Product Developer

John Lewis Partnership; Bracknell; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a passionate Product Developer to join their innovative Waitrose Own Brand team. This exciting role involves developing and delivering new and improved products across both fresh and ambient food categories. You will leverage your expertise in product development and market trends to create commercially successful offerings. With a hybrid working model, you will work flexibly between the office and home, ensuring a balance between personal needs and business objectives. If you thrive in a dynamic environment and have a keen interest in food and drinks, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• Experience in launching major NPD/Brand projects from start to finish.
• Ability to analyze and interpret customer and market data effectively.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver innovative products aligned with brand values.
• Collaborate with teams to lead efficient delivery of NPD projects.

Skills

Product Development

Market Analysis

Stakeholder Management

Supplier Management

Project Management

Education

Qualification in Food or Grocery

Job description

Apply on JLP Jobs - the official careers website for John Lewis Partnership, John Lewis & Partners, and Waitrose & Partners.

Expected salary: £55,000 - £70,000

Contract type: We have 3 permanent positions available

Working pattern/flexible working: The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. The Own Brand team aims for around 3 days a week in the office to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis to attend key meetings.

Location: This role is based at our Bracknell Head Office, but will include travel to suppliers.

Key responsibilities

1. Keeps abreast of customer strategy, insight, market direction, and consumer trends including those in food and lifestyle, packaging, and ingredients to anticipate current and future customer needs. Uses such insight together with internal and external sources of data to develop product proposition plans ensuring that speed to market and commercial viability is optimized.
2. Able to understand and clearly articulate good, better, and best tiering principles and apply with clear product values in line with the Waitrose own brand strategy.
3. Good understanding of NPD capability within the supply base to support quality & innovation. Uses knowledge to contribute to supplier strategy discussions for NPD to support the ambient drinks category requirements.
4. Collaborates with cross-functional teams on assigned projects to lead efficient delivery of NPD following a stage and gate development process ensuring critical path targets are met.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• A passion for product with an active interest in food and drinks market trends, with the ability to apply knowledge and skills to the product development
• Previous product development experience within Manufacturing or Retail, including experience in launching major NPD/Brand projects from end to end
• Proven history of high quality, commercially successful product development & supplier management
• Ability to analyze and interpret customer and market data
• Stakeholder management with ability to present at all levels

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Further qualification in food, grocery, Horti
• Buying experience; product technical experience
• Project Management

#LI-HEADOFFICE #LI-HYBRID

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Waitrose Own Brand team as a Product Developer for a number of product development roles across both our fresh and ambient food categories.

You will develop and deliver new & improved innovative and quality products, aligned to Own brand values whilst understanding and managing the commercial implications of development in the grocery environment.

You will build, strengthen, and own the NPD relationships between Waitrose and suppliers within the projects being worked on.