Senior R&D Manager Pectin

Location: Yantai, China

Company

hirify.global develops science-led solutions in nutrition, health, beauty, food ingredients, and sustainable products.

What you will do

• Lead, coach, and develop the Yantai pectin R&D team of engineers, technicians, and scientists.
• Lead the full lifecycle of pectin products, including raw material evaluation, new grade development, scale-up, process optimization, and quality improvement.
• Provide scientific and technical support to the pectin manufacturing plant, including troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and manufacturing robustness.
• Translate customer needs into manufacturing capabilities through pectin technology transfers.
• Collaborate with Operations, Applications, Quality, and Commercial teams to meet customer expectations and improve cost, yield, performance, and sustainability.
• Contribute to the global pectin technology roadmap and share best practices with Hydrocolloids R&D teams.

Requirements

• MSc or PhD in Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Food Science, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience with pectin, food hydrocolloids, polysaccharide-based ingredients, or closely related specialty food ingredients.
• Strong experience in manufacturing support and/or product development.
• Proven people management and team leadership experience.
• Experience collaborating across Operations, Applications, Quality, and Commercial functions.
• Clear communication in Chinese and English is required.

Culture & Benefits

• Career opportunities across health, nutrition, and beauty.
• Science-led projects focused on sustainable solutions.
• Collaborative culture that values inclusion, curiosity, creativity, and continuous learning.
• Leadership development and opportunities for growth in a global environment.
• Competitive rewards and benefits with flexible well-being options.