New Product Development Manager

RHR UK; Watford; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading sweet treat brand is seeking a New Product Development Manager to spearhead innovation in food and drink products. This role involves overseeing the full NPD process, from recipe development to commercial launch. The ideal candidate will have over 7 years of experience in food innovation, a strong culinary background, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment. A competitive salary and a range of benefits, including a 10% bonus and hybrid working options, are offered.

Benefits

Competitive salary

10% bonus

25 days holiday

Bupa private healthcare

Employee discounts

Free Doughnuts in the office

Qualifications

• 7+ years in NPD, culinary development or food innovation preferably in bakery or FMCG.
• Proven track record of leading innovation from concept to launch.
• Experience with culinary trends and customer-driven product development.

Responsibilities

• Lead the NPD process for food and drink innovation.
• Shape and deliver the annual product innovation calendar.
• Work with cross-functional teams for product commercialization.
• Mentor Product Developer and maintain the creative development kitchen.

Skills

Culinary development

Food innovation

Project management

Collaboration

Creativity

Education

Degree in Culinary Arts or Food Science

Job description

New Product Development Manager

Support Office - Watford

Contract : Full time

Salary : Competitive

NPD Manager

Location : Watford (2 Days) & London (1 Day) Hybrid

Contract : Full-Time | Permanent

Bring your passion for sweet treats and innovation to the brand thats built on joy. At Krispy Kreme, were on a mission to be the most loved sweet treat brand and our iconic, melt-in-the-mouth doughnuts are at the heart of that. Now, were looking for a bold, creative, and commercially savvy NPD Manager to lead new product development and deliver doughlicious innovation that excites our customers and elevates our brand.

We dont just make doughnuts we create moments of joy. Youll join a passionate, supportive, and fast-moving team that lives for innovation, creativity and delivering irresistible experiences. We blend the best of retail and FMCG, giving you the unique opportunity to shape a brand that spans in-store magic and grocery shelf impact.

The Opportunity

As NPD Manager, youll take the lead in developing irresistible food and drink experiences, think innovative limited time campaigns, evolving our core range, and crafting exciting new formats for both our retail and grocery channels. This is a role where youll be in the kitchen as much as in the boardroom, experimenting with flavours, textures, and presentations, and personally shaping each concept before it reaches our customers.

From trend spotting and recipe testing, to concept development and full-scale commercial launch, youll drive the full innovation lifecycle with energy, creativity, and precision. Youll work side‑by‑side with our Product Developer in the creative development kitchen, collaborating closely with our Brand, Supply Chain, Commercial, and Operations teams to bring products to life. On time, on budget, and always on brand.

This is your chance to work with iconic products, an ambitious team, and a brand that dares to do things differently, where every day offers the opportunity to turn ideas into doughnuts that bring joy.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Lead the end-to-end NPD process for food and drink innovation LTOs (limited time only), EPDs and core range evolution, personally overseeing recipe development and kitchen trials

Shape and deliver our annual product innovation calendar, ensuring each concept is tested, refined, and perfected in our development kitchen

Head up our Food & Drink meeting, driving collaboration, creativity, and visibility across the business

Work closely with cross-functional teams to bring products from kitchen prototype to commercial launch

Deliver exciting, customer-centric NPD while ensuring COGs, operational feasibility and quality standards remain uncompromised

Keep your finger on the pulse when tracking food trends, technologies, and evolving customer needs, then translating them into kitchen-tested concepts

Mentor and develop a high-performing Product Developer, fostering creativity, craftsmanship, and technical excellence

Take ownership of the creative development kitchen, ensuring it remains a hub of innovation and delivering gold standard product showings

What we’re looking for

7+ years of experience in NPD, culinary development or food innovation. Preferably in bakery, sweet treats, FMCG or QSR

Academic background in Culinary Arts or Food Science, or equivalent hands‑on experience

A true foodie who lives and breathes flavour, creativity, and new product experiences

A project manager at heart who is organised, commercially aware, and confident managing complexity at speed

Collaborative, influential, and confident working across teams to deliver excellence

Someone who thrives in a fast‑paced, hands‑on environment, where no two days are the same

Experience leading innovation from concept to launch, with a track record of delighting customers

What we offer

Competitive salary + a 10% bonus

25 days holiday + bank holidays (with the option to buy 5 more) & Sabbatical options

Hybrid working (3 office / 2 home)

Bupa private healthcare + wellbeing support via our employee assistance programs

Access to a variety of discounts & vouchers for everyday spending, days out, travel, entertainment, shopping and more!

5% pension contribution (with 3% employer match)

Free Doughnuts when youre in the office & 50% off doughnuts + 30% off drinks in-store

About Krispy Kreme

Our People: We embrace diversity within our teams, so whether you're a foodie, drink lover, sport enthusiast, gym bunny, movie buff, history geek, gamer, music fan, book worm, none of the above or all the above, you'll find a friend here!

Our Doughnuts: We're famous for our amazing doughnuts, but did you know that every Krispy Kreme doughnut is handmade, decorated and delivered fresh daily by one of our awesome team members?

Culture: Our culture is created through our leadership mix, of which there are a dozen (naturally!) : Check out our careers page for more information on our Krispy Kreme Culture

Love our planet: Our beautiful, natural world gives us our sugar, cocoa, eggs, milk, coffee, and so much more. Protecting and preserving it is vitally important to us. So, we're constantly working to reduce our environmental impact and become more sustainable in all we do. Check out our Social Responsibility page for more information.

Doughnut Wait apply today!