Product Development Manager

Carlsberg Group; Hemel Hempstead; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Monthly product allowance

Private Medical options

Life Assurance

Company bonus scheme

Access to 24/7 GP services

Enhanced pension contribution

Discounts at high street retailers

Job summary

Carlsberg Britvic is actively seeking a Product Development Manager in Hemel Hempstead (Hybrid) to lead the liquid development of new soft drinks from concept through to scale-up and factory implementation. You will champion technical excellence, manage liquid workstreams across diverse teams, and partner with Marketing, Supply Chain and external suppliers to meet ambitious business objectives.

This role blends scientific rigor with strategic leadership in a fast-moving consumer goods

Qualifications

• Experience leading delivery of technical projects in FMCG as part of a cross-functional team.
• Technical liquid development and project leadership with track record of delivering results.
• Liquid knowledge of ingredients, formulations and sensory.
• Experience working with manufacturing departments and process scale up from Lab to final site.
• Proficient IT skills including MS Project and Office suite.
• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience in mentoring or coaching others is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead the liquid development of new soft drink products from concept to commercialisation.
• Influence the product innovation pipeline using trends and external partnership.
• Project manage technical workstreams with multi-disciplinary teams ensuring compliance with Britvic processes and legal requirements related to soft drinks.
• Provide technical liquid expertise and coaching to technologists, factories and supply chain teams ensuring project objectives are met on time in full.
• Build effective collaborative partnerships with Marketing, Supply Chain and Suppliers to enable project delivery of key business objectives.
• Use strong technical knowledge, leadership and influence to enable cross-functional teams meet project objectives and drive innovation.
• Provide direction & leadership to project teams across all levels of the business.
• Create testing plans and reports to share with the wider technical team, rolling out appropriate training where needed.
• Develop and maintain accurate liquid specifications and methodologies, ensuring they are validated and IP protected.
• Understand risk profiles of liquid solutions and actively manage associated risks and mitigations.
• Implement and contribute to the liquid development strategy.
• Establish external relationships to maximise competitive advantage.
• Maintain knowledge of liquid development, new ingredients, technologies and trends.

Skills

Technical leadership

Liquid development

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Sensory & ingredients knowledge

Process scale-up

MS Project / IT tools

Education

Honours or Degree in Chemical Engineering / Food Science / Chemistry

Tools

MS Project

Job description

Posting Date: 22 Sept 2026

Location: Hemel Hempstead, GB

Entity / company: Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company

Product Development Manager

Job Title: Product Development Manager

Location: Hemel Hempstead (Hybrid)

Job Length: Permanent

Working Hours: Monday – Friday (Full Time)

Competitive Salary with extensive benefits:

• Monthly product allowance – alcoholic & non-alcoholic options available
• Private Medical options
• Life Assurance
• Company bonus scheme
• Access to 24/7 GP services
• Enhanced pension contribution
• Access to a range of high street discounts

Carlsberg Britvic is the largest multi-beverage supplier in the UK and is home to some of the most iconic and popular beers & soft drinks, including Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, 1664, Poretti and Brooklyn to ale favourites such as Hobgoblin and Wainwright. For soft drinks, Carlsberg Britvic’s brands include J2O, Robinsons, Tango and London Essence along with the licence rights to the Pepsi portfolio in the UK including Pepsi MAX, 7UP, Lipton Ice Tea and Rockstar Energy.

With a strong national footprint, the Carlsberg Britvic business includes 5 production facilities and 16 logistics depot’s servicing customers up and down the UK. As these two historical businesses have come together, the one common goal remains, and that is ensuring our people succeed.

About the Role:

As a Product Development Manager working in our GB Innovation Product Development team, you will be responsible for innovating against our brands and for flawless delivery of new and exciting liquids from concept creations to implementation at factories.

You will be responsible and accountable for the successful delivery of the liquid workstream of projects as well as leading project management activities.

You will also be leading products scale up and implementation in our Supply Chain, so a taste for factory trials and chemical process development is required.

You will ensure robust technical expertise is applied with rigor to gain competitive advantage and ensure liquid solutions are delivered right first time.

Our passion is for developing superior products that consumers drink and love, best in class packaging and impeccable delivery of projects, while fostering a culture of growth where everyone can be their best and own self.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the liquid development of new soft drink products from concept to commercialisation
• Influence the product innovation pipeline using trends & external partnership
• Project manage technical workstreams where multi-disciplinary teams are involved, ensuring all project work is compliant with the Britvic technical processes and legal requirements related to soft drinks
• Provide technical liquid expertise and coaching to support the product development technologists, factories and supply chain teams ensuring project objectives are met on time in full.
• Build effective collaborative partnerships with Marketing, Supply Chain and Suppliers to enable project delivery of key business objectives.
• Use strong technical knowledge, leadership and influence to enable cross-functional teams meet project objectives, innovative development, technical direction, options and solutions which support the delivery of new products and execution of Britvic’s strategy with pace.
• Provide direction & leadership to project teams across all levels of the business
• Create testing plans and reports to share with the wider technical team, rolling out appropriate training where needed, ensuring knowledge grows within the team.
• Develop and maintain accurate liquid specifications and methodologies, ensuring that they are statistically validated, legal and intellectual property is protected
• Understand the risk profile of the liquid solution and actively manage the associated liquid and processing risks and mitigation actions
• Implement and contribute to the liquid development strategy
• Establish external relationships in order to maximise competitive advantage
• Maintain an excellent knowledge of liquid development, novel ingredients, new technologies, trends and competitors and packaging whilst keeping abreast of new technologies.
• Embrace a learning and development plan to further your skills and capabilities to enhance your experience, facilitating progression.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience Required:

• Experience working within FMCG technical departments leading delivery of technical projects as part of a cross functional team is essential.
• Technical liquid development and project leadership experience with track record of delivering results is essential
• Liquid knowledge of ingredients, formulations and sensory is essential
• Experience of working with manufacturing departments and process scale up from Lab - Pilot Plant – final site is essential
• Accomplished IT Skills using Microsoft suite of programs (including MS Project) are essential
• Well-developed interpersonal skills, specifically relationship building, facilitation, written / verbal communication are essential
• Ability to interpret sensory and consumer research data and use this to guide product design is desired.
• Strong leadership skills are essential
• Previous management or coaching experience is desirable

Qualifications:

• Honours or Degree equivalent in relevant science discipline (e.g. Chemical Engineering, Food science, chemistry)

This is an exciting time to join our newly formed business – with their incredible individual history’s, innovation of products and some of the UK’s most iconic brands, Carlsberg Britvic strives to deliver the best service to our customers and consumers. We aim to make a difference, bringing together two diverse companies, our global reach enables opportunity, growth and a chance to work with some fantastic people.