Assistant Manager, Scientific Research

WHO ARE WE?

Suntory is a global leader in consumer-packaged goods, renowned for producing and distributing a uniquely diverse portfolio of beverages, premium spirits, beer, wine, and wellness products throughout the world. With a history dating back to 1899, we are driven by a profound purpose: To inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature. At Suntory Beverage and Food, we boldly move forward together to realize the dreams of becoming a world-leading next-generation global beverage company, always together with Seikatsusha – you are an important part of this and here’s how your role helps us win.

We are seeking an inquisitive and tenacious Assistant Manager, Scientific Research to join our Scientific Research team at Suntory Beverage & Food Asia Pacific. In this role, you will be conducting commercial research to contribute to business. Commercial research refers to developing and validating the efficacies of new functional ingredients for new product development; investigating the efficacies of existing products as well as to discover bioactive compounds or markers that can be used for communication.

Job Responsibilities

•    Propose, design and manage biological studies to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of food and/or health supplement products.
•    Assess existing science, identify research gaps, and propose studies for new ingredient development for New Product Development (NPD) with deep understanding of consumer needs, health and ingredient trends.
•    Assess existing science, identify research gaps and propose studies to support communication of benefits of health supplements and/or to meet health claim regulatory requirements.
•    Work with external scientist/professionals/key opinion leaders on research collaborations.
•    Manage various aspect of studies, including proposal of research topics, protocol design, budget management, timeline management, statistical analysis results review, manuscript writing, etc.
•    Collaborate with cross-functional project teams including regional and local marketing, regulatory affairs and product development teams for business direction alignment and execution of biological studies.

Skills and Experience

•    Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Master, Bachelor Degree in Science, Life Science, Biology or Biochemistry.  Other doctorate or Master’s Degree with relevant working experience will be considered.
•    Commercial experience in food industry or nutritional products and industrial collaborations is highly advantageous.
•    Possess common biological technical skills such as cell culture, western blotting, ELISA, real time PCR, microscopy, etc.
•    Possess commercial acumen to link the research to business output
•    Strong communication skills - able to explain the science in simple laymen’s terms to non-scientist stakeholders. 
•    Possess consumer-centric mindset.
•    Chemistry skills such as fractionation, peptide isolation and identification highly advantageous.
•    Having an understanding of the regulatory environment (especially in Asia Pacific) and health claim requirements for food and health supplements would be advantageous.