Somerset | Up to £50,000 + Bonus + Excellent Benefits
Are you an experienced New Product Development (NPD) Manager with a passion for food innovation?
We're recruiting for an exciting opportunity with a premium food business seeking an experienced NPD professional to lead the development of high-quality own-brand food products across a diverse portfolio. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a growing business where you'll have the autonomy to drive innovation, lead a small team and bring exceptional products to market.
The Role
As New Product Development Manager, you'll oversee the complete product development lifecycle, from concept through to launch, ensuring products meet commercial objectives, quality standards and customer expectations.
Working across bakery, dairy, butchery, prepared foods and ambient categories, you'll collaborate with internal teams and external suppliers to deliver innovative products while managing multiple development projects.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead the end-to-end development of new and existing food products.
* Manage multiple NPD projects from concept through to successful launch.
* Assess commercial viability, costings, product formats and critical paths.
* Lead and develop a Junior Product Developer.
* Manage packaging development and artwork approval processes.
* Build strong supplier relationships and negotiate commercial terms where appropriate.
* Monitor food trends, competitor activity and emerging market opportunities.
* Work closely with Technical, Buying, Marketing, Retail and Merchandising teams to deliver successful product launches.
* Ensure products comply with UK food safety, allergen and labelling legislation.
* Manage project timelines, risks and supplier forecasts.
About You
You'll already have experience managing food product development projects and be confident working across multiple product categories within a fast-paced environment.
You'll have:
* Proven experience in a New Product Development, Product Development or NPD Manager role within the food industry.
* Experience developing chilled, frozen and/or ambient food products.
* Strong commercial awareness and product costing experience.
* Excellent project management and critical path management skills.
* Experience working with suppliers and packaging development.
* Previous leadership or team management experience.
* Good understanding of UK food legislation, food safety and allergen requirements.
* Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills.
* Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
Desirable
* Experience within prepared foods, ready meals or premium food manufacturing.
* Experience working for a premium retailer or food producer.
* Knowledge of AI tools that support product development or commercial analysis.
What's on Offer?
* Salary up to £50,000
* Performance bonus – Up to 10%
* Excellent benefits package
* Monday to Friday working pattern
* Opportunity to lead innovative food development projects
* Collaborative, supportive and growing business
* Excellent career development opportunities
If you're a commercially minded food product developer looking for your next challenge, we'd love to hear from you. Apply today to find out more about this exciting opportunity
Salary description
£50000.00 - £50000.00 per year