NPD Food Innovation Project Manager

manucomm recruitment; Wincanton; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent benefits package

Performance bonus up to 10%

Mon-Fri working pattern

Job summary

manucomm recruitment is seeking an experienced NPD Project Manager for a premium food business in Somerset. Lead end-to-end development of innovative own-brand products across bakery, dairy, butchery, prepared foods and ambient categories.

You will oversee concept-to-launch lifecycle, collaborate with internal and external teams, manage packaging and supplier relationships, and ensure compliance with UK food legislation and labeling.

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing food product development projects across multiple product categories within a fast-paced environment.
• Experience in NPD role within the food industry.
• Experience developing chilled, frozen and/or ambient food products.
• Strong commercial awareness and product costing experience.
• Excellent project management and critical path management skills.
• Experience working with suppliers and packaging development.
• Previous leadership or team management experience.
• Good understanding of UK food legislation, food safety and allergen requirements.
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end development of new and existing food products.
• Manage multiple NPD projects from concept through to successful launch.
• Assess commercial viability, costings, product formats and critical paths.
• Lead and develop a Junior Product Developer.
• Manage packaging development and artwork approval processes.
• Build strong supplier relationships and negotiate commercial terms where appropriate.
• Monitor food trends, competitor activity and emerging market opportunities.
• Work closely with Technical, Buying, Marketing, Retail and Merchandising teams to deliver successful product launches.
• Ensure products comply with UK foodsafety, allergen and labelling legislation.
• Manage project timelines, risks and supplier forecasts.

Skills

NPD management

Food product development

Costing

Project management

Supplier management

Stakeholder management

UK food legislation

Excel & PowerPoint

Cross-functional collaboration

AI tools (desirable)

Tools

AI tools for product development

Job description

manucomm recruitment is seeking an experienced NPD Project Manager for a premium food business in Somerset. Lead end-to-end development of innovative own-brand products across bakery, dairy, butchery, prepared foods and ambient categories.

You will oversee concept-to-launch lifecycle, collaborate with internal and external teams, manage packaging and supplier relationships, and ensure compliance with UK food legislation and labeling.