Kefilo — Food Innovation OfficerPosition: Food Innovation Officer Engagement: Equity-Based Founding Team Role

Location:
Bhubaneswar, Odisha (On-site / Hybrid) Commitment: 20–25 hours per week About KefiloKefilo is a NutritionTech and personalised wellness transformation company focused on functional nutrition, preventive wellness, gut health, and lifestyle transformation. We are developing a technology-enabled food and wellness ecosystem built around personalised nutrition, food innovation, the Nutrition Intelligence Engine, and the Dark Factory for Food. We are looking for a Food Innovation Officer to lead research, development, testing, and innovation across our food products and manufacturing systems. Key Roles & Responsibilities1. Food Product Research & Development
• Research and develop innovative food products aligned with functional nutrition, gut health, and preventive wellness.
• Experiment with ingredients, recipes, formulations, preparation techniques, and food combinations.
• Develop standardised recipes with defined nutritional profiles, portion sizes, taste, texture, and quality parameters.
• Explore opportunities for new product categories, functional foods, beverages, snacks, and health-focused food solutions. 2. Functional Nutrition & Ingredient Innovation
• Research the nutritional and functional properties of ingredients, their combinations, and potential applications.
• Identify locally available, seasonal, and alternative ingredients for product innovation.
• Work with nutritionists and domain experts to validate product concepts and nutritional claims.
• Explore opportunities to improve nutrient density, digestibility, shelf life, and overall product quality. 3. Food Technology & Manufacturing Innovation
• Research food processing, preservation, packaging, standardisation, and manufacturing technologies.
• Contribute to Kefilo's Dark Factory for Food vision through process innovation, automation opportunities, and scalable production systems.
• Identify suitable equipment, technologies,



and production methods to improve consistency and operational efficiency.
• Develop and document repeatable product development and manufacturing protocols. 4. Quality, Testing & Product Validation
• Conduct structured product trials and sensory evaluations covering taste, texture, appearance, and consistency.
• Coordinate nutritional analysis, laboratory testing, shelf-life studies, and food safety validation.
• Establish product specifications, quality benchmarks, and standard operating procedures.
• Maintain records of experiments, formulations, test results, and product improvements. 5. Research Collaborations & Innovation Pipeline
• Identify research opportunities, food laboratories, academic institutions, technology providers, and industry experts.
• Build a pipeline of new product concepts and prioritise them based on feasibility, nutritional value, customer demand, and commercial potential.
• Support intellectual property identification and documentation for novel food formulations or processes.
• Work with the product, nutrition, procurement, and operations teams to take validated innovations towards commercialisation. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Development and testing of new food formulations and product concepts.
• Creation of standardised recipes, formulations, and technical documentation.
• Completion of nutritional, sensory, quality, and shelf-life validation activities.
• Identification of new ingredients, technologies, equipment, and manufacturing methods.
• Development of research collaborations and a structured food innovation pipeline.




• Successful transition of validated products and processes into scalable operations. Required Qualifications & Experience
• Degree or postgraduate qualification in Food Technology, Food Science, Food Engineering, Food Chemistry, Nutrition, or a related discipline.
• Practical experience in food product development, formulation, food processing, or R&D.;
• Understanding of food safety, quality control, nutritional analysis, and food manufacturing.
• Strong research, experimentation, documentation, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Experience with functional foods, nutraceuticals, beverages, packaged foods, or food manufacturing will be an advantage.
• Ability to work hands-on with a startup team and take ownership of innovation projects. Equity-Based Engagement Terms
• This is an equity-based founding team opportunity, not a salaried position at the current stage.
• The selected candidate will work closely with the founder and leadership team to build Kefilo's food innovation and R&D; capabilities.
• Expected commitment: 20–25 hours per week.
• Equity participation will be discussed based on experience, contribution, responsibilities, and long-term commitment.
• A proposed five-year vesting structure will apply, subject to the final founding team agreement.
• Fixed compensation may be considered after funding and revenue stabilisation. This could take 6–8 months or potentially a year; there is no guaranteed timeline. What We ExpectWe are looking for a research-oriented and execution-driven skilled who can turn food science and innovative ideas into commercially viable products and scalable manufacturing processes. The candidate should be comfortable conducting experiments, documenting findings, coordinating with experts, and building an innovation pipeline from the ground up. To Apply: Share your updated CV, LinkedIn profile, and details of relevant food R&D;, product development, formulation, or manufacturing projects you have worked on.

📌 Food Innovation Officer (Bhubaneswar)
🏢 HiWox
📍 Bhubaneswar