Product Developer

Co-Op Company; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

28 days holiday + bank holidays

Pension with employer contributions

Subsidised onsite gym

30% discount on Co-op products

Cycle-to-work

Virtual healthcare

24/7 colleague support

Training and career progression

Job summary

Co-op is hiring a Product Developer in Manchester to help develop own-brand products that delight customers and offer value. You’ll work in our development kitchens, researching and delivering innovative products while collaborating with internal teams and supplier partners.

You’ll translate insights into product ranges, manage briefs, and ensure products meet high quality and taste standards. This role offers hybrid working with time split between home, office, and supplier visits and

Qualifications

• Prior experience of working in a food product or process development role within the wider industry, such as in retail or manufacturing.
• A passion for food and innovation with strong sensory skills to taste and analyse food.
• Good communication skills with the ability to build strong stakeholder relationships.
• Good organisational skills, with the confidence to manage workload & projects autonomously.
• A customer focused approach, whilst being commercially aware, with the ability to analyse and interpret insights and data.

Responsibilities

• Work as part of our food product development teams, to create innovative, high quality, customer-centric products.
• Use your food expertise and passion to create clear product development briefs.
• Interpret internal and external sources of data, insights, and trends to create product ranges and innovation appropriate to the Co-op customer and ensure we’re focusing on the biggest opportunities.
• Build strong relationships and influence a range of key partners within our supplier base, trading teams, and technical teams.
• Attend factory visits to monitor quality standards, attend product trials, understand manufacturing capabilities and future opportunities.
• Keep up to date with the wider retail landscape, keeping in tune with market trends and competitor performance with a focus on delivering efficiencies.
• Monitor and keep track of products throughout the critical path up to launch, supporting the communication of key product information and launch activity.
• Consider commercial implication throughout the development process, making sure the products you develop taste great and deliver against our high-quality standards.
• Be a brand ambassador for the Co-op brand range.

Skills

Food product development

Sensory analysis

Stakeholder management

Project management

Commercial awareness

Job description

Product Developer

£32,000 to £38,000 plus great benefits (Work Level 6B)

Manchester city centre,hybrid working - splitting your time between home, coming into the office 2/3 days a week, and visiting supplier sites as required (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy).

We’re looking a Product Developer to join our Co-op Brand team to help us to deliver own brand products that delight our customers and keep up with their changing needs. In this role, you’ll research and deliver innovative, high quality, great value for money products. You’ll have the chance to work in our impressive development kitchens, developing your skills and gaining valuable experience as you go.

Why this role matters

As a Product Developer, we’ll look to you to build positive relationships with key partners and collaborate with cross-functional internal teams and our supplier base. You’ll analyse insight to understand future opportunities and continually review the market, our supply base, and our competitors to help shape and deliver the future of our own brand food proposition. This is an amazing opportunity to gain valuable experience and see the products you develop in thousands of Co-op stores across the UK.

What you’ll do

• Work as part of our food product development teams, to create innovative, high quality, customer-centric products

• Use your food expertise and passion to create clear product development briefs

• Interpret internal and external sources of data, insights, and trends to create product ranges and innovation appropriate to the Co-op customer and ensure we’re focusing on the biggest opportunities

• Build strong relationships and influence a range of key partners within our supplier base, trading teams, and technical teams

• Attend factory visits to monitor quality standards, attend product trials, understand manufacturing capabilities and future opportunities

• Keep up to date with the wider retail landscape, keeping in tune with market trends and competitor performance with a focus on delivering efficiencies

• Monitor and keep track of products throughout the critical path up to launch, supporting the communication of key product information and launch activity

• Consider commercial implication throughout the development process, making sure the products you develop taste great and deliver against our high-quality standards

• Be a brand ambassador for the Co-op brand range

What you’ll bring

We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

• Prior experience of working in a food product or process development role within the wider industry, such as in retail or manufacturing

• A passion for food and innovation with strong sensory skills to taste and analyse food

• Good communication skills with the ability to build strong stakeholder relationships

• Good organisational skills, with the confidence to manage workload & projects autonomously

• A customer focused approach, whilst being commercially aware, with the ability to analyse and interpret insights and data

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)

• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays

• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions

• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)

• 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands

• Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it

• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice

• 24/7 colleague support service

• Training and support for your development and career progression

• Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion

Please note that we may close applications for this role early.

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.