NPD Manager Food Manufacturing £40-50k; M40

NPD Manager                   £40-50k North Oxon

This is a fantastic opportunity to join an innovative and quality driven food manufacturer who supply a wide range of premium products primarily within the baking and ingredients products.  Reporting to the Commercial Director you will also work closely with Marketing Manager & Quality Manager and be responsible for managing product and packaging development for all NPD projects and product changes for both Branded and Own Label products and to commercially evaluate New Product Development opportunities.   

Your principle responsibilities will include; managing product development process from concept to customer acceptance (either brief to external suppliers or develop in-house).   To Develop all packaging formats and designs in conjunction with Marketing team and develop and approve artwork whilst also evaluating product costing in conjunction with the Commercial Assistant.  As part of your liaison with marketing you will assist in the research and evaluate market opportunities.  You will be the primary driver of all Packaging innovations and changes to include managing the implementation of packaging changes for both NPD and EPD which includes the pioneering and innovation of new packaging formats. This will also involve the aspects specified above for NPD and product changes.

In terms of Process you will evaluate current NPD process and recommend changes to system to improve efficiencies whilst also managing product and packaging change process generate and maintain critical path for projects and current status.

As part of our supplier partnership ethos you will develop a high level of supplier awareness and build a database of suppliers (product and packaging) in order to be aware of capabilities and fully in touch with both formulation and packaging options.

In addition to your relevant food industry experience gained supplying the UK Grocery channel you will posses a number of key personal skill and attributes that are central to how we like to do business.  The first and most important will be your passion for food and cooking.  You will also be able to demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills combined with a natural consideration for other team members.  These will all be combined with you natural commercial awareness and numeracy.  You will also have a passion to deliver over and above your customers expectations working with quality products means we expect to deliver an equally high service level.

You will already have gained a relevant food science or related degree and experience gained within a role that covers food development for both branded and own label ranges.

As such you will be accustomed to working under your own initiative. Ideally you will have gained some experience of people management but more importantly you will have the required people skills to do so.  Most importantly and above all else you will posses an obvious and infectious love of all things cooking and baking.