Chocolate Product Development Specialist (Tuas Based)

Job Purpose and Impact

The Chocolate Product Development Specialist will develop chocolate products in lab, scale up in pilot plant and support commercialization in manufacturing sites of the business.  In this role, you will provide technical advice and support to regional customers and technical service teams in APAC in the application and sales of the new products.  You will guide R&D material specialists and operations in selection of raw materials and processes, and work with category and product line to identify new opportunities and develop new technical solutions.

Key Accountabilities

• Work with technical service partners in the region to identify customer needs and translate these into new product development opportunities.
• Develop and scale up new product design in manufacturing efficiently and cost effectively, and achieve product standards and compliance.
• Able to manage projects of moderate complexity with minimal supervision, including creating and aligning learning plan, resource requirement, and communicate progress in project execution in a timely manner.  
• Able to recommend appropriate tests to validate product performance in own manufacturing and customers’ application conditions.
• Develop and maintain robust product development and commercialization process Provide training, coaching and mentoring to new team members.
• Track product issues and report data to cross functional teams for continuous improvement
• Prepare technical reports or datasheets of existing and new SKUs and their applications.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in food science and technology or related field
• Working knowledge in product development , including translating concept to rapid prototyping
• Minimum of five years of work experience in confectionary industry and 2 years in related field
• Other minimum qualifications may apply

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience conducting work in a manufacturing and team environment
• Ability to handle multiple priorities and balance needs in quality, cost, productivity. 
• Hands on development experience as well as systemic thinking in improving performance
• Good communication and influencing skills to convey clear understanding of needs of different audience 
• Plan and prioritize work to meet organizational goals

KEY BEHAVIORS

• Consistently achieve results, even under tough circumstances.
• Customer centric in partnering with internal and external customers 
• Demonstrate learning mindset and agility to adopt new tools and develop new skills 

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES TO BE GAINED

• Experience in Continuous Improvement processes
• Comprehensive knowledge of products in lab, manufacturing and testing
• Translate customer needs and market trends into category strategy and technology roadmap
• Ability to identify business opportunities and develop plans to implement solutions
• Demonstrated initiative and business/project management skills
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with cross-functional teams