NPD Buyer - Packaging

Greencore Group; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Greencore Qualifications

Salary

25 days holiday

Pension contributions

Share save scheme

Discount platform

Wellbeing Centre

Job summary

Greencore Group is seeking an NPD Buyer for packaging to source safe, commercially competitive and great tasting packaging solutions. You will manage a lead buying portfolio, ensure timely delivery to Product Development, and work with suppliers to support Greencore's innovation agenda.

The role requires degree calibre, food knowledge, and strong MS Office skills, with cross-functional stakeholder management experience. On-site role with a competitive package and benefits.

Qualifications

• Degree calibre or equivalent.
• Food knowledge and passion.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office systems.
• Cross functional stakeholder management experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the effective and accurate NPD sourcing on new packaging in line with business requirements and ensure timely delivery to Product Development teams.
• Develop deep supplier knowledge for sourcing areas and control margins amid product churn.
• Ensure sourcing aligns with Greencore Purchasing Excellence and internal processes.
• Represent NPD buying on projects and identify suppliers in line with the strategy.
• Act as conduit between innovation teams and lead buyers to align future strategy with consumer needs.
• Manage lead buying portfolios and ensure compliance, monitor material availability and input cost inflation.
• Maintain a pipeline library of innovative products accessible to customer teams.

Skills

Cross-functional collaboration

MS Office proficiency

Food knowledge

Negotiation

Education

Degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Why Greencore?

Following the combination with Bakkavor in January 2026,we’reone of the UK’s leading creators of convenience food, driven by a simple purpose: to make everyday taste better.

As a vibrant and fast-moving business,we’reproud to employ over 28,000 talented colleagues across 36 manufacturing sites and 21 distribution depots in the UK and the US. Together, we bring delicious food to life. Our products cover every meal occasion from breakfast through to dinner and dessert, with lunch and snacking in between. In FY25, our shared passion helped us achieve combined revenues of approximately £4bn.

Our extensive direct to store (DTS) network, with 17 depots across the UK, allows us to deliver fresh and frozen food both our own and from trusted partners to thousands of stores every day, ensuring consumers enjoy thevery best, whenever and wherever they shop.

We are looking for an NPD (New Product Development) Buyer, to source safe, commercially competitive and great tasting food in line with procurement strategies to provide food innovation solutions for the business. To do this, you will manage a small lead buying portfolio for Greencore, specifically focussed on Packaging

• Lead the effective and accurate NPD sourcing on new packaging in line with business requirements, contributing ideas and information, and ensuring timely delivery of requirements to the Product Development teams
• In depth supplier knowledge of sourcing area and avoidance of margin creep through product churn
• Ensure products are sourced in alignment with Greencore Purchasing Excellence, procurement strategy and objectives; and the process is compliant with the internal functional processes
• Represent NPD buying and or lead specific projects that contribute to our strategic innovation agenda, identifying suppliers and sourcing ingredients in line with the strategy
• Act as the conduit between the innovation category teams and the lead buyers for your sourcing areas to ensure future innovation strategy is aligned with consumer, customer and business needs
• Manage a portfolio of Lead Buying areas within the function, ensuring compliance to systems and processes, monitoring and managing risks relating to material availability and input cost inflation
• Maintenance of a pipeline library of innovation or great products for the sourcing area that is easily accessible to customer teams

What we’re looking for

• Degree calibre or equivalent
• Food knowledge and passion
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office systems
• Cross functional stakeholder management experience

At Greencore we put our people at the core. We celebrate their differences and help everyone to be themselves at work. Together we make every day taste better.

What you’ll get in return

• Competitive salary and job-related benefits
• 25 days holiday
• Competitive matched pension contributions
• Company share save scheme
• Greencore Qualifications
• Exclusive Greencore employee discount platform
• Access to a full Wellbeing Centre platform

Throughout your time at Greencore, you will be supported with on the job training and development opportunities to further your career.