Market Research & Development Manager at NutriK KFZE

NutriK KFZE, a proud subsidiary of the globally recognized Nutriset Group, plays a vital role in producing and distributing high‑quality ready‑to‑use foods that support the treatment and prevention of malnutrition across Nigeria. Our mission is driven by purpose: to help save lives and improve the well‑being of children and families in need. We specialize in the production of essential nutritional products including Ready‑to‑Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), Ready‑to‑Use Supplementary Food (RUSF), and Lipid‑Based Nutrient Supplements (LNS) which support humanitarian and health interventions nationwide.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Market Research & Development Manager

Location: Kano

General objective

• The Market Research & Development Manager plays a critical role in supporting the company’s mission to deliver high‑quality, nutritious, and accessible food products.
• The role focuses on building a deep understanding of consumer needs, analyzing regional market trends, and identifying opportunities to expand NUTRIK’s presence across local, regional, and export markets.
• This position bridges market intelligence, product strategy, and commercial expansion across product categories such as fortified foods, blended flours, cereals, infant nutrition, ready-to-eat foods, and value‑added agro‑processed products.

Responsibilities
Market & Consumer Research (NUTRIK Focus):

• Conduct research on food consumption patterns, nutritional gaps, and market demand for fortified and value‑added products in NUTRIK’s target regions.
• Analyse price sensitivity, brand perception, packaging preferences, and distribution habits across urban and rural consumers.
• Track trends related to nutrition, food fortification programs, humanitarian procurement standards, and government tenders.
• Evaluate product performance across channels: retail shops, supermarkets, wholesalers, schools, institutional buyers, and aid agencies.

Competitive Intelligence in Food Manufacturing:

• Monitor competing brands in flours, porridges, cereals, nutrition blends, and other processed foods.
• Compare quality, pricing, packaging formats, fortification levels, and distribution strategies.
• Identify innovations in food processing, packaging, and shelf‑life optimization relevant to NUTRIK’s product lines.
• Assess risks related to raw material availability (maize, soybean, wheat, milk powder, vitamins/minerals), logistics, and regulatory changes.

Market Development & Expansion Strategy:

• Identify new market opportunities for NUTRIK (local, regional, and export markets).
• Develop penetration strategies for new regions, institutions, NGOs, FCMG and distribution networks.
• Recommend expansion into new product lines or upgrades to existing ones based on market insights.
• Support the development of new channels such as school feeding programs, food service, or humanitarian procurement (WFP, UNICEF, NGOs).
• Evaluate the feasibility of introducing new packaging sizes, improved branding, or cost‑effective formulations.

Product Development & Portfolio Support:

• Collaborate with Quality and Production Teams to ensure new formulations meet consumer expectations and regulatory standards.
• Provide insights for reformulation (e.g., improved nutrition profiles, local ingredient inclusion, flavour optimization).
• Lead consumer testing, sensory panels, and market validation for new products.
• Support decisions on fortification standards, packaging materials, and labelling strategies aligned with target market needs.

Commercial & Sales Support:

• Assist Sales & Marketing in designing data‑driven promotional strategies, pricing models, and customer segmentation.
• Forecast demand based on seasonality, consumption patterns, and distribution trends.
• Provide field-driven insights to optimize sales routes, retail penetration, and distributor performance.
• Support negotiations with key accounts by providing data‑based market justifications.

Reporting & Strategic Decision Support:

• Prepare monthly and quarterly sector intelligence reports tailored to NUTRIK’s leadership.
• Present market opportunities, competitive threats, and recommended actions to the executive team.
• Track commercial performance, adoption rates, and ROI of market initiatives.
• Maintain dashboards covering pricing, competitor tracking, product performance, and market expansion progress.
• Any other responsibility assigned by the line manager.

Position KPIs

• Growth in market share in fortified foods and processed food categories.
• Success rate of new product launches.
• Expansion into new regions or institutions.
• Increase in sales volumes and distributor performance.
• Accuracy of market insights and forecasts supporting production & sales.
• ROI of promotional and market development initiatives.

Requirements

• Language skills – English & Hausa are essential.

Education degree:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Marketing, Business, Food Science, Agribusiness, or related field.

Work experience:

• 4–8 years of experience in FMCG, food manufacturing, nutrition programs, or market development.
• Strong knowledge of West & Central African food markets and regional consumer behaviours.
• Experience collaborating with distributors, retailers, and institutional buyers.
• Strong understanding of food production processes, value chains, and retail dynamics

Technical skills:

• Strong skills in data analysis, market surveys, and demand forecasting.
• Proficiency in market research methods, consumer surveys, and data analytics.
• Proficiency in Excel, Power BI/Tableau, and CRM tools.
• Understanding of food-processing operations, product fortification, and quality standards (HACCP, ISO).
• Familiarity with food aid procurement processes is an advantage.
• Experience working with syndicated data (Nielsen, Kantar, etc.) is a plus.

Soft skills:

• Strong analytical thinking with a results-oriented mindset and strategic thinking capabilities
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with Production, Quality, Sales, Marketing, and Finance.
• High adaptability to fast-changing market environments, initiative, and problem‑solving attitude.

Application Closing Date
31st March, 2026.