NPD Process Technologist (Food Manufacturing)

The Oval Partnership; Wembley; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

The Oval Partnership is supporting a leading FMCG chilled foods manufacturer by recruiting an NPD Process Technologist. This role connects development kitchens with the manufacturing site, requiring strong organisation and a passion for scaling chef-inspired concepts while preserving dish quality and commercial viability.

The successful candidate will handle projects from concept through delivery, ensuring smooth processes and robust documentation in line with HACCP and BRC standards.

Qualifications

• Proven hands-on experience in an NPD or Process role within a food manufacturing environment.
• Experience in ready meals or chilled foods is beneficial.
• Confident decision-maker with collaborative influence across levels of the organization.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute all production trials for new and existing lines within the critical path.
• Capture data during trials to determine methodology, yield, and labour costs; update costings in the system.
• Carry out validations including shelf-life testing, transit tests, and coordinating micro and nutritional samples.
• Ensure documentation meets HACCP, BRC, and retailer standards.
• Act as the primary technical problem solver for BAU issues, batch size changes, and ingredient challenges.

Skills

NPD / Process experience

Education

Food Science or related degree

Job description

The Oval Partnership are supporting a leading FMCG chilled foods manufacturer to recruit an NPD Process Technologist, to be the vital link between the development kitchens and the manufacturing site. This role is perfect for a highly organised, passionate individual who thrives on the challenge of scaling a chef's vision while maintaining the dish quality, consistency and commercial viability.

A new role created due to growth and reporting to a Development Manager, the NPD Process Technologist will manage projects from concept through to delivery, ensuring a smooth and effective process.

NPD Process Technologist duties include:

• Plan and execute all production trials for new and existing lines, ensuring they run within the agreed critical path.
• Effective data capture during trials to determine accurate methodology, yield information, and associated labour. This includes ensuring all costings are accurate and updated on the system at each stage of development.
• Carry out all required validations, including testing food over complete shelf life (fresh and frozen), completing transit tests, and coordinating micro and nutritional samples.
• Ensure all documentation meets HACCP, BRC, and retailer standards.
• Be the primary technical problem solver for business-as-usual issues, batch size changes, and ingredient challenges.

The Person: Technical Grit Meets Culinary Enthusiasm

• Proven hands-on experience in an NPD or Process role within a food manufacturing environment, ideally ready meals/chilled food.
• Qualifications: Food Science or a food-related degree, with current Food Safety Level 2 and HACCP Level 2 certification.
• Confident in making decisions and executing actions, you are "can-do" person who is happy to break the mould and trusts your own intuition.
• Proven experience engaging and achieving required outcomes through collaboration and influence at all organizational levels.
• Fulll rights to live and work in the UK without the need for Visa sponsrship now or in the future.