New Product Development (NPD) Associate

About the Company LightYears Health is the future of preventive healthcare for India’s 400 million+ Indians over 40 years of age. We’re launching India’s first platform of health solutions to address aging-related health concerns such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and healthy transition to menopause. The LightYears R&D team includes PhDs from across the country, who have studied at prestigious institutions such as IIT Delhi and Jamia Hamdard University. LightYears was incubated at MIT. Our Culture • Question the status quo: we question the way things are done and encourage people to try new ways of doing things, as long as the risks are calculated. • Transparency: We believe in an environment of complete transparency. There are no wrong questions and feedback doesn’t need to be supercoated. • Go-getter spirit: We’re dealing with big problems and competitors with deep pockets. You’re joining a team that solves difficult problems with creativity and hustle. • Obsessed with finding and solving consumer pain points: As a team, we’re fixated on serving our consumers, and keeping the consumer needs before all else. We formulate products keeping in mind a big value proposition for the consumer. What Are Your Responsibilities? Working closely with the Founder, you will work on the following areas of new product development for LightYears Health: New Product Development • Support new product development initiatives from ideation through commercialization — concept generation, formulation, sampling, packaging, shelf-life validation, regulatory compliance, and readying products for launch. • Conduct market research, analyse market trends, and interpret consumer insights to identify areas of opportunity for new product launches. • Benchmark competitors and perform gap analysis to shape product strategy. • Track project timelines and budgets, report status updates, and proactively flag risks. Sourcing & Supply Chain • Identify, vet, and onboard manufacturers and co-manufacturers for new product development and production. • Identify and onboard raw material and ingredient suppliers, and liaise with them to develop and improve formulations. • Identify and onboard packaging partners and vendors, and collaborate on packaging innovation, material selection, and design optimization. • Coordinate with manufacturing partners through development, pilot, and production cycles. Regulatory Compliance, Testing & Quality Assurance • Oversee sensory evaluations, shelf-life studies, quality assurance tests, and pilot production runs. • Coordinate product testing across each stage of development and production. • Ensure all products comply with FSSAI and other applicable food safety regulations. • Implement quality control protocols at each stage of development and manufacturing. Launch & Post-Launch Monitoring • Coordinate go-to-market strategy with the marketing and sales teams, including product positioning and pricing. • Track key performance metrics post-launch, collect consumer feedback, and drive iterative product improvements. What Qualifications Are We Looking For? • Bachelor's degree is required preferably in food sciences, biotechnology, or nutrition. • 2-3 years of experience in consumer health. Food, cosmetics orthotics or wearables works. • Technical understanding of food science, cosmetics, and engineering • Experience in project management Location & Nature of Work • This is an in-person role in our Mumbai office. • Our working hours are in-person Monday-Friday and remote on Saturdays. What Qualities Are We Looking For? • Hustler. We are a team of hustlers, and we are looking to grow the team with people who have a go-getter mentality for the goals they set. • A keen learner. We’re looking for people who are willing to learn new hard and soft skills on the job. A new company offers many challenges and opportunities, and each presents you with steep learning curves. We are looking for a candidate who embraces the learning proc