Product Development Manager

drnewitt.vincere.io; Bodmin; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Pilgrim's Europe is seeking a Product Development Manager to lead a diverse NPD portfolio and translate consumer insight into commercially successful products from concept to factory launch. This hands-on, collaboration-driven role requires strong project leadership, commercial awareness and a genuine passion for food.

You will work closely with Customer Teams, Development Chefs, Process and Operations to shape the product agenda, manage timelines and costs, and ensure quality and regulatory

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a Product Development or NPD role within the food manufacturing industry.
• Track record of taking food products from concept through to commercial launch.
• Strong project management with ability to handle multiple projects.
• Experience of product costing, budgeting and commercial evaluation.
• Understanding of ingredients, raw materials, packaging and supply chain considerations.
• Ability to work with customers and cross-functional teams.
• Excellent communication, organisation and stakeholder management.
• Strong analytical abilities and attention to detail.
• Genuine passion for food, innovation, culinary trends and consumer behaviour.
• Relevant food industry qualifications or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage NPD and EPD projects from initial concept and customer brief through to successful product launch.
• Build strong relationships with key customers, becoming a trusted development partner and subject matter expert within your category.
• Drive innovation, bringing forward new ideas inspired by consumer insight, market trends, competitor activity and emerging food trends.
• Manage project critical paths, ensuring milestones, timelines, costs and deliverables are achieved.
• Work collaboratively with Process, Operations, Technical, Commercial and Culinary teams to ensure successful factory scale-up and product handover.
• Ensure all product development activity meets customer expectations, quality standards and relevant legislative requirements.
• Evaluate product feasibility, costing, ingredients, packaging and manufacturing processes to ensure commercial viability.
• Identify opportunities for product improvement, value creation and operational efficiency.
• Lead customer innovation sessions, product presentations and internal development workshops.
• Coach, develop and motivate your team, creating a culture of ownership, accountability and high performance.
• Drive continuous improvement and contribute to the wider product and innovation strategy.

Skills

Product Development

NPD

Project management

Costing & budgeting

Ingredient sourcing

Cross-functional teamwork

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Food industry knowledge

Culinary trends

Education

Food industry qualifications or equivalent experience

Job description

Product Development Manager

Are you passionate about food innovation, product development and bringing great ideas to life?

We're looking for an ambitious and commercially minded Product Development Manager to join Pilgrim's Europe, playing a key role in shaping and delivering the business's product development and innovation agenda.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced food industry development professional to take ownership of a diverse portfolio of NPD and EPD projects, working closely with major customers and internal stakeholders to bring innovative, commercially successful products from initial concept through to factory launch.

You'll be joining a business with a clear ambition: to become the best and most respected company in its industry, creating opportunities for its people and delivering excellence for its customers.

The Opportunity

As Product Development Manager, you'll be at the heart of the product development process, connecting customer requirements, consumer insight, culinary innovation and manufacturing capability.

Working closely with Customer Teams, Development Chefs, Process Teams and the wider Product & Innovation function, you'll take ownership of projects and critical paths, ensuring products are developed to the highest standards and successfully scaled up into production.

You'll have the opportunity to influence customer roadmaps, identify emerging food trends and translate new ideas into commercially viable products that support business growth.

This is a hands-on, collaborative management role where strong project leadership, commercial awareness and a genuine passion for food will be essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage NPD and EPD projects from initial concept and customer brief through to successful product launch.

• Build strong relationships with key customers, becoming a trusted development partner and subject matter expert within your category.

• Drive innovation, bringing forward new ideas inspired by consumer insight, market trends, competitor activity and emerging food trends.

• Manage project critical paths, ensuring milestones, timelines, costs and deliverables are achieved.

• Work collaboratively with Process, Operations, Technical, Commercial and Culinary teams to ensure successful factory scale-up and product handover.

• Ensure all product development activity meets customer expectations, quality standards and relevant legislative requirements.

• Evaluate product feasibility, costing, ingredients, packaging and manufacturing processes to ensure commercial viability.

• Identify opportunities for product improvement, value creation and operational efficiency.

• Lead customer innovation sessions, product presentations and internal development workshops.

• Coach, develop and motivate your team, creating a culture of ownership, accountability and high performance.

• Drive continuous improvement and contribute to the wider product and innovation strategy.

What We're Looking For

We're keen to speak with individuals who combine strong technical product development experience with commercial thinking, creativity and the ability to bring people together.

Ideally, you'll have:

• Proven experience in a Product Development or NPD role within the food manufacturing industry.

• A track record of successfully taking food products from concept through to commercial launch.

• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities.

• Experience of product costing, budgeting and commercial evaluation.

• An understanding of ingredient sourcing, raw materials, packaging and supply chain considerations.

• The ability to work effectively with customers and cross-funcional teams.

• Excellent communication, organisation and stakeholder management skills.

• Strong analytical abilities and exceptional attention to detail.

• A genuine passion for food, innovation, culinary trends and consumer behaviour.

• Relevant food industry qualifications or equivalent experience.

The Culture & Opportunity

People, performance and values sit at the heart of the business.

You'll be joining an organisation that believes in ownership, determination, discipline, humility and simplicity. A business that encourages people to challenge existing ways of working, take responsibility, pursue operational excellence and continually look for better ways to do things.

For the right individual, this represents an excellent opportunity to develop their career within a major food manufacturing organisation, influence the future product agenda and make a real difference.

Interested?

If you're an experienced food product development professional looking for your next challenge, we'd love to hear from you.