Head - New Product Development

• Develop & Execute NPD Roadmap: Create and manage a robust product roadmap aligned with business strategy, market trends, and growth targets. Balance short-term launches (seasonal, tactical) with long-term innovation (platform development, category expansion).
• Identify Market Opportunities: Conduct market research, consumer trend analysis, and competitive intelligence to identify unmet consumer needs and growth opportunities in traditional sweets, healthy snacks, functional foods, and adjacent categories.
• Concept Development: Lead ideation workshops, evaluate new product concepts, and prioritize NPD projects based on strategic fit, commercial potential, technical feasibility, and risk assessment.

• Formulation & Recipe Development: Lead or oversee development of product formulations, recipes, and process specifications that meet consumer taste/texture expectations, cost targets, and regulatory requirements. Work with food technologists and R&D specialists.
• Process Optimization: Identify optimal manufacturing processes, ingredient combinations, and processing parameters that ensure product consistency, quality, shelf stability, and manufacturability at scale.
• Cost Management: Develop products within target cost parameters; identify cost-reduction opportunities through ingredient sourcing, process efficiency, and packaging optimization; achieve 15-20% cost reduction targets where applicable.
• Quality & Compliance: Ensure all products meet FSSAI/food safety standards, HACCP protocols, GMP requirements, and internal quality standards. Obtain required certifications (FSSC 22000, organic, etc.).

• Sensory & Consumer Testing: Lead consumer tests, focus groups, taste panels, and quantitative surveys to validate product concepts and inform product improvements. Ensure product resonates with target consumers.
• Shelf-Life & Stability Testing: Oversee accelerated shelf-life studies, microbial testing, and quality checks to ensure products maintain quality throughout the intended shelf life.
• Nutritional Validation: For functional/health-positioned products, ensure nutritional claims are substantiated, validated by third parties, and compliant with regulations (FSSAI, NIN guidelines).
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• 4.Packaging & Go-to-Market Development
• Packaging Strategy: Define packaging requirements (material, size, design, messaging) that support product positioning, protect product quality, and align with consumer expectations and regulatory requirements.
• Launch Readiness: Develop comprehensive go-to-market plans including launch timeline, channel strategy, trade support, consumer marketing, and sales enablement. Coordinate with internal teams on launch execution.
• Product Documentation: Maintain comprehensive product documentation (formulations, process specs, SOP, allergen declarations, nutritional facts) for regulatory, quality, and training purposes.
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• 5. Team Leadership & Capability Building
• Lead NPD Team: Manage and mentor a team of food technologists, product developers, and support staff. Set clear objectives, provide coaching, and foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
• Capability Development: Identify knowledge gaps; drive training and skill development in food science, process technology, consumer research, and product innovation.

• Mandatory: Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline
• Preferred: Master's degree in Food Technology, Dairy Technology, or Food Business Management
• Minimum 8-10 years of experience in NPD/R&D/Product Development in FMCG food industry
• Minimum 5+ years in a leadership/management role overseeing NPD teams and projects
• Successfully launched 8+ consumer food products from concept to market
• Managed P&L for NPD products; achieved margin and growth targets
• Experience with product scaling from pilot to full manufacturing scale
• Experience navigating food safety, regulatory compliance, and FSSAI approvals

The New Product Development Head guides food product innovation for GoDesi Mandi, from market opportunity and formulation through validation, packaging, and launch. The role also leads an NPD team and is accountable for product economics, scale-up, quality, and food-safety compliance.

Role at a glance

Skills mentioned

What you will likely work on

• Build an innovation roadmap and identify consumer, market, and category opportunities for new food products.
• Guide concept development and prioritize projects against strategic fit, commercial potential, technical feasibility, and risk.
• Oversee recipes, formulations, ingredient choices, manufacturing processes, scale-up, and product cost targets.
• Ensure product quality, shelf stability, food-safety compliance, and required certifications across development.
• Plan and evaluate consumer research, sensory panels, shelf-life studies, microbial checks, and nutritional validation.
• Set packaging requirements and coordinate launch plans, channel strategy, trade support, marketing, and sales enablement.
• Maintain formulations, process specifications, SOPs, allergen declarations, and nutritional documentation.
• Manage and mentor the NPD team, set objectives, and develop team capabilities.

Good fit signals

• Has substantial food-industry NPD or R&D experience, including leadership of teams and projects.
• Has taken multiple consumer food products from concept through market launch and managed pilot-to-production scale-up.
• Can balance product appeal, technical feasibility, compliance, manufacturing requirements, and cost or margin targets.
• Brings experience with food safety, regulatory processes, and FSSAI approvals.
• A relevant master's degree is preferred; it is not stated as mandatory.