Head of Innovation and Data Science

About the role

The Head of Innovation and Data Science will drive KTDA’s growth by turning research, market insights and data into commercial solutions across the tea value chain. Reporting to the Group General Manager‑Research, Development and Innovation, the role leads both product and process innovation.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and implement an innovation and data‑science strategy aligned with corporate objectives.
• Establish and manage a prototyping lab/innovation hub for rapid product, process and engineering prototypes.
• Translate R&D outputs into market‑ready products through validation, modelling and commercialisation.
• Build a data ecosystem integrating factory, farmer, market and consumer data to inform innovation decisions.
• Create dashboards and predictive models to track innovation performance and ROI.
• Lead test‑marketing, A/B testing and market trials before full launches.
• Source and test precision‑farming technologies such as IoT, drones, soil sensors and smart irrigation.
• Apply AI/ML to optimise factory processes, quality control, predictive maintenance and waste reduction.
• Identify diversification opportunities beyond tea, including herbal infusions, nutraceuticals and cosmetics.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in Data Science, Business, Engineering, Food Science, Marketing or related field.
• 8‑10 years of experience, with at least 5 years in a senior innovation, data‑science or product‑development role.
• Proven track record launching products or process improvements in FMCG, agro‑processing or manufacturing.
• Experience working with R&D teams; tea/agriculture sector experience is a strong advantage.

Required skills

• AI/ML, Python, SQL
• Business intelligence tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau)
• IoT and data‑modelling techniques
• Predictive analytics, statistical modelling
• Product and process analysis, market research