Started by three friends who recognised the gap in the market – the need for good quality coffee at home, made with minimal effort, Sleepy Owl’s vision is to disrupt the at-home coffee industry in India, and give our customers easy access to the best quality coffee.
From our Premium Instant Coffee to our classic Cold Brew Packs, we’re constantly innovating and redefining the coffee drinking experience. In 2016, we became the first to introduce India to the concept of Cold Brew Coffee, and have been a proud pioneer in this space.
Today, we stand over 5 years strong with a vast product portfolio that includes Cold Brew Packs, Hot Brew Bags, Ready-To-Drink Cold Brew Bottles, Ground Coffee, Premium Instant Coffee and a range of Merchandise.
Our signature chocolatey and nutty flavour comes from single-origin, Grade-A plantation beans grown at 5300ft in Chikmagalur, Karnataka – some of the best there is around the world. The coffee is freshly roasted in small batches, and sealed immediately for dispatch.
NPD & R&D Executive
- Company: Sleepy Owl
- Location: Delhi-NCR
- Function: Product Innovation & R&D
- Reporting To: Manager – NPD & Commercialisation
- Experience: 2–4 years preferred
- Working Days: Monday–Saturday
- Travel: As required for trials and contract manufacturing units
About the Role:
Sleepy Owl is looking for a hands-on NPD & R&D Executive to strengthen its internal product development capabilities.
The role will focus on formulation, bench trials, sensory evaluation, ingredient research and product troubleshooting, helping the company increase the speed and quality of product iterations before moving to external pilot or commercial plant trials.
The immediate focus will be on dry products and premixes, with opportunities to progressively develop internal capabilities for selected RTD beverage concepts over the next 6–12 months.
Key Responsibilities:
Product Formulation & Bench Development
- Convert product briefs into desktop concepts and bench-top formulations
- Develop and optimise coffee, premix, functional and related food & beverage products
- Optimise taste, aroma, sweetness, texture, mouthfeel, solubility and ingredient functionality
- Maintain formulation versions, trial records and control samples
- Document learnings from each product iteration
Internal Lab Trials & Sensory Evaluation
- Manage the day-to-day NPD laboratory trial calendar
- Prepare samples and conduct formulation trials
- Conduct structured sensory evaluation and benchmarking sessions
- Capture and document sensory feedback systematically
- Maintain basic laboratory SOPs, hygiene, equipment readiness and trial documentation
Ingredient & Benchmark Library
- Build and maintain a physical and digital library of raw materials, flavours and functional ingredients
- Maintain information on suppliers, specifications, dosage, applications, costs, MOQ and lead times
- Maintain benchmark product samples and technical documentation
- Keep development samples and records organised for future projects
Ingredient Research & Sourcing
- Research new ingredients, formulation approaches and emerging product trends
- Coordinate with ingredient and flavour suppliers for samples and technical information
- Source trial quantities and evaluate alternative ingredients
- Support value engineering and target COGS initiatives
Pilot Trials & External R&D Support
- Prepare formulations, samples and technical learnings for pilot trials
- Work with external R&D consultants and manufacturing partners
- Participate in pilot and commercial plant trials when required
- Document technical learnings from external trials
- Support troubleshooting and reformulation when commercial-scale results differ from approved prototypes
Existing Product Improvement
- Execute reformulation and cost-optimisation projects
- Identify opportunities to improve taste, quality and product performance
- Investigate formulation opportunities arising from consumer feedback and quality observations
- Develop alternate formulations and ingredient options to reduce supplier dependency
Key Performance Indicators
- Increased speed and number of meaningful internal formulation iterations
- 100% documentation of formulations, versions and key trial observations
- Up-to-date ingredient, flavour and benchmark database
- Reduced avoidable external pilot iterations
- Development of dry-product prototypes independently within the first 6 months
- Regular reformulation and value-engineering projects
- Effective laboratory management and documentation
- Timely handover of validated prototypes and technical learnings to Commercialisation, Packaging and Quality teams
What We Are Looking For:
- 2–4 years of relevant experience in FMCG, food, beverages, nutrition, ingredient applications or product development
- Degree in Food Technology, Food Science, Dairy Technology, Nutrition or a related discipline
- Hands-on experience in formulation, laboratory trials and sensory evaluation
- Experience with product troubleshooting and development
- Familiarity with ingredients, flavours, sweeteners, proteins, stabilisers and functional systems
- Strong curiosity and willingness to research, experiment and learn
- Strong documentation and data-management skills
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, founder-led environment
- Willingness to travel for pilot and commercial trials when required
What Success Looks Like In 6 Months:
- Increased internal formulation and sensory-testing capabilities
- Dry premix and powder concepts developed from brief to credible bench prototype
- Structured ingredient, flavour and benchmark library established
- Better-prepared formulations and trial briefs for consultants and contract manufacturers
- Faster and more productive external pilot trials
- Stronger internal formulation knowledge and product-development capabilities
Why This Role:
This is a hands-on opportunity for someone who enjoys making, testing, tasting and improving products.
You will work closely with the founders, NPD & Commercialisation Manager, Packaging and Quality teams, ingredient partners, R&D consultants and contract manufacturers across a growing pipeline of coffee, premix, functional and beverage innovation projects.
If you are passionate about food product development and want to build products from concept to commercialisation, this could be an exciting opportunity to grow your career in NPD and R&D.
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