Development Chef

NPD Technologist
We are proud to be working alongside our client who manufacture quality fresh and frozen fruit ingredients. The company dedicated to delivering high-quality products to a wide stream of customers including most of the major retailers. They have a requirement for an experienced NPD Technologist who has knowledge of the Stage Gate Process to join the team asap with a view to the role becoming permanent long term
Job Summary
To lead the technical development of new & existing product development from concept to launch, ensuring alignment stage-gate process.
The NPD technologist is responsible for recipe creation, trial execution, and technical documentation, working closely with the NPD coordinator and cross functional team to deliver commercially viable and operationally feasible products.
Key Responsibilities
* Responsible for development stage if the NPD process (gate 2), including recipe creation, sample preparation, and technical feasibility assessment.
* In collaboration with operations, support with scale up processes (gate 3 & 4), ensuring that expectations on quality are clearly communicated and defined.
* Support during first production runs (gate 4) and post-launch reviews (gate 5), ensuring expectations set during development and trials are achieved
Stage gate process execution
* Follow and update NPD gate stage process to ensure it is fit for purpose.
* Support the NPD coordinator and commercial manager to ensure all NPD projects meet requirements, timelines and customer expectations.
* When required, provide detail to support the commercial managers with gate 0 and gate 1 documentation
* Support with the completion of trial and production paperwork, critical path documents, and customer information requests.
* Complete tasks inline with priority level and support NPD coordinator to ensure that project aligns with timelines. Feedback to commercial director if priority levels and timelines require reassessing.
Cross-functional collaboration
1. collaborate with commercial, procurement, operations, and technical teams to ensure alignment on project timelines.
2. attend customer meetings/visits and support with presentations
3. responsible for scheduling and leading innovation and benchmarking sessions. attending trade shows and events to inform innovation and product development.
4. support commercial manager with cost engineering recipes when required.
Documentation and Compliance
1. Manage and maintain technical documentation associated with NPD and first productions, including qas, defrost validations, qc check sheets and data collection. support technical with specifications information for new products.
2. identify and update technical team with any new products that require a HACCP review. Attend HACCP meetings when required
3. Ensure information relevant to gate stages is handed over to NPD + packaging coordinator.
4. Support with business updates, including weekly project status, sharing information required for board and exec meetings, when requested.
5. Responsible for research, development and creation of quarterly trend reviews.
Competencies
* teamwork & collaboration
* problem solving & decision making
* resilience
* inclusion
* customer focused
* planning and results orientation
* creativity and innovation
* skills and knowledge
Qualifications & Experience
* knowledge and understanding of food product development and manufacturing processes
* problem solving skills utilising root-cause analysis to identify improvements.
* effective communication with the ability to collaborate across departments
* proficient in excel, costing tools, and technical documentation requirements
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, or a related field would be beneficial but not essential if previous experience in a similar role
- Proven experience and understanding of food product development within the fresh produce or frozen food industry and manufacturing processes
- Problem solving skills utilising root-cause analysis to identify improvements.
- Effective communication with the ability to collaborate across departments
- Proficient in excel, costing tools, and technical documentation requirements
Technique-Recruitment Solutions Ltd is a proud equal opportunities employer, dedicated and specialist to the engineering and manufacturing industries. We work and support some of the most well-known companies in Norfolk and Suffolk. These vacancies are being advertised on behalf of Technique-Recruitment Solutions Ltd who are operating as an employment business and employment agency