Zad KSA — a passionate food and dessert brand in Saudi Arabia — is hiring a Product R&D Specialist to lead the development of exciting new ice cream and cake products. This creative, market-focused R&D role combines consumer trend research, competitive analysis, new flavour development, seasonal and limited-edition product creation, and cross-functional collaboration with Production, Marketing, and Operations teams. The role requires a minimum of 2 years of F&B product development experience — ideally in ice cream, bakery, or desserts — and proficiency in both Arabic and English. Apply directly to recruitment@zad-ksa.com.
How to Apply: Send your updated CV to recruitment@zad-ksa.com — if you’re passionate about innovation and creating exceptional dessert experiences, Zad KSA would love to hear from you.
About Zad KSA — Dessert Innovation Brand Saudi Arabia
Company: Zad KSA — a Saudi Arabia-based food and dessert brand focused on ice cream, cake, and premium dessert experiences
R&D Focus: New product development — flavours, seasonal products, limited editions, innovative packaging and presentation
Market: Saudi Arabia F&B dessert sector — tracking consumer trends, competitor activity, and emerging product opportunities
Teams: Cross-functional collaboration with Production, Marketing, and Operations — integrated NPD process
Culture: Passion-driven, innovation-first team — dedicated to creating exceptional dessert experiences for Saudi consumers
Career Opportunity & Why Zad KSA Saudi Arabia
Creative Role: Lead new ice cream and cake product development — real innovation ownership from trend research to launch
Growing Market: Saudi Arabia’s F&B dessert sector is one of the fastest-growing food categories in the GCC region
Brand Building: Shape the product portfolio of a growing Saudi dessert brand — limited editions, seasonal launches, and packaging innovation
Cross-Functional: Work directly with Production, Marketing, and Operations — building a 360-degree NPD career skillset
Position Overview
The Product R&D Specialist at Zad KSA in Saudi Arabia is a creative, analytically grounded new product development role sitting at the intersection of food science, consumer insight, and culinary innovation. You will research market trends and consumer preferences across the Saudi dessert landscape, analyse competitors, identify new product opportunities, develop new ice cream flavours and cake recipes, create seasonal and limited-edition products, and recommend innovative packaging and presentation concepts that elevate the Zad KSA brand experience. Working closely with Production, Marketing, and Operations, you will coordinate the end-to-end NPD process — from ideation and formulation through to product launch. A food science, culinary, or business background combined with at least 2 years of F&B product development experience makes you the ideal candidate for this exciting role in Saudi Arabia’s dynamic dessert market.
Why This Role Matters: As Product R&D Specialist at Zad KSA, you are the creative and scientific engine behind every new ice cream flavour, cake variety, seasonal collection, and limited-edition dessert experience the brand launches into the Saudi market. The products you develop are the reason customers choose Zad KSA over every other dessert option available to them — and that means your ability to stay ahead of consumer trends, translate market insights into winning flavour concepts, and bring innovative packaging ideas that make products irresistible on the shelf is not just a job function, it is the foundation of the brand’s growth. This is a role for someone who genuinely loves desserts, lives for innovation, and wants to build a standout R&D career in one of the GCC’s most exciting food markets.
Key Responsibilities
Market Research & Consumer Trend Analysis
- Research market trends, evolving consumer preferences, and emerging dessert categories across Saudi Arabia and the GCC — identifying opportunities for Zad KSA to introduce relevant, timely, and desirable new products
- Analyse competitor ice cream, cake, and dessert portfolios — assessing their new product launches, flavour strategies, seasonal collections, and packaging approaches to identify gaps and innovation opportunities
- Translate research insights into clear, actionable product development briefs — ensuring every new product concept is grounded in genuine consumer demand and competitive market awareness
- Monitor global dessert and confectionery trends — tracking international flavour innovations, ingredient trends, and presentation styles that could be adapted and localised for the Saudi Arabian market
New Product Development — Ice Cream & Cake
- Develop new ice cream flavours — creating innovative, consumer-appealing formulations that balance taste, texture, ingredient quality, and production feasibility across Zad KSA’s manufacturing capabilities
- Develop new cake and dessert products — testing and refining recipes, ingredients, and production methods until each product meets the sensory, quality, and shelf-life standards Zad KSA requires
- Create seasonal products and limited-edition collections — designing time-sensitive product concepts for Ramadan, Eid, national days, and other key Saudi market occasions that drive consumer excitement and sales uplift
- Document all product development activities, formulation records, test results, and recipe specifications with precision — maintaining a complete, organised R&D record for every product in development
Packaging Innovation & Presentation Concepts
- Recommend innovative packaging and presentation concepts for new and existing Zad KSA products — ensuring packaging design supports brand identity, product differentiation, and shelf appeal in Saudi retail environments
- Evaluate packaging materials, formats, and sustainability options — contributing ideas that balance consumer appeal, production practicality, cost-effectiveness, and environmental responsibility
- Collaborate with the Marketing team on packaging brief development — providing technical and sensory input that ensures packaging claims, imagery, and product descriptions accurately reflect the product inside
Cross-Functional Collaboration & NPD Coordination
- Collaborate closely with the Production team — ensuring new product formulations are production-feasible, scalable, and consistent when manufactured at commercial quantities
- Work with the Marketing team on product positioning, naming, and go-to-market strategy — providing R&D expertise that ensures marketing communications are technically accurate and consumer-relevant
- Coordinate with the Operations team on ingredient sourcing, supplier qualification, and cost management — balancing product innovation ambitions with commercial and operational realities
- Support new product launch activities — participating in taste panels, consumer feedback sessions, and quality review meetings that finalise products before market release
Qualifications & Requirements
Education
- Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Culinary Arts, Business, Marketing, or a closely related field — required for this Product R&D Specialist position at Zad KSA
- Additional professional development in food product development, sensory science, or confectionery and dessert technology is a meaningful career advantage
Experience Requirements
- Minimum 2 years of experience in Product Development or R&D within the F&B industry — with experience specifically in ice cream, bakery, or desserts strongly preferred
- Proven ability to take a product concept from initial research through formulation, testing, refinement, and commercial launch — demonstrating end-to-end NPD ownership
- Experience working cross-functionally with Production, Marketing, and Operations teams in a food manufacturing or food service environment
Essential Skills
- Strong analytical skills — able to interpret market data, consumer research, and competitor analysis to generate specific, commercially viable product development recommendations
- Genuine creativity — able to generate novel flavour combinations, product concepts, and presentation ideas that excite consumers and differentiate Zad KSA in the Saudi dessert market
- Excellent communication skills — able to present ideas, briefs, and test results clearly to cross-functional teams and management stakeholders
- Arabic and English proficiency — preferred for communication with Saudi market stakeholders, consumers, suppliers, and cross-functional team members in both languages
About the Saudi Arabia F&B Dessert Market
Saudi Arabia’s food and beverage sector — and particularly the dessert, ice cream, and bakery categories — is experiencing significant and sustained growth, driven by a young, trend-aware population, rising disposable incomes, expanding retail and food delivery infrastructure, and a deep cultural appreciation for high-quality, innovative sweet products. Seasonal occasions including Ramadan, Eid, and Saudi National Day create major commercial opportunities for dessert brands that can deliver exciting, occasion-relevant products to market quickly and creatively. The Product R&D Specialist role at Zad KSA sits at the heart of this opportunity — developing the ice cream flavours, cake varieties, and dessert concepts that will define Zad KSA’s product portfolio and delight Saudi consumers in 2026 and beyond.
Apply now to recruitment@zad-ksa.com.
Career Excellence: Join Zad KSA as Product R&D Specialist in Saudi Arabia — develop innovative ice cream flavours, seasonal cake collections, and bold dessert concepts for one of the Kingdom’s most exciting and passion-driven F&B brands.
Who Should Apply?
- Ice Cream or Bakery R&D Professionals in KSA: With 2+ years of new product development experience in desserts, confectionery, or bakery — passionate about flavour innovation in the Saudi F&B market
- Food Science Graduates with NPD Experience: With hands-on product formulation, sensory testing, and cross-functional collaboration experience in an F&B or FMCG environment
- Culinary Arts Professionals with R&D Ambitions: With creative recipe development talent and a structured approach to translating culinary ideas into commercially scalable food products
- Bilingual Arabic-English F&B Specialists: With strong market research skills, consumer insight capability, and the communication skills to coordinate effectively across Arabic and English-speaking teams
- Trend-Driven Dessert Enthusiasts: Who actively follow global dessert trends, understand the Saudi consumer market, and want to channel that passion into building a meaningful NPD career at a growing KSA brand
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