We are actively looking candidates for HEAD - Research & Development based at Mumbai.

This role offers driving innovation, new product development, cost optimization, regulatory-compliant formulations, and technology transfer to manufacturing plants. The role ensures a strong innovation pipeline that contributes visible and measurable revenue through commercially successful new products and improved formulations

Location: Mumbai (Head Office)

Department: Research & Development

Team Size: HO R&D; Team + Plant-Level Laboratory & QA/R&D; Teams

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic R&D; Leadership

- Develop and own the R&D; Strategy Roadmap aligned with corporate strategy and market opportunities (domestic & international).
- Build an innovation funnel for Clinical Nutrition, Premix Solutions, and Therapeutic/Supplementary Foods.
- Provide scientific leadership to sustain the companys positioning as a pure-play nutrition and fortification company.

2. New Product Development (NPD)

- Lead end-to-end development of current formulations for:
- Clinical nutrition: enteral feeds, pediatric formulas, disease-specific nutrition, sports nutrition.
- Micro-nutrient premixes for food fortification (oil, milk, flour, beverages, nutraceuticals).
- RUTF/RUSF: WHO-aligned formulations for malnutrition intervention.

- Work with marketing, sales, exports, and regulatory teams for concept creation, feasibility, and launch plans.
- Ensure pilot trials, stability studies, sensory evaluation, and shelf-life validation.

3. Product Cost Optimization

- Drive formulation re-engineering to reduce cost without compromising nutritional quality or regulatory compliance.
- Identify ingredient alternatives, packaging optimization, and process enhancements.

4. Plant Lab & Technical Team Leadership

- Oversee R&D;/technical teams across plants.
- Standardize analytical testing methods, bench-scale trials, and scale-up protocols.
- Ensure technology transfer from HO to plants is timely and error-free.
- 5. Regulatory & Compliance
- Ensure compliance with FSSAI,Codex, WHO/UNICEF, US-FDA, EU standards,



and customer-specific regulations.
- Drive documentation: formulation sheets, specifications, SOPs, stability data, dossiers.

6. Customer & Market Interface

- Engage with global customers for premix formulation customisation.
- Support business development teams with technical presentations, customer audits, and ingredient insights.

7. Innovation & Scientific Research

- Establish collaborations with universities, nutrition institutes, research bodies, and ingredient suppliers.
- Stay updated on global advancements in clinical nutrition, food fortification, bioavailability enhancements, and therapeutic foods.

8. Cross-Functional Collaboration

- Work closely with QA, QC, Production, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Finance to ensure successful NPD execution.
- Support marketing with technical claims, product literature, and scientific justification.

9. Governance & Reporting

- Maintain R&D; dashboardsNPD pipeline, timelines, cost savings, KPI progress to management.
- Manage R&D; budgeting, capex planning for lab equipment, and technical resources.

KEY DELIVERABLES (KPIs)

- % Revenue from New Products (Target: 1525% depending on year).
- Number of New Products launched across divisions per year.
- Cost Reduction Achieved through reformulation and process optimization.
- NPD Cycle Time (Concept Commercialization).
- Regulatory compliance score and successful audits.
- Customer satisfaction for custom premix projects.
- Team capability building & lab infrastructure enhancements.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

1. Education

- Master’s degree (M.Sc./M.Tech.) in Food Technology, Food Science, Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition, Nutritional Sciences, Dairy Technology, Biotechnology,



Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a closely related discipline from a recognised university/institute.
- A Ph.D. in a relevant field is highly preferred.
- Additional professional certification or advanced training in FSSAI, Codex, GMP, HACCP, food safety, regulatory affairs, or global nutrition standards will be an added advantage.

2. Experience

- 15–20 years total experience in R&D; in nutrition, nutraceuticals, fortified foods, clinical nutrition, or food ingredients.
- Proven success in NPD, formulation development, premix solutions, or therapeutic nutrition.
- Experience managing multi-location R&D; or plant lab teams.
- Prior exposure to export markets, global standards, and nutrition-based regulatory frameworks.

3. Technical Competencies

- Strong expertise in:
Macro and micro-nutrient formulation
Premix development for fortification (vitamins, minerals)
Clinical nutrition standards & stability design
Protein chemistry, carbohydrates, lipids & emulsions
Formulations for pediatric, maternal, elderly, and disease-specific nutrition
RUTF/RUSF WHO-spec protocols
Stability studies, shelf-life modelling
Ingredient sourcing and functionality evaluation
Analytical methods (HPLC, ICP-MS, microbiology basics)
- Strong understanding of global nutrition guidelines and regulatory frameworks.

4. Behavioural Competencies

- Scientific curiosity & innovation mindset.
- Strong project management capabilities.
- Leadership & team-building across plant locations.
- Collaboration and influencing skills across functions.
- Business acumen with understanding of cost, margins, and commercial timelines.
- Excellent communication for customer and stakeholder interfacing.

5. Other Requirements

- Willingness to travel frequently to manufacturing plants (Nashik, Chennai, Tuticorin, Tashkent).
- Ability to engage with international agencies (UNICEF, WFP, NGOs) for product specs and technical audits.

Interested applicants kindly post the CV at [email protected]

📌 Head R & D (Mumbai)
🏢 Hexagon Nutrition
📍 Mumbai