NPD Technologist, Lichfield, Staffordshire

Agrialfreshproduce; Lichfield; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life Assurance

EAP & BUPA

Annual leave 33 days

Learning & Development

Benefits platform

Engagement days

Job summary

Agrial Fresh Produce Ltd is seeking an NPD Technologist to join the Florette NPD team in Lichfield. You will lead development from concept to launch, manage trials, and coordinate with factory and commercial departments to ensure timely project delivery.

Ideal candidates will have a Food Science/Technology degree and hands‑on NPD experience in chilled/short shelf life products, with strong communication and independent work ability. Competitive benefits and career development await.

Qualifications

• Ideally educated to degree level in a Food Science/Technology or a related discipline.
• Ideally one year's experience working within an NPD department with experience of Chilled/Short shelf life products, shelf life analysis, product sampling, factory trials, product costings.
• Role in process or factory-based development projects. Experience in food/drink production.
• Leading role in new product development projects, developing products from concept to launch for both internal and customer briefs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with IT experience; willing to learn new skills.
• Capacity to take initiative and work independently.
• Good project and time management skills; manage several projects and priorities simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Manage projects of product development, following the established procedure within deadlines.
• Research into new products and trends in own category and related products, providing feedback of key findings.
• Project management of all stages of Florette own brand NPD/EPD projects, setting up critical path with key stakeholders.
• Arrange factory trials and complete required documentation for product validation, shelf life and testing, update costs as needed.
• Liaise with factory departments for project development and communication of details to all departments.
• Provide support for Florette brand and own label products following briefs from Marketing, reporting progress to the Head of Florette NPD.
• Create quality and technical launch documentation and post-launch reviews, ensuring handover to the factory.

Skills

NPD experience

Food science degree

Project management

Communication skills

Education

Degree in Food Science/Technology

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for a real foodie and NPD Technologist to join our team at our food manufacturing site at Lichfield. As a key member of our NPD team, you will lead the development of new and modified products for our Florette brand and Own label customers.

Working hours: Full Time, Monday to Friday (37.5 hours)

Main Responsibilities

• Manage projects of product development, following the established procedure within deadlines.
• Research into new products and trends in own category and associated products, providing feedback of key findings.
• Project Management of all stages of Florette own brand NPD/EPD projects, setting up of critical path in conjunction with all key stakeholders.
• Factory Trial arrangements and attendance to include completion of required documentation for product validation to include shelf life and other testing as relevant plus updating of costings as required. Communication of results to be made promptly with required actions.
• Liaise with all factory departments for the development of projects.
• Communicate project details to all factory and commercial departments.
• Manage new product developments for Florette brand and provide support as required for own label products following briefs from the Marketing Department.
• Report on project progress to Head of Florette NPD.
• Provide all relevant departments with information to create quality and technical documents regarding launch of products in the factory.
• Monitor products after launching following the post launch review procedure.
• Launch process arrangements – to arrange pre-launch meetings, pre- productions and coordinate Launch tracker with all Departments.
• Launch attendance – to attend launch and provide support to the Factory as required during the 2-week post launch period.
• Post launch review – to carry out post launch reviews for new products with all Departments to complete the handover to the Factory.

Skills and Experience Required

• Ideally educated to degree level in a Food Science/ Technology or a related discipline.
• Ideally one years’ experience working within an NPD department with experience of the development of Chilled/Short shelf life products, Shelf life analysis, Product sampling, Factory Trials, Product Costings
• Role in process or factory-based development projects. Experience in food/drink production.
• Leading role in new product development projects, developing products from concept to launch for both internal and customer briefs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with IT experience. Willing and capable to learn new skills.
• Capacity and capability to take initiative and work independently.
• Good project and time management skills. Able to manage several different projects and priorities at the same time.

What You Will GetInReturn

A competitive salary, inclusion in our annual bonus scheme and a range of employee benefits you’d expect from a market leading business, including:

• Life Assurance: 3x your basic salary paid to your nominated beneficiary.
• Employee Assistance Programme and BUPA: Providing a Remote GP service along with a 24/7 helpline for financial, legal, medical and life issues, as well as access to BUPA Membership.
• Annual leave entitlement: 33 days annual leave per annum inclusive of UK Bank Holidays which increases with service, as well as the option to purchase up to 2 additional working weeks of holiday per annum.
• Learning and Development: Personalised induction and regular learning and development courses and schemes: From L2 to L7 Funded Apprenticeships, Leadership Development Programme, First-Aid and MHFA Training, and many more!
• Benefits Platforms: Employee discount platform for multiple retailers and access to salary finance schemes for bicycles, gyms, and financial assistance.
• Other: Recognition awards, Regular Employee Engagement days, attendance incentives, and an annual volunteering day.

About Us

Florette is one of three UK food manufacturing sites within Agrial Fresh Produce Ltd, which is an autonomous part of the larger 17,500 employee strong French co-operative group, Agrial.

The business operates mainly under it's recognisable Florette salad brand and we are one of the UK’s leading producers in the industry. Under the well-known Florette brand, our site processes and distributes pre-packed, ready to eat, fresh salad bags and bowls to some of the UK's most well-known supermarkets and retailers, as well as your favourite restaurants and fast food vendors. In total, we sell on average around 600,000kg of products every week - an unbe-leaf-able amount!

Agrial has operations across 11 countries, with 100 industrial sites, and a 2024 turnover of €7.1bn across 5 food divisions which comprise of Beverage, Dairy, Meat, Fresh Produce & Agricultural operations; it’s not just about lettuce! As well as 2 factories we also have a farming operation – Agrial Fresh Farms. All UK sites operate under the name of Agrial Fresh Produce Limited and fall under Agrial's vegetable division. We have a recipe for success through our EPIC values and working together as one team.

Next Steps

It’s an exciting time to join our business as we look for new starters to join us to innovate in everything we do! We’re looking for positive and driven people to join our professional team. If you have the skills orexperiencewe are looking for, and want a fresh challenge we would love for you to join us on our journey!

Agrial Fresh Producereservetherightto close this vacancy once we have received sufficient applications.

VISA Sponsorship: This role is only open to applicants who have the permanent right to work in the UK. We are unable to provide or take over visa sponsorship, either now or in the future. Applicants must be able to demonstrate their ongoing eligibility to work in the UK without the need for employer sponsorship.

Agrial Fresh Produce Ltd is an Equal Opportunities employer. In addition, as part of Responsible Recruitment, Agrial Fresh Produce Ltd believes in the Employer Pay Principle. No worker should pay for a job – the costs of recruitment should be borne not by the worker but by the employer.

We are committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of all of our staff. That’s why we’ve taken the Mental Health at Work Commitment and are currently delivering a programme of activities to ensure that everyone can have open and honest conversations about their wellbeing in the workplace and feel supported. We encourage applications from persons with experience of poor mental health and are committed to supporting our employees to fulfil their potential and perform at their best in work.