R&D Manager – Sports Nutrition & Supplements

Client Overview

Our client is a rapidly growing Indonesian sports nutrition and health supplement company specializing in high-performance supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional nutrition products.

The company has developed a strong presence in Indonesia with a broad portfolio covering protein powders, mass gainers, pre-workouts, amino acids, creatine, and wellness products across powder, capsule, tablet, and ready-to-drink formats.

Supported by dedicated R&D and production facilities in the Greater Jakarta area, the company manages the full product lifecycle from raw material development and formulation through laboratory trials, manufacturing scale-up, and commercial launch. Its products are developed with a strong focus on product efficacy, sensory quality, regulatory compliance, and consumer trust, while adhering to applicable BPOM, Halal, GMP, and HACCP standards.

Job Role

The R&D Manager will lead the end-to-end research, formulation, development, and commercialization of sports nutrition and health supplement products.

Reporting directly to the CEO, this role will manage the R&D team and laboratory operations while driving formulation innovation, product improvement, and COGS optimization.

This is a highly hands-on technical leadership position requiring strong expertise in sports nutrition formulation, flavor masking, solubility, sensory evaluation, active ingredient stability, and manufacturing scale-up. The ideal candidate should combine scientific expertise with strong commercial awareness and a genuine understanding of the fitness and supplement market.

Key Responsibilities

Product Development & Formulation

• Lead end-to-end R&D projects from product concept through commercial launch.

• Develop and optimize formulations across powders, capsules, tablets, stick packs, and RTD products.

• Research consumer trends, scientific developments, active ingredients, and competitor products to identify new product opportunities.

• Optimize taste, flavor masking, solubility, dispersibility, sensory profile, and ingredient stability.

• Develop product specifications and formulation documentation.

Laboratory & Scale-Up Management

• Lead laboratory and pilot-scale trials at the BSD R&D facility.

• Troubleshoot complex formulation and product-quality challenges.

• Manage technical transfer from laboratory and pilot trials to commercial manufacturing facilities.

• Support production teams during scale-up and resolve technical issues during commercialization.

• Ensure laboratory trials and development activities are properly documented and controlled.

COGS & Product Optimization

• Optimize existing formulations to improve cost efficiency without compromising product efficacy, quality, or consumer experience.

• Evaluate alternative raw materials, functional ingredients, and suppliers.

• Identify opportunities to improve production yield and formulation efficiency.

• Establish target cost-per-serving calculations for new product concepts.

• Deliver measurable improvements in COGS and product profitability.

Regulatory & Technical Sourcing

• Work closely with Regulatory, Quality Control, Production, and Marketing teams to ensure product compliance.

• Ensure formulations and development processes comply with BPOM, Halal, GMP, and HACCP requirements.

• Evaluate new raw materials, active ingredients, supplier qualifications, and technical documentation.

• Maintain R&D dossiers, specifications, trial reports, and SOPs in an audit-ready condition.

R&D Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop the R&D team consisting of Supervisors and Staff.

• Establish clear responsibilities, KPIs, development plans, and performance expectations.

• Build a collaborative and innovation-driven laboratory culture.

• Develop the team's technical capabilities and succession pipeline.

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree (S1/S2) in Food Technology, Nutrition, Pharmacy, Biochemistry, or a related scientific discipline.

Experience

• Minimum 5+ years of R&D experience in dietary supplements, sports nutrition, nutraceuticals, functional food, or a closely related industry.

• Minimum 2–3 years of managerial experience leading R&D teams and multiple product-development projects.

• Proven experience taking products from formulation and laboratory trials through manufacturing scale-up and commercialization.

• Strong experience in sports nutrition and supplement formulation is highly preferred.

Technical Expertise

• Strong knowledge of supplement formulation, including protein, amino acids, creatine, functional actives, and related ingredients.

• Strong understanding of flavor masking, solubility, dispersibility, sensory evaluation, and ingredient stability.

• Experience with COGS optimization, raw material evaluation, and cost-per-serving analysis.

• Strong understanding of BPOM, Halal, GMP, and HACCP requirements.

• Familiarity with raw material suppliers and technical sourcing.

• Strong laboratory and product troubleshooting capabilities.

Fitness & Market Knowledge

• Active interest and involvement in fitness and sports nutrition.

• Regular consumption or strong practical familiarity with sports supplements such as whey protein, creatine, EAAs/BCAAs, and pre-workout products.

• Strong understanding of supplement brands, active ingredients, nutritional profiles, consumer preferences, and cost-per-serving dynamics.

• Able to translate consumer and market insights into commercially viable product concepts.

Professional Competencies

• Highly hands-on and comfortable conducting laboratory trials personally.

• Strong scientific problem-solving and analytical capabilities.

• Commercially minded, with a track record of improving COGS, yield, or product profitability.

• Strong leadership and team-development capabilities.

• Curious, innovative, and passionate about product development.

• Able to balance scientific quality, consumer expectations, regulatory requirements, and commercial objectives.

Language

• Professional English proficiency for technical documentation, supplier communication, negotiations, and reporting.

Working Arrangement

• On-site in BSD, Tangerang.

• Monday–Friday, 08:00–17:00.