About Astral Foods

Astral Foods Limited is the largest integrated poultry producer in Southern Africa, operating across the entire value chain from animal feed and genetics to broiler production and distribution.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead formulation, trials and validation of new and existing value-added poultry products.
• Drive continuous product improvement to meet customer expectations, quality standards and cost targets.
• Develop, maintain and manage technical specifications, ingredient declarations and labelling compliance in line with South African food legislation.
• Provide technical support and oversight to internal production facilities and external co-packers, ensuring consistent product performance.
• Conduct sensory analysis, shelf-life testing and product benchmarking, translating insights into actionable improvements.
• Investigate technical deviations, complaints and non-conformances, implementing corrective actions.
• Provide technical input into supply chain, procurement and marketing initiatives, including ingredient sourcing and product claims support.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Quality, Technical, Operations, Sales and Marketing teams.
• Maintain strong understanding of trends, competitor technologies, and market innovation.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• BSc or BTech in Food Technology, Food Science or a related qualification.
• 4–6 years’ experience in a food manufacturing environment, preferably within poultry, meat or value-added protein categories.
• Proven experience in product development, formulation and factory trials.
• Strong working knowledge of South African food legislation and labelling requirements.
• Experience working with co-packers or multiple manufacturing sites will be advantageous.
• Strong technical and analytical skills.
• Sound judgment and decision-making capability.
• Excellent planning, organisation and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to influence and work effectively across functions.
• High attention to detail with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• High level of personal and professional integrity.

Why Join Us?

• Opportunity to operate at specialist level within a well-established corporate environment
• Exposure to end-to-end product development and commercialisation
• Competitive remuneration package
• Career development within a growing value-added category