Baked Product Development Manager

KP Snacks; Northallerton; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading snacks manufacturer in the UK is seeking a Baked Product Development Manager to drive innovation in their baked snacks portfolio. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in developing baked goods and experience in FMCG environments. Responsibilities include collaborating with various teams and nurturing R&D talent while ensuring product excellence. The role offers comprehensive benefits including a bonus scheme and a healthcare plan.

Benefits

Annual bonus scheme

£6000 car cash allowance

Comprehensive Healthcare Support

KP Pension Plan with matching contributions

25 days holiday plus holiday buy scheme

KP4ME platform with benefits and wellbeing resources

Qualifications

• Several years of experience in developing baked goods, understanding ingredients and processes.
• Confident in designing experiments, analyzing data, and writing reports.
• Track record of managing and delivering multiple projects in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and commercialization of new baked snacks.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including manufacturing and marketing.
• Contribute to the R&D Leadership team and nurture talent.

Skills

FMCG Baked expertise

Strong technical skills

Project delivery in FMCG

Leadership/collaborative mindset

Education

STEM qualification in Food Science, Chemistry, Engineering

Job description

You'll be responsible for developing and commercialising new baked snacks across our UK brands. This will include recipe formulation, benchtop development, scale-up planning, and overseeing trials at factory level, ensuring every product meets our quality, safety, and brand standards.

• Deliver projects with technical excellence and agility
• Design and lead robust experimental plans, from bench to scale with a strong focus on data-led decision-making, and help embed R&D best practices via enhanced tools and processes. Ensure product designs are factory-ready and transitioned smoothly into production using our P2M and MoPD stage gate processes.
• Collaborate across KP and the wider Intersnack network
• Partner closely with colleagues in manufacturing, marketing, procurement, and our Intersnack flavour team to ensure projects are technically sound and commercially viable. Contribute to the Baked Community of Practice, sharing insights and championing technical innovation.
• Develop yourself and others
• As a member of the UK R&D Leadership team, influence the overall UK R&D agenda and nurture R&D talent across our organisation.

This is an ideal opportunity for someone with solid R&D experience within a reputable FMCG organisation, with passion and knowledge in baked categories, and a genuine desire to help develop and influence our wider R&D capability.

• FMCG Baked expertise: Several years experience in developing baked goods (e.g., crackers, biscuits) with a strong understanding of ingredients, processes, and functionality.
• STEM qualification: A degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Engineering, or another STEM discipline; relevant certifications or project management training are a plus.
• Strong technical skills: Confident designing and running experiments, analysing data, and writing reports to support R&D decision-making.
• Project delivery in FMCG: Proven track record of managing and delivering a portfolio of projects and programs within a fast-paced environment.
• Leadership/collaborative mindset: Natural affinity to lead, engage, and coach others, sharing best practice, and contributing to a positive, continuous improvement culture.

Join our snack-loving team! We're looking for a Baked Product Development Manager to join our team at KP Snacks. If you're passionate about baked goods and want to be part of a group where your ideas matter and your growth is celebrated, this might be your next adventure!

This role reflects our increased innovation focus on our baked snacks portfolio as part of KP Snacks' long-term growth ambitions. You'll bring specialist knowledge of baked goods/crackers/biscuits and lead the development and improvement of products from concept through to commercialisation. Alongside this technical focus, you'll play a key role within our UK R&D leadership team, to further enhance our R&D tools and processes, driving technical excellence with technical agility. Reporting directly into our Head of R&D, you'll partner with cross-functional teams across KP and the wider Intersnack Group, including marketing and consumer insights, supply chain, procurement, and suppliers/academia, whilst ultimately being a critical member of our One R&D Intersnack Community.

We are KP Snacks, part of the Intersnack family, with over 15,000 colleagues across more than 30 countries. We create popular snacks like Hula Hoops and McCoy's. Here in the UK, we're about 2,400 strong, spread across seven factories and our Slough HQ. We value speaking our minds, celebrating differences, and pushing boundaries. Diversity is integral to our culture. We encourage everyone to apply, even if you don't meet every requirement. Your unique perspective could be just what we need. If you need assistance during the application process, just let us know.

We offer:

• Annual bonus scheme with a strong track record of overachievement
• £6000 car cash allowance
• Comprehensive Healthcare Support including a Medicash Health Cash Plan or Private Healthcare, Digital GP, and specialist Cancer Care
• KP Pension Plan with contribution matching up to 7%
• 25 days holiday + holiday buy scheme
• KP4ME platform with benefits, discounts, and wellbeing resources