Food NPD Lead — From Brief to Launch

Meyer Food Co.; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekly Friday lunches

Family culture

Impactful work

Job summary

Meyer Food Co in Sydney is seeking a New Product Development Manager to own the NPD department from brief to launch. You will lead the NPD team and guide projects through our stage-gate process, aligning Operations, QA, Planning, Procurement and Sales to ensure on-time launches.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in food NPD, strong knowledge of HACCP/GMP/SQF, and proven leadership across cross-functional teams, with excellent stakeholder engagement and project management skills.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in new product development within food manufacturing.
• Tertiary qualification in food science/technology/engineering or equivalent.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams across Operations, QA, Planning, Procurement and Sales.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, GMP and SQF.
• Experience validating products and samples.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management; confident presenting to customers.
• Strong project management; experience with stage-gate processes.
• Current Australian work rights and a valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Own delivery of all NPD and EPD projects from brief to launch.
• Lead product design across primal, process, raw materials, packaging and tech.
• Own product validation including organoleptic, benchmarking, microbial and sensory tests.
• Lead cross-functional team, identify risks early and resolve them before production.
• Collaborate with Sales and customers; occasional interstate client meetings.
• Manage suppliers to deliver samples and specs on time; drive innovation and cost savings.
• Set KPIs, report results, build a high-energy team.

Skills

NPD experience

Team leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Food safety knowledge

Project management

Stakeholder communication

Australian work rights

Driver's license

Stage-gate process

Education

Tertiary qualifications in food science/technology/engineering

Job description

Meyer Food Co in Sydney is seeking a New Product Development Manager to own the NPD department from brief to launch. You will lead the NPD team and guide projects through our stage-gate process, aligning Operations, QA, Planning, Procurement and Sales to ensure on-time launches.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in food NPD, strong knowledge of HACCP/GMP/SQF, and proven leadership across cross-functional teams, with excellent stakeholder engagement and project management skills.