Beverage Innovation Lead - Front-End NPD & Concepts

Ballantine Recruitment; Worcester, Larkhill; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension

KPI-based bonus scheme

Employee benefits / discounts

Option to access BUPA

Flexible working, regular sitePresence

Job summary

Ballantine Recruitment partners with a UK drinks manufacturer to hire a Beverage Innovation Lead who will own front-end innovation, spotting opportunities, creating new beverages and taking concepts to customers. You will shape the innovation pipeline across alcoholic and non-alcoholic categories and work closely with Commercial, Marketing, Technical and NPD teams.

The role offers ownership over ideas, direct customer interaction and exposure to senior stakeholders, with a strong emphasis on

Qualifications

• 5+ years' beverage development / formulation experience.
• Strong hands-on liquid formulation capability.
• Experience across categories such as soft drinks, RTDs, spirits, juice, flavoured water, mixers or functional beverages.
• Strong front-end innovation and concept-development experience.
• Ability to identify trends and turn them into credible product opportunities.
• Confidence presenting concepts and samples directly to customers.
• Strong customer-facing experience, ideally with major UK retailers or drinks customers.
• Good understanding of sensory evaluation, ingredients, stability and technical feasibility.
• Commercial awareness alongside strong technical credibility.
• Food Science, Product Development or related qualification, or equivalent industry experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead proactive beverage innovation from idea and insight through to developed recipe.
• Identify emerging consumer trends, category gaps and new growth opportunities.
• Create and formulate new alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
• Build a strong pipeline of blue-sky and customer-relevant concepts.
• Develop recipes across categories including RTDs, soft drinks, juice, flavoured water, mixers, spirits and wider beverages.
• Present concepts, liquids and innovation opportunities directly to customers.
• Support and lead customer innovation sessions and product presentations.
• Create samples and bring concepts to life through storytelling and technical credibility.

Skills

Beverage development

Formulation

Trend analysis

Idea generation

Education

Food Science or Product Development qualification

Job description

Ballantine Recruitment partners with a UK drinks manufacturer to hire a Beverage Innovation Lead who will own front-end innovation, spotting opportunities, creating new beverages and taking concepts to customers. You will shape the innovation pipeline across alcoholic and non-alcoholic categories and work closely with Commercial, Marketing, Technical and NPD teams.

The role offers ownership over ideas, direct customer interaction and exposure to senior stakeholders, with a strong emphasis on