Development Process Manager

Finsbury Food Group; Hamilton; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Leave

Enhanced Pension Scheme

Free Employee Assistance Programme

Retail Discounts

Company Shop with Discounted Products

Refer a Friend Scheme

Employee Recognition Awards

Learning & Development Opportunities

Job summary

An established industry player in the bakery sector is seeking a Development Process Manager to join their dynamic team in Hamilton. This role offers a unique opportunity to lead product launches and drive process excellence within a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in food science or technology, coupled with a passion for continuous improvement. You will work closely with a collaborative team to enhance product quality and profitability while fostering strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. If you are ready to make a significant impact in a growing organization, this position is for you!

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in the food industry or similar roles.
• Strong knowledge of food processing and material properties.

Responsibilities

• Deliver product launches on time and manage trial critical paths.
• Lead and motivate the development team for continuous improvement.

Skills

Food Processing Knowledge

Continuous Improvement

Problem-Solving

Leadership

Customer Relationship Management

Education

Degree in Food Science

Degree in Food Technology

Degree in Process Engineering

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

14 March 2025

Location: Hamilton

Shift: Monday to Friday

Salary: Competitive + Benefits

We have an opportunity for a Development Process Manager to join our Scottish Cluster Development Team, based in Hamilton.

Finsbury Food Group is a leading speciality bakery manufacturer. We constantly raise quality and efficiency standards and build long-term relationships with leading brands, major multiple retailers, and the foodservice channel. We make 75% of the UK’s sharing cakes from retailer own brands cakes, tray bakes, through to party cakes like Caterpillar cakes. This is what we do, and why we’re in business. Baking brilliance makes every day special.

The Process Development Manager will deliver product launches and ensure quality and profitability. They will be responsible for the development and maintenance of the Process Blueprint and New Product Design frameworks from a process perspective. They will also support the commercial growth strategy by leading and driving the food, quality, and innovation agenda with the customer, development team, and wider business.

This is a fast-paced role, where the successful candidate will have a Degree level in Food Science, Food Technology, Process Engineering, or similar. They will provide leadership for the creation and delivery of process excellence across Scottish Cake. Manage and support efficient and effective process development workstreams. They will champion process excellence, inspiring and educating the team to know what good looks like.

This role is based in Hamilton; however, travel to other sites in the Scottish Cluster is essential.

This is a great opportunity for someone to gain experience with one of the UK’s largest bakery businesses. They’ll work closely with a friendly and engaging team from both a site and group perspective, offering opportunities for growth and long-term career development.

This is what you’ll actually do!

As the Development Process Manager, they will successfully deliver product launches on time and in full against the development trial plan. Manage trial critical paths, forecasts, and plans, and control their own resources to deliver development activity to the agreed quality and trial budget. They will contribute to the culture of quality and continuous improvement, ensuring the right resources, behaviors, values, and development plans are appraised and developed through teams, demonstrating a passion for process excellence.

They will recruit, lead, motivate, and inspire direct reports up to senior development technologist level to achieve personal development and continual improvement. They will also motivate and manage the process team to efficiently deliver NPD launches and process capability expansion while supporting and mentoring team members.

To be successful in the role, they will build strong and effective internal and external customer relationships, focusing on developing fit-for-manufacture launches and processes. They will drive and implement process excellence and process capability expansion, presenting facts, concepts, and assessments to internal and external customers with backed-up rationale. They will influence and persuade customers to accept changes and new processes.

Ideally, this is you!

• Degree level – Food Science, Food Technology, Process Engineering, or similar
• 5+ years’ experience within the food industry, bakery, or similar role
• Knowledge and passion for food processing, material properties, continuous improvement, and problem-solving
• Computer literate – particularly Microsoft Word & Excel
• Driving License
• Basic knowledge or above Food Hygiene

What's in it for you?

• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Leave to allow quality time with your new arrival!
• Enhanced Pension Scheme for our employees
• Free Employee Assistance Programme (open to colleagues and their families)
• Retail discounts accessible via our Benefits Hub platform!
• Company shop available at sites (heavily discounted, yummy products!)
• Refer a Friend Scheme (up to £300 per referral – t&cs dependent)
• Employee Recognition Awards
• Extensive Learning & Development opportunities (including opportunities for sponsored professional memberships and our own in-house development course!)
• An opportunity to be part of a fantastic, growing organization. Head over to our LinkedIn page to find out more!

Our vision is to be the leading specialty bakery group in the UK, and we want the best people in place to achieve this. Our continued success is built entirely on the talented people who work here, so employee development is important to us. We want good people to join our company to help our company continue to go from strength to strength. If this sounds like you, please get in contact to learn more!