NPI Manager

Jobtailor; Coleraine; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor in Coleraine, UK seeks an experienced NPI Lead to drive end-to-end product handover, scale-up, validation and launch within a food manufacturing environment.

You will coach cross-functional teams, manage a master schedule, and ensure audit-ready handovers to Operations. Strong knowledge of food safety, GMP and regulatory requirements is essential.

Qualifications

• Typically 5 years relevant experience in NPI, process development, commercialisation or product implementation in food manufacturing
• Ability to set direction, delegate, coach others and intervene when oversight is required
• Degree qualification in Food Science, Food Technology, Dairy Science, Engineering or related discipline
• Strong understanding of food manufacturing processes, factory trials, scale-up, validation and operational readiness
• Knowledge of food safety, quality management systems, regulatory compliance, product specs, allergen management, labelling and customer approval
• Excellent governance, communication and stakeholder management with prioritisation and decision-making
• Strong problem-solving capability and ability to make informed decisions under pressure
• Dairy, spreads, cheese, chilled foods or packaging experience advantageous
• Project Management qualification or Lean Six Sigma certification beneficial

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and empower the NPI team to deliver multiple commercialisation and process implementation projects, including product handover, scale-up, validation, factory implementation and launch
• Set priorities, delegate project ownership, and ensure robust scopes, plans, milestones, resources, dependencies and launch-readiness criteria
• Coordinate multidisciplinary internal and external stakeholders, resolve barriers and intervene when senior alignment or escalation is required
• Support pilot plant work, factory trials and commercial start-ups, converting learning into validated process parameters, manufacturing instructions and operational standards
• Ensure audit-ready handovers to Operations and Technical teams, supported by process capability, repeatability, quality performance and validation documentation
• Guide raw material and packaging specification evaluations and packaging implementation or change programmes
• Ensure products, packaging and process changes meet food legislation, customer codes of practice, food safety policies and internal quality systems
• Manage the cross-functional master schedule and identify and mitigate technical, quality, operational and regulatory risks
• Provide oversight of stage-gate and governance reviews, progress updates, risks, resources and launch readiness
• Hold the team accountable for launch approvals and post-launch reviews
• Build relationships with suppliers, packaging partners, contract manufacturers and customer technical teams
• Lead team development through objectives, coaching, feedback, succession planning, recognition and performance management
• Lead R&D strategy delivery on site and contribute to site strategy, continuous improvement, cost optimisation and standardised NPI processes

Skills

NPI Project Management

Food Safety Compliance

Process Development

Stakeholder Management

Lean Six Sigma Certification

Education

Degree in Food Science/Food Technology/Dairy Science/Engineering

Tools

Process Implementation

Validation

Scale-Up

Factory Trials

Operational Readiness

Project Governance

Quality Management Systems

Regulatory Compliance

Product Specifications

Allergen Management

Job description

• Lead, coach and empower the NPI team to deliver multiple commercialisation and process implementation projects, including product handover, scale-up, validation, factory implementation and launch
• Set priorities, delegate project ownership, and ensure robust scopes, plans, milestones, resources, dependencies and launch-readiness criteria
• Coordinate multidisciplinary internal and external stakeholders, resolve barriers and intervene when senior alignment or escalation is required
• Support pilot plant work, factory trials and commercial start-ups, converting learning into validated process parameters, manufacturing instructions and operational standards
• Ensure audit-ready handovers to Operations and Technical teams, supported by process capability, repeatability, quality performance and validation documentation
• Guide raw material and packaging specification evaluations and packaging implementation or change programmes
• Ensure products, packaging and process changes meet food legislation, customer codes of practice, food safety policies and internal quality systems
• Manage the cross-functional master schedule and identify and mitigate technical, quality, operational and regulatory risks
• Provide oversight of stage-gate and governance reviews, progress updates, risks, resources and launch readiness
• Hold the team accountable for launch approvals and post-launch reviews
• Build relationships with suppliers, packaging partners, contract manufacturers and customer technical teams
• Lead team development through objectives, coaching, feedback, succession planning, recognition and performance management
• Lead R&D strategy delivery on site and contribute to site strategy, continuous improvement, cost optimisation and standardised NPI processes

Requirements

• Typically, 5 years relevant experience in NPI, process development, commercialisation or product implementation within food manufacturing
• Demonstrated ability to set direction, delegate effectively, coach others, build accountability and intervene appropriately when management oversight is required
• Degree qualification in Food Science, Food Technology, Dairy Science, Engineering or a related discipline
• Strong understanding of food manufacturing processes, factory trials, scale-up, validation and operational readiness
• Knowledge of food safety and quality management systems, regulatory compliance, product specifications, allergen management, labelling and customer approval requirements
• Excellent project governance, communication and stakeholder management skills, with sound judgement in prioritisation, escalation and decision-making
• Strong problem-solving capability and the confidence to make informed decisions under pressure
• Dairy, spreads, cheese, chilled foods or packaging experience would be advantageous
• A Project Management qualification, Lean Six Sigma certification or equivalent would be beneficial

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in leading NPI projects within food manufacturing, ensuring compliance with food safety regulations and quality management systems while effectively managing cross-functional teams and stakeholder relationships.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• NPI Project Management
• Food Safety Compliance
• Process Development
• Stakeholder Management
• Lean Six Sigma Certification

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Process Implementation
• Validation
• Scale-Up
• Factory Trials
• Operational Readiness
• Project Governance
• Quality Management Systems
• Regulatory Compliance
• Product Specifications
• Allergen Management

Soft Skills

• Coaching
• Communication
• Problem-Solving
• Decision-Making
• Team Development

Certifications & Qualifications

• Project Management Qualification
• Lean Six Sigma Certification

Industry Keywords

• Food Manufacturing
• Commercialisation
• Dairy Science
• Food Technology
• Chilled Foods
• Packaging Experience