Agthia is hiring a Product Development Manager for its R&D department at Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This senior role leads the company’s product development strategy — managing the R&D team and driving innovation from concept all the way through commercialization. It suits a food technology leader with 8+ years of experience, including at least 2 years in a leadership role in beverage manufacturing, who can combine scientific expertise with commercial thinking and make decisions based on product profitability (P&L) while keeping speed to market high.
About the Role — Product Development Manager Abu Dhabi
Company: Agthia — a food and beverage business with its R&D function based in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi
Department: Research & Development — end-to-end ownership of new product development (NPD)
Leadership Scope: Manage and develop the R&D team while building a culture of innovation, accountability, agility, and urgency
Partnerships: Suppliers, co-manufacturers, innovation institutes, universities, and technology partners
Decision Lens: Product profitability (P&L), innovation pipeline health, and speed to market
Career Opportunity in UAE Beverage Innovation
Strategic Ownership: Build and run the NPD roadmap and innovation pipeline for a major UAE food and beverage business
Leadership Role: Mentor and grow an R&D team while shaping its innovation culture
External Collaboration: Work with universities, innovation institutes, and technology partners to speed up innovation
Commercial Impact: Your launches are measured on revenue from new products and speed-to-market, not just technical delivery
Position Overview
The Product Development Manager at Agthia leads the product development strategy by managing the R&D team and driving innovation from concept through commercialization. You are accountable for delivering high-quality, commercially successful products, maintaining a strong innovation pipeline, and ensuring technical excellence across all development activities. Working closely with cross-functional teams and business unit managers, you will develop the NPD roadmap, oversee launches, monitor market trends and competitors, prioritize projects by market potential, feasibility, strategic fit, and return on investment, and build partnerships with suppliers, co-manufacturers, and research institutions to strengthen the company’s competitive advantage.
Why This Role Matters: As Product Development Manager, you decide which ideas become products. You steer the innovation pipeline toward the biggest commercial opportunities, bring new beverages to market on time and within budget, and develop the R&D team that makes it possible — a role where scientific depth and commercial judgment carry equal weight.
Key Responsibilities
New Product Development Strategy
- Develop and implement the roadmap for new product development (NPD) in line with business priorities
- Collaborate with multiple business-unit managers to fully develop NPD business plans
- Oversee the launch of new products to ensure a successful market introduction
- Identify market trends and emerging ingredients that can drive product innovation
- Manage the product development pipeline so projects are completed on time and within budget
- Monitor competitor products and industry developments to spot opportunities for innovation
Innovation Strategy
- Build and manage an innovation pipeline aligned with strategic business priorities
- Prioritize innovation projects based on market potential, feasibility, strategic fit, and return on investment
- Measure innovation performance through pipeline health, speed to market, launch success, and revenue from new products
Leadership, Coaching & Financial Management
- Mentor and guide the R&D team, supporting each member in defining and delivering their growth agenda
- Conduct periodic performance reviews and provide developmental feedback
- Prepare and present category and project budgets, including resource requirements
- Control financial performance by monitoring actual cost against budget
Education & Experience
- Master’s degree in Food Science or Food Technology
- Minimum of 8 years of experience, including at least 2 years in a leadership or managerial capacity in the beverage manufacturing industry
- Strong background in beverage manufacturing operations and product development (5+ years of food and beverage manufacturing experience is listed as a requirement)
- Proven ability to balance scientific expertise with commercial acumen and P&L-driven decision making
- Ability to lead cross-functional teams and build external partnerships with suppliers, co-manufacturers, and academic institutions
About the Opportunity — Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi
Al Wathba is home to major food and beverage manufacturing operations in Abu Dhabi, and Agthia’s R&D function plays a central part in turning market insight into new products. A Product Development Manager here works at the point where consumer trends, ingredient innovation, and manufacturing reality meet — which makes this one of the more influential technical leadership roles in the UAE’s food and beverage industry.
Career Path: This position can lead toward Head of R&D, Director of Innovation, and wider category or business-unit leadership roles in the UAE and GCC food and beverage sector.
Who Should Apply?
- Beverage R&D Leaders: With 8+ years of experience and at least 2 years managing teams in beverage manufacturing
- NPD Managers: Who have taken products from concept to commercial launch in the FMCG or food and beverage sector
- Food Technologists: With a Master’s degree and a strong grounding in beverage processing and formulation
- Innovation Pipeline Owners: Experienced in prioritizing projects by ROI, feasibility, and strategic fit
- Partnership Builders: Comfortable working with co-manufacturers, universities, and technology partners
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