Product Development & Commercialization Associate

Location:

Delhi-NCR
Company:
Sleepy Owl Coffee
About Sleepy Owl Coffee

Sleepy Owl is one of India's leading coffee-first consumer brands, building innovative products across cold coffee, instant coffee, functional beverages, coffee premixes and ready-to-drink formats. We work across both in-house operations and multiple third-party manufacturing partners to develop and scale products loved by consumers across India.

We are looking for a highly driven and execution-oriented Product Development & Commercialization Associate to join our growing team.

This is a cross-functional role at the intersection of product innovation, commercialization, sourcing, vendor management and project execution.
The ideal candidate should enjoy working across teams, coordinating with external partners, managing product development workflows and driving projects from concept to launch.

Key Responsibilities

Product Development & Innovation
Support new product development projects across coffee, beverages and adjacent categories
Conduct market research, trend analysis and competitor benchmarking
Track consumer preferences, category innovation and emerging ingredients
Coordinate with external R&D teams, consultants and manufacturing partners for formulation development
Manage product samples, trials and sensory evaluations
Assist in defining product positioning, product specifications and benchmark standards

Commercialization & Project Management
Coordinate end-to-end product commercialization activities across internal and external stakeholders
Manage product launch timelines and project trackers
Coordinate pilot trials and factory commercialization runs with third-party manufacturers
Ensure alignment across packaging, sourcing, production, finance and quality teams
Track action items, escalations and project milestones
Support product improvements, reformulations and cost optimization initiative

Sourcing, Procurement & Vendor Coordination

Coordinate sourcing of ingredients, packaging materials and samples
Work closely with vendors and suppliers for timelines, specifications and approvals
Support procurement coordination for NPD projects
Assist in evaluating new suppliers and manufacturing partners
Coordinate with third-party manufacturing units for trials and production readiness

Costing & Business Analysis

Assist in preparing product costing and basic P&L analysis for new launches
Coordinate with finance and procurement teams for pricing inputs and commercial feasibility
Support cost optimization initiatives across ingredients, packaging and manufacturing

Cross Functional Coordination

Packaging
Quality
Finance
Procurement
Manufacturing partners
Customer support
Marketing
Operations teams
Support customer feedback analysis and product improvement projects

Candidate Profile

Experience
2–4 years of experience in FMCG, Food & Beverage or consumer product companies
Experience in product development, commercialization, sourcing or project coordination preferred

Preferred Background

Candidates from the following categories will be preferred:
Beverage companies
Coffee or tea brands
Functional foods or nutrition brands
FMCG startups
Food ingredient or flavor companies
Premix or seasoning companies

Skills & Attributes

Strong project management and coordination skills
High ownership and execution orientation
Ability to work in fast-paced startup environments
Strong communication and vendor management skills
Analytical and problem-solving mindset
Interest in food, beverages and consumer products
Comfortable managing multiple projects simultaneously
Willingness to travel for factory visits and trials when required

Educational Background

Bachelor's degree in Food Technology, Food Science, Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering, Nutrition or related fields preferred
MBA candidates with relevant FMCG/F&B experience may also apply

Why Join Sleepy Owl

Opportunity to work on innovative and fast-growing consumer products
High ownership and visibility across functions
Exposure to end-to-end product lifecycle and commercialization
Fast-paced learning environment with direct founder interaction
Opportunity to shape products consumed by millions of customers