Project Manager

Practicus; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Practicus is seeking an experienced Interim Project Manager for a high-growth active nutrition and FMCG brand in London. This 4-month hybrid role requires hands-on leadership across product change, lifecycle management, and packaging, with Monday on-site presence and cross-functional coordination.

The ideal candidate blends analytical rigor with pragmatic influence to deliver strategic milestones while ensuring continuity during transition and onboarding of permanent team members.

Qualifications

• Proven FMCG/food sector expertise in product change.
• Experience with NPD/NPI projects.
• Hands-on interim leader capable of fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Drive fast-paced product change from concept to market delivery.
• Lead cross-functional teams across Innovation, Supply Chain, Brand, Creative, and Product Strategy.
• Facilitate handover and onboarding to set up long-term success.
• Align stakeholders with core project goals through analytical rigor and diplomacy.

Skills

FMCG expertise

Interim leadership

Agile mindset

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder influence

Job description

Interim Project Manager | High-Growth Active Nutrition & FMCG Brand

Contract Duration: 4 Months

Working Pattern: Hybrid (3 days on-site/week, including mandatory Mondays)

Flexibility: Full-time (5 days/week) or Fractional (3–4 days/week) considered

Location: London

The Opportunity

Are you a seasoned, hands-on Interim Product Change Manager who thrives in fast-paced consumer goods environments?

A market-leading, high-growth active nutrition and FMCG brand is seeking an agile, analytical interim to parachute into a business-critical product transformation initiative. This high-profile 4-month assignment offers immediate strategic impact, driving vital product lifecycle changes while supporting team continuity and onboarding during a key transition period.

The Challenge: Rapid Product Innovation & Margin Protection

In response to severe raw material commodity inflation across the global nutrition market, the business launched a dedicated cross-functional task force to protect consumer value and profitability. The mission focuses on driving innovation across product formulations, packaging, and overall lifecycle management to mitigate rising raw material costs without compromising product quality.

Having already achieved standout success with rapid formulation launches in record execution time, the project requires an experienced product change leader who can jump straight into a moving train, pick up existing momentum and deliver upcoming strategic milestones.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive Fast-Paced Product Change: Lead ongoing product formulation, packaging, and lifecycle transformation initiatives from concept execution to market delivery.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Work closely with stretched internal teams across Innovation, Supply Chain, Brand, Creative, and Product Strategy to align priorities and keep deliverables strictly on track.
• Handover & Onboarding Support: Facilitate a smooth handover from departing project leadership and provide operational stability to set incoming permanent team members up for long-term success.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Combine analytical rigor with diplomatic influence to keep busy stakeholders engaged and aligned around core project goals.

The Ideal Candidate Profile

• Proven FMCG / Food Sector Expertise: Demonstrable track record managing complex product change, NPD, or NPI projects within physical food, beverage, FMCG, or sports nutrition products.
• Agile Interim Mindset: An "out-and-out interim" who can parachute into an active project without being flustered by ambiguity or rapid pace.
• Balanced & Analytical: Calm, articulate, and highly structured, with the rare ability to "zoom in" on technical details while maintaining a strategic "zoom out" perspective.
• Pragmatic Influencer: Hands-on and collaborative, capable of challenging stretched teams constructively while avoiding overly rigid or purely process-heavy approaches.

This is a high-visibility contract at the intersection of commercial strategy, product innovation, and FMCG supply chain agility. If you are looking for a fast-moving, high-impact assignment where your expertise directly influences product strategy and brand profitability, we want to hear from you.