NPD Project Manager

Found Food & Drink; Guildford; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 53,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

Found Food & Drink is seeking an NPD Project Manager to join its Operations team in the UK. This newly created role provides structure, governance and visibility to the delivery of new product development and customer launch projects, coordinating across functions and external partners.

The role reports to the Chief Operating Officer, works closely with NPD, Operations, Commercial, Technical and Procurement, balancing governance with pragmatic delivery, and offers a hybrid pattern (one day from

Qualifications

• Extensive project management experience within a food manufacturing business.
• Experience coordinating multiple concurrent projects involving cross-functional teams and external stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of project governance, planning, risk management and project reporting.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise effectively in a fast-moving environment.
• Commercially minded, balancing structured governance with a pragmatic approach to delivery.
• Experience working with outsourced manufacturing partners or customer-led product development programmes would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the successful delivery of NPD, customer launch and innovation projects from concept through to commercial launch
• Own and develop the company's Product Development project governance framework and stage-gate process
• Manage multiple cross-functional projects simultaneously, ensuring milestones, actions and deliverables are achieved
• Chair project review meetings and provide clear reporting on project progress, risks and key decisions
• Build strong relationships across NPD, Commercial, Operations, Technical, Procurement and outsourced manufacturing partners
• Support the Chief Operating Officer with wider business improvement projects where structured project management is required
• Champion continuous improvement by reviewing completed projects and identifying opportunities to strengthen project delivery and governance
• Balance robust project governance with the flexibility needed to support commercial priorities and customer requirements

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional coordination

Stakeholder management

Governance & reporting

Risk management

Communication skills

Organisational skills

Job description

Starting Salary: £50,000 - £53,000 + 15% Discretionary Bonus

Working Pattern: Monday to Friday | One day Working From Home

A growing food manufacturing business is looking to appoint an NPD Project Manager to join its Operations team, reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer.

This is a newly created role designed to bring greater structure, visibility and governance to the delivery of new product development and customer launch projects. Acting as the central point of coordination, you will ensure projects are effectively planned, communicated and delivered, whilst keeping stakeholders aligned from concept through to successful commercial launch.

Working closely with NPD, Operations, Commercial, Technical, Procurement and outsourced manufacturing partners, you will play a pivotal role in coordinating multiple concurrent projects, managing timelines, mitigating risks and ensuring project priorities remain on track.

This is a highly collaborative role that combines project management with relationship building. You'll bring people together, create momentum across teams, and ensure projects move forward through clear communication, practical governance and strong stakeholder engagement.

What You'll Be Doing

• Coordinate the successful delivery of NPD, customer launch and innovation projects from concept through to commercial launch
• Own and develop the company's Product Development project governance framework and stage-gate process
• Manage multiple cross-functional projects simultaneously, ensuring milestones, actions and deliverables are achieved
• Chair project review meetings and provide clear reporting on project progress, risks and key decisions
• Build strong relationships across NPD, Commercial, Operations, Technical, Procurement and outsourced manufacturing partners
• Support the Chief Operating Officer with wider business improvement projects where structured project management is required
• Champion continuous improvement by reviewing completed projects and identifying opportunities to strengthen project delivery and governance
• Balance robust project governance with the flexibility needed to support commercial priorities and customer requirements

What's In It for You

• A newly created role with real influence over how projects are delivered across the business
• The opportunity to work closely with the Chief Operating Officer on strategic business initiatives
• Exposure to customer innovation, product launches and cross-functional business projects
• The opportunity to shape project governance within a growing and highly collaborative organisation

Your Background

• Extensive project management experience within a food manufacturing business
• Experience coordinating multiple concurrent projects involving cross-functional teams and external stakeholders
• Strong understanding of project governance, planning, risk management and project reporting
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority
• Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise effectively in a fast-moving environment
• Commercially minded, balancing structured governance with a pragmatic approach to delivery
• Experience working with outsourced manufacturing partners or customer-led product development programmes would be advantageous

Join a Business That Invests in You

This is an opportunity to join a growing food manufacturing business where collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement sit at the heart of the organisation. You'll play a key role in delivering new products to market, improving project governance and supporting the business through its next phase of growth.

If you enjoy bringing people together, driving projects forward and building strong relationships across a business, we would love to hear from you.