Product & Technical Manager

The People Co.; West Midlands; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The People Co. in the United Kingdom is seeking a Product & Technical Manager to lead customer‑led NPD and EPD projects from concept through to launch.

You’ll act as the bridge between the customer, suppliers and internal teams, combining technical expertise with commercial insight to deliver high‑quality products. In this role you will drive innovation, manage critical paths, support product showcases and lead factory trials, with a focus on key retail accounts.

Qualifications

• Experience in food product development and NPD projects.
• Knowledge of ingredients, flavours, chilled foods and coating technologies.
• Experience managing customer-facing NPD projects and retail relationships.
• Strong understanding of food manufacturing processes and factory trials.

Responsibilities

• Lead NPD and EPD projects for a major retail customer.
• Manage product development from initial brief through to launch.
• Build strong relationships with customer, supplier and internal stakeholders.
• Drive innovation and support customer presentations and product showcases.
• Lead technical discussions, quality reviews and specification sign-off.
• Coordinate factory trials and scale-up activities.
• Manage critical paths, project timelines and documentation.
• Support and develop junior team members.

Skills

Food product development

Customer facing

Stakeholder management

Project management

Quality assurance

Driving licence

Education

Food Science degree

Job description

Are you a food development professional who enjoys turning great ideas into successful retail products?

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a progressive food manufacturer and lead innovation, product development and technical delivery for one of the business's largest and most strategically important retail customers. You'll be at the forefront of customer engagement, working closely with commercial, innovation and manufacturing teams to bring exciting products to market while building trusted customer relationships.

Role Overview

As Product & Technical Manager, you'll manage customer-led NPD and EPD projects from concept through to launch, acting as the key link between the customer, suppliers and internal teams. Combining technical expertise with commercial awareness, you'll play a pivotal role in delivering innovative, high-quality products that meet customer and business expectations.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead NPD and EPD projects for a major retail customer.
• Manage product development from initial brief through to launch.
• Build strong relationships with customer, supplier and internal stakeholders.
• Drive innovation and support customer presentations and product showcases.
• Lead technical discussions, quality reviews and specification sign-off.
• Coordinate factory trials and scale-up activities.
• Manage critical paths, project timelines and documentation.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimisation and process improvement.
• Support and develop junior team members.

People Profile

• Experience of food product development, ideally within a customer facing role.
• Knowledge of ingredients, flavour systems, chilled foods and coating technologies.
• Experience managing customer-facing NPD projects and retail relationships.
• Strong understanding of food manufacturing processes and factory trials.
• Commercially aware with excellent stakeholder management skills.
• Food Science qualification or equivalent industry experience.
• Full UK Driving Licence.
• Experience supplying discounters and/or Iceland would be highly advantageous.

If you're looking for a role where you'll have genuine customer influence, ownership of key projects and the opportunity to shape the innovation agenda for one of the company's biggest retail accounts, we'd love to hear from you.

We regret we can not offer visa sponsorship and can only consider candidates who hold right to work in the UK.