Food Product Development Lead – Hybrid & Brand

Co-Op Company; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Company car

Hybrid working

Pension contributions

Onsite gym access

Staff discount

Job summary

Co-op is seeking a Product Development Manager to join our Brand team in Manchester, delivering own-brand products aligned to an 18–24 month planning horizon. You will build relationships with suppliers and cross-functional teams, analysing insights to shape future ranges and opportunities.

The role offers hybrid working with UK stores exposure and a focus on quality and value across the Co-op portfolio. You’ll lead product development initiatives, collaborate across functions, attend supplier

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in product development within the food industry.
• Trained sensory skills to taste and analyse food.
• Strong communication skills to build relationships across the business.
• Creative thinker with commercial insight and data interpretation ability.
• Deep customer and category knowledge with data analysis capability.

Responsibilities

• Work within product development teams to create innovative, high quality, customer‑centric products.
• Interpret data, insights, and trends to shape product ranges and innovations.
• Build relationships with supplier base, trading teams, and technical colleagues.
• Attend factory visits to review trials and understanding manufacturing capabilities.
• Keep abreast of retail landscape and market trends to drive efficiencies.
• Ensure products taste great and meet high‑quality standards.

Skills

Product development experience

Sensory analysis

Strong communication

Creative thinking

Data interpretation

Job description

Co-op is seeking a Product Development Manager to join our Brand team in Manchester, delivering own-brand products aligned to an 18–24 month planning horizon. You will build relationships with suppliers and cross-functional teams, analysing insights to shape future ranges and opportunities.

The role offers hybrid working with UK stores exposure and a focus on quality and value across the Co-op portfolio. You’ll lead product development initiatives, collaborate across functions, attend supplier