Food Technologist

Job Purpose

To develop, standardize and improve bakery products and processes while ensuring product quality, food safety, regulatory compliance, shelf-life, cost effectiveness and consistency from laboratory trials through commercial production.

2. Key Responsibilities

Develop and standardize bakery products including bread, buns, cakes, cookies, rusks, pastries and other FMCG bakery products.

Conduct laboratory, pilot and production trials; record observations, results and corrective actions.

Develop and maintain recipes, formulations, BOMs, product specifications and process parameters.

Evaluate raw materials such as flour, yeast, fats, sugar, dairy ingredients, improvers, flavours, colours and other ingredients.

Optimize mixing, fermentation/proofing, baking, cooling and packaging parameters for consistent quality.

Conduct sensory evaluation covering taste, aroma, colour, texture, appearance and overall acceptability.

Plan and execute shelf-life studies and monitor physical, sensory and microbiological parameters as applicable.

Troubleshoot product and process issues such as poor volume, texture variation, cracking, staling, colour variation and mould growth.

Coordinate with QA/QC, Production, Purchase, Stores, Packaging and Marketing teams for product and process requirements.

Support packaging development and compatibility trials to protect product quality and shelf life.

Ensure ingredients, product specifications, labels and claims meet applicable food regulations and company requirements.

Identify opportunities for formulation, yield, wastage, productivity and cost improvement.

Maintain complete technical documentation and prepare trial, validation and improvement reports.

Monitor market and consumer trends and propose commercially viable product innovations.

3. Key Result Areas (KRAs) & KPIs

KRAKey DeliverableKPI / MeasurementWeightageNew Product DevelopmentSuccessful development and commercialization of new bakery productsNo. of successful launches; project timelines10%Product Quality & ConsistencyMaintain defined sensory, physical and technical standardsBatch consistency; rejection/rework rate10%Recipe & FormulationAccurate, standardized and cost-effective formulationsRecipe accuracy; formulation improvements10%Trials & CommercializationExecute trials and transfer validated products to productionTrial success rate; timely reports10%Shelf-Life ValidationEstablish and maintain validated shelf lifeShelf-life achievement; stability results8%Raw Material EvaluationApprove/evaluate ingredients for functional and quality performanceApproved alternatives; ingredient performance8%Process OptimizationImprove baking/process parameters and reduce variationYield improvement; process deviations8%Cost OptimizationReduce formulation/process cost without compromising qualityCost savings achieved8%Food Safety & ComplianceSupport compliance with food safety and regulatory requirementsAudit findings; major non-conformities8%TroubleshootingIdentify root causes and implement effective corrective actionsRepeat complaints/issues; closure time6%DocumentationMaintain specifications, recipes, BOMs and technical recordsDocument accuracy; on-time completion6%InnovationGenerate and evaluate new product concepts based on market needsNew concepts/trials; innovation pipeline8%4. Qualification & Experience

B.Tech./B.E. in Food Technology / Food Science, or M.Sc. Food Technology / Food Science or equivalent qualification.

Relevant experience in bakery product development, food manufacturing, R&D, technical services or quality.

Practical knowledge of bakery ingredients, formulations, processing, sensory evaluation and shelf-life studies is preferred.

5. Key Competencies

Bakery technology and food science knowledge

Product formulation and recipe development

Food safety, hygiene and regulatory awareness

Sensory evaluation and shelf-life assessment

Root-cause analysis and troubleshooting

Technical documentation and reporting

Analytical, research and problem-solving skills

Cross-functional coordination and communication

6. Internal Interfaces

R&D / Technical, QA/QC, Production, Purchase, Stores, Packaging, Maintenance, Sales/Marketing and Management.

7. Performance Expectations

Consistent achievement of product quality and development targets.

Timely completion of trials, validations and technical documentation.

Reduction in complaints, rejection, wastage and avoidable process variation.

Continuous improvement in product quality, shelf life, yield and cost.

Strict adherence to food safety, hygiene, quality and company procedures.