Assistant Manager – New Product Development (Food)

About the role

The Assistant Manager – New Product Development (Food) will lead the creation of innovative food items for Café Coffee Day, keeping pace with global and local trends. This role combines product ideation, cost optimisation, and cross‑functional collaboration to bring new menu concepts to market.

Key responsibilities

• Develop new food products aligned with global trends and brand standards.
• Track competitor offerings and industry best practices.
• Document trials, recipes, and maintain a product library.
• Perform costing and margin analysis for each new product.
• Create SOPs and training materials for product roll‑out.
• Conduct “train‑the‑trainer” sessions and staff training.
• Manage vendors and source ingredients such as breads, desserts, sauces, and seasonings.
• Monitor product costs and identify cost‑saving opportunities through alternate ingredients or suppliers.
• Identify process and equipment improvements for efficient production.
• Collaborate with QA to ensure product specifications, nutritional information, and allergen compliance.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management.
• 6‑7 years of experience in hotel or QSR innovation.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Willingness to travel across India.

Required skills

• Technical knowledge of frozen foods.
• Science of cooking.
• Knowledge of continental, American, Oriental, Indian, and sandwich cuisines.
• Product costing and margin analysis.