Overview
R&D Manager (Research and Development) — Multinational F&B Group Jobs in Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia at eMagine Solutions
Title: R&D Manager (Research and Development) — Multinational F&B Group
Company: eMagine Solutions
Location: Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
A multinational F&B group headquartered in North America is building its next phase of growth in Jeddah and they’re looking for an R&D Manager who can turn ideas into commercially successful products at scale.
This is a hands-on, end-to-end innovation role. You’ll lead the full new product development pipeline across beverages, pastries, bakery, and food items — from early concepts and bench trials through sensory testing, feasibility, industrialisation, and national rollout. You’ll sit at the centre of the business, partnering closely with Culinary, Marketing, Supply Chain, Quality Assurance, Operations, and Finance to make sure every launch lands on taste, quality, margin, speed-of-service, and food safety.
You’ll also play a critical role in outsourced product development. That means identifying and onboarding the right suppliers and co-manufacturers, briefing them clearly on specifications and brand standards, running trials and sample approvals, and ensuring factory capabilities meet the required quality and compliance benchmarks. You’ll manage technical specifications and cost targets in partnership with Procurement/Supply Chain, while building long-term supplier relationships that deliver continuous improvement, innovation, and cost optimisation.
From a governance perspective, you’ll own the innovation calendar and stage-gate process, driving cross-functional project teams through each milestone with pace and clarity. You’ll run feasibility studies before launch approval (cost, equipment, shelf-life, packaging, operational complexity), and you’ll lead post-launch reviews using sales performance, customer feedback, and operational insights to sharpen future development.
As the function grows, you’ll coach and develop the R&D team (chefs, product developers, coordinators), manage the R&D budget (ingredient trials, sampling, supplier development, equipment), and ensure the R&D kitchen/lab operates to professional food-safety standards. Strong documentation discipline is essential you’ll maintain complete product files including formulations, specifications, costings, allergen matrices, and shelf-life data, working closely with QA to validate packaging integrity and production readiness.
If you’ve led NPD in high-volume environments and you’re comfortable balancing creativity with structure, speed, and commercial outcomes, this is a standout opportunity in one of the region’s most ambitious F&B growth stories.
Keywords
R&D Manager, Research & Development, NPD, New Product Development, Product Innovation, Innovation Pipeline, Stage-Gate, Concept to Launch, Commercialisation, Industrialisation, Scale-Up, Recipe Development, Formulation, Sensory Testing, Sensory Evaluation, Bench Trials, Kitchen Trials, Feasibility Study, Costing, BOM, Food Cost, Margin, COGS, Shelf-Life, Shelf Life Testing, Packaging Integrity, Packaging Development, Product Specifications, Technical Specifications, Product Briefs, Consumer Insights, Market Trends, Competitive Benchmarking, Go-To-Market, GTM, Product Positioning, Naming, Launch Calendar, SKU Launch, Post-Launch Review, Sales Performance, Customer Feedback, Operational Readiness, Standardisation, SOPs, Training, Speed of Service, Cross-Functional Leadership, Stakeholder Management, Culinary, Marketing, Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality Assurance, QA, Food Safety, HACCP, Allergen Management, Allergen Matrix, Nutritional Guidelines, Labelling Compliance, Documentation, Supplier Management, Supplier Development, Co-Manufacturer, Co-Packer, Contract Manufacturing, Factory Audit, Vendor Audit, Sample Approval, Trial Runs, Continuous Improvement, Cost Optimisation, Category Management, Beverages, Bakery, Pastry, Food Items, FMCG, Foodservice, QSR, Retail F&B, KSA, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Riyadh.