Manager – New Product Development (NPD) – Beverages

Location: Lotus Dairy Products Pvt. Ltd. – Manda Plant (Sikar)

Reporting To: Head – New Product Development

Role Purpose To lead and manage Beverage New Product Development activities from concept development through successful product commercialization, with responsibility for formulation, optimization, trials, scale-up, process validation, technology transfer, product quality, stability, cost optimization, and technical support for commercial launch.

Key Responsibilities

A. Beverage NPD & Innovation

· Lead the development of RTD beverages (Fruit-Based Beverages, Tea & Coffee Based Beverages, Functional & Nutritional Beverages, Energy & Sports Beverages, Hydration Beverages, Carbonated & Sparkling Beverages, Juice & Juice-Based Beverages, Herbal / Botanical Beverages etc.) products from concept to commercialization.

· Develop, optimize, and validate product formulations to achieve desired taste, texture, stability, nutritional profile, shelf life, quality, and cost targets.

· Lead laboratory, pilot-scale, and plant trials, including scale-up and technology transfer to commercial manufacturing.

· Evaluate and qualify new ingredients, flavors, stabilizers, emulsifiers, proteins, functional ingredients, and processing technologies for beverage applications.

· Conduct sensory evaluation, competitor benchmarking, product performance evaluation, and shelf-life/stability studies.

· Identify and resolve formulation, processing, packaging, and product stability issues through systematic technical troubleshooting.

· Drive product costing, value engineering, and cost optimization while maintaining product quality and consumer acceptance.

· Explore new beverage concepts, technologies, ingredients, and market trends to support the company's innovation pipeline.

· Develop prototypes and conduct iterative trials based on sensory, technical, commercial, and consumer requirements.

· Support development of products across relevant beverage technologies, including UHT, retort, chilled and other applicable processing systems.

B. Scale-Up & Plant Trial Management





· Plan and execute beverage trials from lab scale to pilot and commercial plant scale.

· Establish and validate critical formulation and process parameters during scale-up.

· Coordinate with Production, QA, Engineering, Procurement, and other relevant functions for successful plant trials.

· Monitor trial batches and identify deviations in processing, sensory attributes, stability, and product performance.

· Support troubleshooting during first commercial production and subsequent production batches.

· Ensure effective technology transfer from R&D; to manufacturing.

C. Product Quality, Stability & Shelf Life

· Conduct and monitor shelf-life, stability, physical, chemical, microbiological, and sensory evaluations as applicable.

· Establish product specifications and acceptance criteria for developed beverages.

· Investigate product quality and stability issues and recommend appropriate corrective actions.

· Support optimization of packaging and processing conditions to achieve desired product shelf life and performance.

D. Cost Optimization & Technical Evaluation

· Develop and maintain product formulations and associated product costing.

· Identify opportunities for cost reduction and value engineering without compromising product quality.

· Evaluate alternative ingredients and suppliers from a technical, sensory, functional, and cost perspective.

· Support Procurement and other functions in technical evaluation and qualification of new materials.

E. Regulatory & Technical Documentation

· Ensure beverage formulations and development activities comply with applicable FSSAI and other regulatory requirements.

· Develop and maintain:

· Product formulations

· Product specifications

· Process parameters

· Trial protocols

· Trial reports

· Sensory evaluation records





· Stability/shelf-life reports

· Technical product documentation

· Provide technical inputs for label declarations, nutritional information, ingredient statements, and regulatory documentation as required.

F. Cross-Functional NPD Support

· Work closely with Marketing, Business Development, Production, QA, Regulatory, Procurement, Packaging, Engineering, and Supply Chain teams during product development and commercialization.

· Translate consumer, customer, and business requirements into technically feasible product concepts.

· Provide technical support for product presentations, customer trials, sampling, and product demonstrations.

· Participate in product review meetings and provide technical recommendations related to formulation, processing, quality, and feasibility.

Qualification

B.Tech / M.Tech / M.Sc. in Food Technology, Dairy Technology, Food Science, or a related field.

MBA or additional qualification in a relevant management discipline will be an added advantage.

Experience

· 8–12 years of relevant experience in Beverage, Food, Dairy R&D;, or Recent Product Development.

· Strong hands-on experience in beverage formulation, laboratory and plant trials, scale-up, process optimization, troubleshooting, and technology transfer.

· Experience in RTD beverages UHT/retort/chilled /Carbonated/Non -Carbonated beverage systems will be preferred.

· Strong understanding of ingredient functionality, beverage processing, product stability, sensory evaluation, shelf-life, costing, and regulatory requirements.

Demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple NPD projects and work effectively with cross-functional teams.

Key Competencies

· Beverage Formulation & Product Development

· Product Innovation

· Plant Trial & Scale-Up

· Process Optimization

· Technical Troubleshooting

· Sensory Evaluation

· Stability & Shelf-Life Evaluation

· Ingredient & Supplier Evaluation

· Cost Optimization

· FSSAI & Regulatory Understanding

· Technology Transfer

· Technical Documentation

· Cross-Functional Collaboration

· Project Execution & Problem Solving

📌 Manager – New Product Development (NPD) – Beverages (Sikar)
🏢 Lotus Dairy Products Private
📍 Sikar