Head of Product Innovation

apetito; Trowbridge; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food supplier in the UK is looking for a Head of Product Innovation to build a robust innovation pipeline and lead the innovation team. This role requires a proven food innovator with leadership skills and commercial awareness, aimed at uncovering unmet needs and translating insights into successful product concepts. Competitive salary and various benefits offered.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Company car

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Discretionary annual bonus scheme

Pension scheme

Life assurance scheme

Subsidised canteen

Qualifications

• Proven track record of delivering commercially successful concepts.
• Natural team leader who energizes others.
• Ability to translate insights into growth opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage an innovation programme.
• Identify opportunities for competitive advantage.
• Collaborate with external partners to accelerate innovation.

Skills

Food innovation

Team leadership

Commercial awareness

Education

Degree-level qualification or equivalent experience

Job description

Overview

We are seeking a visionary food professional to join us as Head of Product Innovation.

Innovation has been at the heart of our commercial success for the last 25 years and continues to be at the core of our strategy for growth.

Head of Product Innovation will be a proven leader with the creativity, resilience and inquisitive mind to unlock the next wave of breakthrough innovations for apetito and Wiltshire Farm Foods.

Your Impact

This is an exciting opportunity to build and deliver an industry-leading innovations pipeline. You\'ll uncover unmet needs, explore cutting-edge technologies, and bring new food and system concepts to life, from first spark to full-scale launch.

You\'ll be at the centre of our New Product Development team:

• Shaping strategy - translating insight, trends and ideas into clear product & system innovations.
• Driving delivery - overseeing development of compelling product and system solutions that bring significant value to our customers and business.
• Inspiring your team - leading and growing a high-performing team to think boldly, act fast, and innovate with purpose.

Who we are

apetito is the UK\'s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK\'s largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a forward-thinking innovation programme that delivers a robust pipeline of product and system innovation.
• Identify incremental and transformational opportunities that deliver genuine competitive advantage and commercial growth.
• Scout and apply emerging ingredients, products, technologies, and equipment that unlock new possibilities.
• Identify relevant trends and apply anthropological approaches to identify unmet needs and create whitespace opportunities.
• Collaborate across apetito and with external partners including academic, suppliers and startups to accelerate innovation.
• Validate concepts rapidly through agile "test and learn" approaches.
• Present compelling business cases to secure stakeholder buy-in.
• Ensure the effective design, development and implementation of concepts and products.
• Lead and develop the Innovation Team, embedding a culture of creativity, experimentation, and continuous improvement.
• Support our Business Development team with concept development , testing and implementation, to deliver opportunities into new workstreams.

About you

Essential:

• An accomplished food innovator with a proven track record of delivering commercially successful, high-impact concepts.
• A natural team leader who energises, empowers, and brings others on the innovation journey.
• A big-picture thinker with a Growth mindset, who can also roll up their sleeves and deliver.
• The ability to translate insights and ideas into meaningful growth opportunities.
• A passionate believer in the importance of food making a real difference.
• Commercially aware and tuned into the practicalities of scaling breakthrough ideas.
• Empathetic with the customers and markets apetito serves and our "making a real difference" mission
• Degree level qualification, or equivalent experience.

Company Benefits

• Competitive salary - accredited Living Wage employer
• Company car
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 4%
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary
• Subsidised canteen
• Free parking
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

Our Values

As a family-owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.

We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well-being for all our customers.

We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK\'s most vulnerable people.

We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI and we are an accredited Living Wage employer. Learn more about apetito\'s commitment to a more sustainable future.

We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff and we\'re on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.