R&D Innovation Specialist, Savory & Culinary (Food Ingredients) (Manila)

Job description

About Us As a leading provider of high-quality food and beverage ingredients, we work with farming communities across the globe to grow, source and produce ingredients that are good for consumers, farmers, and the world around us. We supply household food brands and manufacturers worldwide with cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts and spices ingredients which are often grown on our own farms and estates and sourced from hundreds of thousands of farmers across ~50 countries. Along with our diverse manufacturing and innovation capabilities, this means we can provide ingredients for a range of products, from a plant-based latte mix to an almond based snack bar or a dairy-free ice cream. Making a positive impact on people and planet is a core component of our Purpose, to be the change for good food and a healthy future. With a deep-rooted presence in the countries where our ingredients are grown, we are closer to farmers, enabling better quality, and more reliable, traceable, and transparent supply. And whoever we’re with, whatever we’re doing, we always make it real. Product Information Food & Beverage Solutions We have launched a new platform called Food and Beverage solutions, part of our ingredients and solutions reporting unit. This platform consolidates our current category solutions capabilities and innovation infrastructure. We support customers in developing new consumer concepts and application solutions at our four customer solution centers in Amsterdam, Bangalore, Chicago, and Singapore. Food and Beverage solutions leverages the strengths of our five product platforms, including their global and sustainable supply chain capabilities, a complementary portfolio of high-quality food and ingredients, and extensive ingredient expertise. This enables us to address a diverse range of customer requirements in the rapidly evolving Food and Beverage industry. Built on deep consumer, category, and application understanding, we are enhancing our application and R&D capabilities to provide an end-to-end integrated customer experience. This opens up more on-trend and inspired product ideation opportunities. Together, we can co-create product innovations that delight consumers and make your ambitions a reality. Job Description Location: Bonifacio Global City, Manila, Philippines Reporting manager: Regional Customer Solution Centre Lead R&D / Innovation Specialist – Savory & Culinary Join ofi and play a key role in establishing our local innovation and application capability in the Philippines. This role will lead customer-focused product development, technical solutioning and commercialization across savory and culinary applications. Working within a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment, you will partner closely with customers, commercial teams and manufacturing to bring innovative food solutions from concept to launch. As the business grows, this role may evolve to lead a small local technical team. Key Responsibilities Product Development & Application Innovation Develop seasonings, marinades, coatings, sauces, culinary premixes and related savory solutions for the Philippines market. Translate customer and consumer insights into commercially viable product concepts and formulations. Deliver sensory evaluation, benchmarking, formulation optimization and technical problem-solving. Leverage ingredient functionality to meet taste, performance, cost and stability requirements. Customer Partnership & Technical Support Serve as the primary local technical contact for customers across CPG, QSR and Foodservice segments. Partner with commercial teams to interpret briefs, develop prototypes and support customer presentations, demonstrations and product launches. Build strong customer relationships and support trials and technical engagements across the Philippines. Commercialization & Scale-Up Lead the transfer of successful formulations from bench to pilot and commercial production. Support plant trials, troubleshoot scale-up challenges and ensure manufacturing readiness. Collaborate with Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory, Supply Chain and Commercial teams to deliver projects efficiently. Regional Collaboration & Innovation Coordinate regional technical support for sweet, beverage and dairy opportunities. Contribute to local and regional innovation initiatives and adapt regional solutions for the Philippines market. Identify alternative ingredients and solutions that enhance performance, supply resilience and cost competitiveness. Laboratory Operations & Compliance Support the establishment and operation of the Innovation Lab in Bonifacio Global City. Ensure compliance with food safety, regulatory and quality requirements. Maintain accurate documentation, formulations and project records to build technical knowledge and best practices. What You'll Bring Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Culinary Science or a related discipline. 10-15 years of experience in savory and culinary applications, product development or technical customer solutions. Expertise in seasonings, marinades, coatings, sauces, premixes or related savory systems. Experience supporting CPG, QSR, Foodservice or B2B customers. Proven track record in product commercialization and manufacturing scale-up. Strong understanding of ingredient functionality and formulation development. Excellent customer-facing communication and presentation skills. Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, evolving environment. Proactive, hands-on approach with strong stakeholder management and collaboration skills. Fluent in English and familiar with the Philippines market and customer landscape. ofi is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to racial or ethnic origin, color, age, religion or belief, sex, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Applicants are requested to complete all required steps in the application process including providing a resume/CV in order to be considered for open roles.