R&D Manager – Senior Dairy Product Development

About the role

We are seeking an experienced R&D Manager to lead innovation and product development for a leading international dairy manufacturer. You will be responsible for turning concepts into market‑ready dairy products while ensuring quality, sustainability and cost efficiency.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the development and optimisation of new and existing dairy products from concept through commercialisation.
• Manage innovation projects, including recipe development, process trials and scale‑up to full production.
• Collaborate with production, quality, marketing and procurement teams to ensure successful product launches.
• Drive continuous improvement of formulations, processes and ingredients with a focus on quality, cost and sustainability.

Required profile

• Proven experience in a food manufacturing environment, preferably dairy.
• Strong background in product development with hands‑on experience in recipe formulation and factory trials.
• Solid understanding of production processes and ability to translate R&D concepts into scalable manufacturing solutions.
• Fluency in German (essential) and English (required); additional languages are a plus.
• Ability to work in an international, cross‑functional setting.

Required skills

• Recipe formulation
• Factory trial execution
• Process trial management
• Scale‑up to full production
• Product development