House of Spices - Manager - Research & Development (8-11 yrs)

About the job:

About Company:

House of Spices is a leading South Asian Food manufacturer and distributor in North America (USA & Canada) and has been delivering pure and quality products for over 50 years with 9 distribution centers throughout North America.

We have our own brands and have exclusivity for distributing our partner brands in US / Canada.

Our vision is to bring our culture alive through the celebration of authentic ethnic food, flavor and families.

Our mission is to provide consumers easy access to all authentic ethnic food and flavors across the North American marketplace with a will to win.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

This position will be responsible for developing and scaling recipes for South Asian ready-to-eat food products, ensuring that formulations can be successfully commercialized in collaboration with vendors and manufacturing partners.

The ideal candidate must have expertise in global food safety systems, international regulatory affairs, new product development (NPD), and quality management systems (QMS), with hands-on experience in USA, Canada, and other global regulatory frameworks.

Key Responsibilities:

Product Development & Innovation:

- Developing new recipes for ready-to-eat South Asian food products, including gravies, pickles, sweets, parathas, naan, and more.

- Modify and scale recipes for large-scale production while ensuring consistency in taste, texture, and shelf stability.

- Stay ahead of global food trends and introduce innovative, clean-label, and consumer-friendly food products.

- Work closely with the marketing and sales teams to align product innovation with market demand.

Process & Production Scale-up:

- Collaborate with vendors, co-packers, and manufacturers to scale up R&D formulations into full-scale production.

- Ensure process optimization, ingredient sourcing, and cost efficiency without compromising quality.

- Conduct pilot plant trials and oversee first production runs to maintain product integrity.

Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance:

- Ensure full compliance with USA, Canada and FSSAI regulations.

- Implement and maintain HACCP, BRC, and FSSC standards to meet global food safety requirements.

- Work with regulatory teams to obtain necessary product approvals and certifications for international markets.

Quality Assurance & Sensory Evaluation:

- Establish and oversee sensory testing panels to ensure products meet consumer expectations.

- Utilize advanced analytical instruments like HPLC, spectrophotometer, rapid-visco analyzer, and microscopy for product evaluation.

- Troubleshoot and resolve product quality issues in collaboration with QA teams.

- Cross-functional Collaboration & Project Management

- Lead cross-functional teams across R&D, operations, and marketing to ensure product launches meet business objectives.

- Develop and manage timelines for new product development projects, from ideation to market launch.

- Prepare technical documentation, SOPs, and reports for R&D projects.

Supervisory Responsibility:

- This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities but does serve as a coach and mentor for other positions in the department.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

- This is a full-time position.

- Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday.

Travel:

- Extensive travel is expected for this position.

Preferred Education and Experience:

- Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in Food Science, Food Technology, or a related field.

- 8+ years of experience in R&D, food product development, or food technology, preferably in South Asian cuisine and ready-to-eat food segments.

- Hands-on experience with global food regulatory standards (USA FDA, CFIA Canada, and FSSAI).

- Expertise in commercial food production processes, ingredient functionality, and sensory science.

- Experience with HACCP, BRC, FSSC certifications, and food safety audits.

- Ability to scale recipes from lab to commercial production with a focus on quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.

- Strong project management skills with experience in cross-functional team leadership.

- Knowledge of packaging technologies and shelf-life extension techniques.

AAP/EEO Statement:

House of Spices Inc; provides equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.

Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice