Job Title

Position: Assistant Manager – Quality & R&D Department: Quality Assurance, Food Safety & Research and Development Location: New Delhi / Production Facility Industry: Fresh Fruits & Vegetables, Kombucha, Condiments & Food Manufacturing Reports To: AVP Operations Role Overview We are looking for an experienced and proactive Assistant Manager – Quality & R&D to build and lead our Quality and Research & Development function from the ground up. This role will be responsible for establishing robust quality systems, food safety standards, documentation processes, product innovation pipelines, shelf-life studies, and manufacturing SOPs across our Fresh Fruits & Vegetables (F&V), Kombucha, and Condiments verticals.The ideal candidate should have strong expertise in food quality, regulatory compliance, audits, process standardization, and new product development, with the ability to work in a fast-paced startup manufacturing environment. Key Responsibilities 1) Quality Systems & Food Safety Set up the entire Quality Assurance department from scratch Develop and implement SOPs, GMP, GHP, HACCP and food safety protocols Ensure compliance with FSSAI, FOSTAC, audit, and internal quality standards Create quality check points across procurement, production, packaging, dispatch and storage Design and monitor CCPs (Critical Control Points) for manufacturing Establish batch traceability and product recall systems Build documentation for: incoming material inspection in-process checks finished goods release rejection / hold process CAPA / RCA deviation reports Conduct internal audits and support external audits 2) R&D / Product Development Lead new product development for kombucha, condiments, and processed F&V products Work on new flavour development, product trials, and recipe standardization Optimize taste, shelf life, stability, texture and packaging compatibility Conduct trial batches and pilot runs Develop BOMs, recipes, process sheets and manufacturing instructions Lead product improvement based on customer and market feedback Work on cost optimization without compromising quality 3) Shelf Life & Stability Studies Design and execute shelf-life studies Monitor microbial, sensory and physical parameters Maintain stability reports for each SKU Recommend storage and transport conditions Validate expiry and best-before timelines 4) Vendor & Raw Material Quality Create vendor qualification and approval standards Set specifications for: fruits and vegetables cultures / SCOBY sugar / tea / flavour ingredients packaging material Conduct vendor audits and rejection analysis Define acceptance criteria for incoming raw materials 5) Team Building & Department Setup Build the Quality and R&D team structure Hire and train executives / QA officers Create training modules for production staff and warehouse teams Establish daily quality reporting dashboards Work cross-functionally with production, procurement and operations teams Candidate Requirements Bachelor’s / Master’s degree in Food Technology, Food Science, Microbiology, Biotechnology or related field 4–7 years of experience in food manufacturing quality and R&D Prior experience in beverages, fermented products, condiments, sauces, or fresh produce processing Strong understanding of: FSSAI GMP / GHP HACCP CAPA / RCA shelf-life studies microbial standards Experience in startup / scale-up manufacturing preferred Preferred Experience Experience with kombucha / fermented beverage manufacturing Fresh produce quality systems Cold chain and shelf-life management Experience in setting up departments from scratch Audit readiness and documentation excellence