Assistant Manager, COE Ingredient Specialist

Job Responsibilities:

1. Governance, Review & Recommendation

• Review and recommend on ingredient-related proposals, validations, pilots, and deliverables submitted by Squads.
• Assess whether ingredient-related recommendations are technically sound, suitable for intended application, and commercially practical.
• Support the development of stronger COE governance mechanisms, including future technical sign-off or veto authority where required.
• Ensure ingredient decisions are not based only on supplier narratives, trend pressure, or cost-first logic without sufficient technical grounding.

1. Ingredient Science & Functional Understanding

• Build and maintain strong technical understanding of ingredient behavior in finished product systems.
• Evaluate how ingredient composition and interaction influence flavor and aroma expression, sweetness profile, mouthfeel and texture, stability and separation risk, visual presentation, compatibility with other ingredients, process tolerance, shelf-life implications, and consistency in finished application.
• Cover ingredient systems across syrups, powders, sauces, inclusions, plant-based, dairy-related, and functional ingredients.

1. Bridge Between Ingredient and Beverage Application

• Translate raw ingredient understanding into practical beverage and finished product application.
• Act as the bridge between ingredient science and end-cup product performance.
• Ensure ingredients selected can deliver intended sensory profile, operational practicality, and repeatability at commercial scale.
• Support stronger alignment between formulation logic and customer-facing product outcome.

1. Validation Framework & Standards

• Build and maintain ingredient evaluation frameworks and technical review criteria.
• Ensure frameworks cover technical suitability, functional performance, sensory contribution, compatibility within finished systems, operational practicality, scalability, stability, and technical risk.
• Support ingredient validation, reformulation reviews, vendor submissions, and technical assessment processes.

1. Problem Solving & Risk Reduction

• Identify and assess ingredient-related risks such as instability, incompatibility, inconsistent performance, and formulation failure.
• Support root cause analysis when ingredient behavior contributes to pilot failure, product inconsistency, or customer complaints.
• Recommend preventive actions and technical improvements to improve first-time-right outcomes.

1. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Squad, R&D, QA, Supply Chain, Operations, and suppliers to align ingredient-related decisions with business and technical realities.
• Contribute to stronger ways of working between sourcing, product development, and final application quality.
• Support capability-building and future team development within COE.

1. Key Success Measures

• Improvement in pilot success rate for ingredient-related projects.
• Reduction in ingredient-related complaints, technical failures, and reformulation rework
• Improvement in finished product consistency and end-cup performance.
• Improvement in governance quality for ingredient-related reviews and recommendations.
• Strength of technical standards, evaluation frameworks, and institutional knowledge built

Qualification and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Dairy Science, Ingredient Science, or related field
• 3-6 years of relevant working experience, suitable for Senior Executive / Assistant Manager level
• Experience in ingredient application, beverage formulation, food science, dairy systems,plant-based systems, flavor systems, or technical ingredient roles
• Strong understanding of how ingredients function within finished beverage or food systems
• Ability to translate scientific understanding into practical commercial application
• Experience in café, beverage, dairy, RTD, foodservice, or related categories is an advantage

• Strong scientific discipline and technical rigor
• Strong pattern recognition across formulation, sensory, and finished application.
• Ability to challenge assumptions with sound technical reasoning.
• Practical mindset with commercial awareness.
• Strong stakeholder management across technical and non-technical teams.
• Ability to simplify technical science into clear business recommendations

a Necessity, not a Luxury