New Product Development Manager

JR United Kingdom; Slough; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading drinks company in Slough is seeking a Project Manager to oversee new product development initiatives. You will be responsible for managing project plans, ensuring timely delivery, and maintaining quality standards. The ideal candidate has in-depth knowledge of the drinks industry and strong project management skills. This unique opportunity is ideal for a detail-oriented professional looking to join a dynamic organization undergoing growth.

Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of supply chain and operations, ideally within the drinks or FMCG sectors.
• Proven experience with logistics planning, label compliance and international goods movement.
• Strong track record in category innovation, including packaging and POS development.

Responsibilities

• Manage the end-to-end delivery of product projects.
• Oversee development within whisky, rum, and cognac categories.
• Coordinate with internal teams and external agencies for NPD projects.

Skills

Knowledge of supply chain and operations

Logistics planning

Project management

Category innovation

Understanding of drinks industry

Job description

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London - 4 days/week in the office 1 day from home

Role Overview

Reporting directly to the Head of Creative, you will be responsible for managing the end-to-end delivery of products—ensuring timely, cost-effective execution from project initiation through to market launch. This includes securing stakeholder buy-in and approvals at key stages, while maintaining the highest quality standards throughout.

Leveraging strong project management expertise and a deep understanding of the drinks industry, you’ll work across all business sites to proactively identify and manage the impacts and interdependencies of new product development (NPD). Your scope will include overseeing development within categories such as whisky, rum, and cognac.

You will also be tasked with identifying and developing opportunities to collaborate with local artisans for the creation of branded merchandise—both for retail and online platforms—as well as POS materials. This may extend to the development of food products and packaging innovations.

Working closely with the in-house creative team, you’ll take ownership of sourcing dry goods including labels, bottles, cartons, and corks, ensuring alignment with brand standards and timelines.

This is a unique opportunity for a driven and detail-oriented professional to join a dynamic organisation undergoing rapid growth and operational transformation.

Key Responsibilities

Project Planning & Execution

• Develop and manage comprehensive project plans for NPD initiatives, outlining key milestones, timelines, resource allocations, and decision points to ensure timely delivery.

Project Briefs

• Create and communicate clear project timelines and briefs, covering design and packaging scope, pricing structures, value and volume metrics, cost of goods, and distribution strategies.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with in-house project managers to execute NPD projects across creative, marketing, production, sales, and external agencies.
• Coordinate with resources at both head office and production sites to meet stakeholder expectations, ensuring accountability and seamless execution of line extensions and new brand concepts.

Stakeholder Communication & Management

• Maintain consistent communication with all internal and external stakeholders throughout the NPD lifecycle.
• Lead and facilitate internal/external NPD meetings, in partnership with project managers, ensuring agendas, minutes, actions, and updates are documented and shared.
• Monitor and manage risks, issues, and deliverables to ensure alignment with project priorities and deadlines.

Relationship Management

• Build strong, collaborative relationships across suppliers and internal teams.
• Ensure packaging reflects company's commitment to sustainability while maintaining premium quality, by selecting environmentally responsible materials and solutions.

Budget Management

• Oversee project budgets, ensuring resources are used efficiently and financial goals are met.

Product Testing & Quality Assurance

• Manage pre-launch testing and quality checks to ensure all products meet defined standards and specifications.
• Conduct site visits to bottling halls as needed to verify that packaging and design meet production standards.

Regulatory Compliance & Risk Mitigation

• Ensure all new products adhere to applicable regulations and industry standards.
• Proactively identify potential risks and implement mitigation strategies to safeguard project outcomes.

Post-Launch Evaluation

• Conduct evaluations following product launches to measure performance and gather insights for future improvements.

Requirements

• Deep knowledge of supply chain and operations, ideally within the drinks or FMCG sectors
• Proven experience with logistics planning, label compliance and international goods movement
• Strong track record in category innovation, including packaging and POS development
• In-depth understanding of the drinks industry
• Demonstrated project management expertise with the ability to drive complex initiatives to successful completion