED.

Finally, please note that only candidates who have significant R&D experience in the bakery ingredients industry will be selected for interviews.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and execute the company's R&D strategy to drive innovation, product differentiation, and long-term business growth across the bakery ingredients portfolio.
• Lead the development of new dairy and non-dairy whipped cream products, including formulation design, ingredient selection, prototype development, validation, scale-up, and commercialization.
• Improve existing product formulations to enhance whipping performance, stability, texture, taste, shelf life, freeze-thaw performance, and manufacturing efficiency while optimizing production costs.
• Lead customer-driven product development projects by translating technical requirements into commercially viable ingredient solutions.
• Work closely with technical application teams to support customer trials, product demonstrations, troubleshooting, and formulation optimization.
• Evaluate new raw materials, functional ingredients, emulsifiers, stabilizers, fats, proteins, hydrocolloids, and processing technologies to improve product performance and expand the product portfolio.
• Oversee pilot plant trials, factory trials, production scale-up, and first commercial production to ensure successful product launches.
• Ensure all product formulations comply with applicable food safety regulations, labeling requirements, customer specifications, and international regulatory standards.
• Collaborate with procurement and supply chain teams to identify alternative raw materials, improve supply security, and manage ingredient cost fluctuations.
• Monitor market trends, consumer preferences, competitive products, and emerging ingredient technologies to identify innovation opportunities.
• Develop and manage the R&D budget, project pipeline, product development timelines, and resource allocation.
• Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing R&D team while fostering a culture of scientific excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Represent the company during customer technical meetings, supplier collaborations, industry conferences, and technical seminars.

REQUIREMENTS:

• At least 10+ years of R&D experience within the bakery ingredients industry.
• Extensive experience developing dairy and non-dairy whipped cream products is highly preferred.
• Strong understanding of food formulation, ingredient functionality, emulsion systems, fat systems, proteins, hydrocolloids, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and food processing technologies.
• Proven experience developing products from concept through laboratory development, pilot trials, factory scale-up, and full commercial production.
• Strong understanding of whipping cream performance characteristics including overrun, whipping stability, foam structure, viscosity, texture, mouthfeel, heat stability, freeze-thaw stability, and shelf-life optimization.
• Experience supporting commercial bakeries, industrial bakeries, dessert manufacturers, food manufacturers, HORECA customers, and foodservice operators through technical product development and application support.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, quality management systems, and regulatory requirements including HACCP, GMP, FSSC 22000, BRCGS, ISO 22000, and relevant food labeling regulations.
• Strong professional working fluency in English, and fluency in Portuguese is REQUIRED.
• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Dairy Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline; a Master's degree or PhD is highly preferred.

If you are qualified and interested, we kindly invite you to apply! In the meantime, please consider following our company page for more updates and relevant job opportunities.