Food Product Manager

Job Overview

We are looking for an experienced and commercially driven Food Product Manager to lead food product planning, development, and commercialization for InstaChef's ready-to-eat hot meal business in Singapore.

This role focuses on developing scalable food products that meet customer preferences while ensuring compatibility with our smart food vending machines, central kitchen operations, and supply chain capabilities.

The ideal candidate has strong experience in food product development, menu innovation, and commercialization, with the ability to work across R&D, operations, supply chain, and technology teams to bring new products to market.

Key Responsibilities

Food Product Development & Menu Planning

• Lead food product planning, development, and commercialization for InstaChef's hot meal business in Singapore.
• Develop new menus, signature dishes, and product combinations tailored to different customer preferences and vending locations.
• Manage the full product development lifecycle, from concept development and sampling to testing, pilot production, launch, and ongoing improvement.
• Conduct market research and identify new food trends and product innovation opportunities.

Product Standardization & Quality

• Standardize food products for compatibility with smart vending machines, ensuring consistent taste, quality, and preparation.
• Work with internal teams to optimize food packaging, reheating methods, temperature, shelf life, and product stability.
• Establish product standards, including recipes, preparation processes, packaging specifications, heating parameters, storage requirements, and quality acceptance criteria.
• Support product testing and improvements to ensure food safety, quality, and customer satisfaction.

Cross-Functional Coordination & Supply Chain

• Collaborate with food R&D, central kitchen, procurement, supply chain, engineering, and operations teams to ensure successful product development and implementation.
• Evaluate suppliers, OEM manufacturers, and central kitchen partners for product sourcing and production feasibility.
• Coordinate product sampling, cost evaluation, production trials, and quality assessments.
• Identify and resolve product-related issues involving taste, packaging, heating performance, operational efficiency, and food wastage.

Product Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor product performance through sales, repeat purchases, customer ratings, complaints, food wastage, and profit margins.
• Analyze product performance across different vending locations and recommend menu improvements.
• Optimize product offerings, pricing, costs, and menu combinations to improve profitability and customer satisfaction.
• Identify opportunities to improve product quality, operational efficiency, and scalability.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or above in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering, Culinary Arts, Nutrition, Food Safety, F&B Management, Product Management, or related disciplines.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in food product development, food R&D, ready-to-eat meals, central kitchens, food manufacturing, chain restaurants, or related industries.
• Strong understanding of the full food product development process, from concept and sampling to testing, pilot production, and commercial launch.
• Good knowledge of food preparation, packaging, storage, shelf life, food safety, cost management, and large-scale production.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to use sales, customer feedback, wastage, and profitability data to improve product performance.
• Good project management, communication, and cross-functional coordination skills.
• Detail-oriented with the ability to maintain accurate product specifications, testing records, supplier information, and documentation.
• Hands-on, adaptable, and comfortable working in a dynamic environment, including conducting on-site product testing and coordinating with suppliers and operations teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Singapore, Southeast Asian, or international food markets.
• Background in convenience store food products, ready-to-eat meals, frozen foods, central kitchens, food manufacturing, or chain restaurants.
• Experience developing hot meals such as rice dishes, noodles, bento meals, baked rice, curries, or other ready-to-eat food products.
• Knowledge of chilled and frozen food reheating methods, including microwave, induction, hot-air, or infrared heating technologies.
• Experience in supplier sourcing, OEM management, food costing, production implementation, and customer complaint resolution.
• Proven experience developing successful signature dishes, new product ranges, or launching food products from concept to market.