Research & Development Manager

CHI Limited is one of the most admired companies in the Food & Beverage industry in Nigeria with over 38 years’ experience in building innovative brands. We offer products that stand out as market leaders in their respective categories.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Position: Research & Development Manager

Job Location: Lagos

Employment Type: Full-time

Job Summary

• We are seeking a Research & Development Manager who will lead product development, innovation, reformulation, and process optimisation initiatives to support business growth and product excellence.
• The role is responsible for translating consumer and market insights into commercially viable products, improving existing formulations, optimising manufacturing processes, and ensuring compliance with applicable food safety and regulatory standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Product Development and Innovation: Lead new product development from concept generation and formulation through prototyping, sensory evaluation, pilot trials, scale-up, and factory implementation. Identify innovation opportunities through market research, consumer insights, and competitive benchmarking.
• Product Reformulation and Cost Optimisation: Drive product reformulation and process improvements to enhance product quality, sensory performance, nutritional value, and stability while achieving cost savings without compromising product standards.
• Process Technology and Validation: Develop and optimise manufacturing processes, establish validated operating parameters, and collaborate with Process Engineering to resolve scale-up challenges and improve production performance.
• Technical Documentation and Regulatory Support: Maintain accurate formulations, product specifications, bills of materials, manufacturing parameters, raw material specifications, and technical dossiers. Collaborate with Regulatory Affairs to support product registrations, claims, labelling, and other regulatory submissions.
• Ingredient Research and Supplier Evaluation: Evaluate and qualify new ingredients and raw materials based on functionality, quality, sensory performance, cost, and sustainability. Partner with Procurement to assess suppliers and explore suitable local sourcing alternatives.
• Manufacturing and Commercialisation Support: Provide technical support during product trials, first production runs, and commercialisation. Troubleshoot formulation and process issues, collaborate with Production and Quality Assurance, and implement improvements that enhance line efficiency and reduce production deviations.
• Quality, Safety, and Team Leadership: Oversee sensory evaluation programmes and shelf-life studies, ensure compliance with HACCP, GMP, and ISO 22000 requirements, manage R&D projects and laboratory operations, and coach team members to strengthen technical capability and innovation delivery.

Requirements

Education:

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or another relevant scientific or engineering discipline.
• A postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline will be an added advantage.
• Relevant professional certifications in food safety, quality management, product development, or project management will be an advantage.

Experience:

• At least 5–7 years of relevant experience in research and development, product development, food technology, or process optimisation within the food and beverage or FMCG industry.

Other Requirements:

• Strong technical knowledge of product development, formulation, reformulation, and innovation within the food and beverage industry.
• Sound understanding of food chemistry, ingredient functionality, sensory science, product stability, and shelf-life evaluation.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes, process optimisation, scale-up, and process validation.
• Understanding of food safety and quality management systems, including HACCP, GMP, and ISO 22000.
• Knowledge of applicable Nigerian regulatory requirements, including NAFDAC, SON, and FCCPC requirements relevant to product development and reformulation.
• Strong analytical, experimental, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret trial results and translate findings into practical improvements.
• Ability to manage multiple R&D projects, budgets, timelines, and cross-functional deliverables.
• Strong technical documentation, report-writing, and presentation skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management and collaboration skills, particularly when working with Marketing, Production, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, and Procurement.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and team development capabilities.
• Commercial awareness and the ability to balance product quality, consumer expectations, manufacturing feasibility, and cost efficiency.