R&D Manager

Location :                  Bandar Enstek, Negri Sembilan

Reports to :               Head of R&D, PureCircle

Direct reports :        Yes, 8 direct reports

Workplace type :     On-site

Company Background:

Ingredion is a global Fortune 500 provider of ingredient solutions that touch millions of lives, every day. With over 19,000 customers in 120 countries, we create solutions that help nourish, comfort, and delight people all over the world. We are proud to source our strength from nature. That’s why we’re growing sustainably, with an industry-leading product portfolio that includes plant-based proteins, sugar alternatives and clean and simple ingredients that deliver on changing consumer needs while protecting our planet. Although we are best known for our food ingredients, we are much more than a food business. We co-create bespoke solutions with our customers; from cosmetics and beauty, to paper and textiles, to pharmaceuticals, driven by relentless curiosity. We make it our business to anticipate industry trends, and to bring together the potential of people, nature and technology to make life better.

We don’t just make ingredients. We create possibilities. Be What’s Next® with us.

The R&D Manager will be responsible for managing the PureCircle Malaysia R&D team and its activities, as well as providing Chemistry / Biotechnology Subject Matter Expertise.

Core Responsibilities:

• Facilitate & enable growth mindset, remove roadblocks and provide resources for the team.
• Managing and overseeing implementation of decisions, project roadmaps, project progress through stage-gate process.
• Monitor individual and team performance metrics, objectives, goals, training, development and succession planning.
• Coordinate PureCircle Malaysia R&D Projects including: - Identification, characterization and purification of naturally occurring compounds from plant sources;
• Record and document all stages of R&D work, oversee Lab information & knowledge management system (e.g., ELN).
• DoE assessment & pre-approval, Quality Control and preliminary economic feasibility modelling.
• Development of commercially viable extraction and purification state-of-the-art techniques, including industrial chromatographic and membrane separation processes, crystallization-recrystallization, antisolvent crystallization/precipitation;
• Development of industrial scale downstream processes for producing food ingredients through Biotransformation and Precision Fermentation.
• Provide additional chemistry / industrial biotechnology subject matter expertise & support to projects and process scale-up to industrial level.
• Communication with external research parties, follow-up on milestone achievement etc.
• Liaison for daily interaction with other R&D teams (Chemistry, Analytics, Engineering etc.).
• Oversee internal resource distribution (machine time, etc.).
• Person in charge for admin. processes & procedures (Safety, HR, IP, Procurement, Finance, Budgeting & expense control, Capex, Infrastructure Maintenance etc.)
• Budget planning and control for PureCircle Malaysia R&D Projects.
• Prepare reports and presentations.

Qualified candidates will have:

Mandatory requirements

• Min MSc degree (with more than 3 years of industrial experience) in Chemistry, Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering or related field.
• R&D Lab experience
• Industry : Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Food ingredients
• Preferable 5 years managerial working experience in similar role. Able to manage a diverse team.
• Experience in the field of extraction and purification of naturally occurring compounds, biotechnology,.
• Applied knowledge in modern organic chemistry, process chemistry, separation processes, enzyme technology, fermentation, molecular biology.
• Fluent in English

Desirable requirements :

• Analytical chemistry (TLC, HPLC, LC-MS, GC, NMR, FT-NIR)
• Molecular biology principal equipment and automated systems

Desired behaviour and skills :

• Experienced people manager

Relocation Available: