Product Development Manager – Food Innovation & R&D

Intersnack Group GmbH & Co. KG; Ashby-de-la-Zouch; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Intersnack Group GmbH & Co. KG is seeking an experienced Product Development Manager to lead end-to-end snack product development from concept to commercialization.

You will work with marketing, procurement, manufacturing, quality, and category teams to ensure consumer appeal, quality, and sustainability. You will drive project delivery, build business cases, develop formulations, and run pilot trials while aligning with stage-gate processes and industry standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering or related field.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in New Product Development, Food Innovation, or Product Development within the food industry.
• Proven experience managing products from concept development through production and commercialization.
• Strong knowledge of food science, ingredients, formulation, sensory evaluation, and manufacturing processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of innovative snack products from concept through commercialization.
• Create product concepts and build business cases with marketing and commercial teams.
• Develop formulations, prototypes, and conduct pilot and factory scale-up trials.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and against product KPIs.
• Support consumer testing, sensory evaluations, and product validation activities.
• Collaborate with procurement to approve and optimize raw materials and ingredients.
• Drive continuous improvement across products and manufacturing processes.
• Monitor trends and competitor activity to identify future opportunities.
• Ensure compliance with stage-gate processes, food safety requirements, and industry standards.
• Contribute to category strategy, portfolio optimization and sustainability objectives.
• Prepare project updates, KPI reporting, and technical documentation for stakeholders.

Skills

Product development

NPD

Food science

Project management

Cross-functional

English fluency

Education

Food Science degree

Food Technology/Engineering degree

Job description

Are you passionate about creating innovative food products that consumers love? Join our international R&D team and play a key role in shaping the future of snacking by developing and commercializing exciting new products across our branded portfolio.

As Product Development Manager, you will lead end-to-end product development projects, from consumer-driven concept creation and product prototyping through to factory scale-up and market launch. Working closely with commercial, procurement, manufacturing, quality, and category teams, you will ensure products meet the highest standards of consumer appeal, quality, food safety, sustainability, and commercial performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of innovative snack products from concept through commercialization.

• Create product concepts and build business cases together with marketing and commercial teams.

• Develop formulations, prototypes, and conduct pilot and factory scale-up trials.

• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and against agreed product performance KPIs.

• Support consumer testing, sensory evaluations, and product validation activities.

• Partner with procurement to approve and optimize raw materials and ingredients.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across products and manufacturing processes.

• Monitor consumer trends, market developments, and competitor activity to identify future innovation opportunities.

• Ensure compliance with stage-gate processes, food safety requirements, and industry standards.

• Contribute to category strategy, portfolio optimization, value engineering, and sustainability objectives.

• Prepare project updates, KPI reporting, and technical documentation for key stakeholders.

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering, or a related field.

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in New Product Development (NPD), Food Innovation, or Product Development within the food industry.

• Proven experience managing products from concept development through production and commercialization.

• Strong knowledge of food science, ingredients, formulation, sensory evaluation, and manufacturing processes.

• Experience working with cross-functional teams and influencing stakeholders at multiple levels.

• Excellent project management, analytical, communication, and organizational skills.

• Understanding of food safety and quality standards such as HACCP, BRC, and AIB.

• Passion for food trends, consumer insights, product innovation, and continuous improvement.

• Business fluent in English

• Willingness to travel occasionally, approx. 2-3 times up to 50% per month

• PLEASE NOTE: a valid work and residence permit is a prerequisite for this post.

Working with us

Intersnack has become one of Europe’s leading savoury snacks producers by ‘creating happy snacking moments’ in people’s lives. Being privately owned, we operate with a long-term view and commit ourselves to a more sustainable world.

Successful and sustainably growing, we generated sales of more than 4.6 billion euros in 2025. We now have 12 regional Management Units with more than 40 production sites in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand and a total workforce of more than 15,000 people.

What we will offer

An enjoyable, broad and fulfilling role with one of Europe’s biggest savory snacks producers. The chance to grow in an environment that values teamwork and collaboration, as well recognized to your individuality, welcoming your views, and celebrating your growth. Naturally we offer a competitive salary and benefits package, but also the opportunity to stand out for your professionalism and performance, moving forward in a challenging environment that supports each individual team member to achieve their very best. And a place to securely develop your career as part of a business that cares about the wellbeing of all its people and understands that work-life balance is fundamental to success. At Intersnack, we value and cherish diversity for the power and potential it creates. We have extraordinary team spirit, empower our people to take ownership for what they do and challenge each other to improve. Because we know that, to become a big player, you need to master being a team player first.