Senior Concept to Launch Development Technologist

Cranswick PLC; Sherburn in Elmet; Remote; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Cranswick Gourmet Bacon is seeking a Senior Concept to Launch Development Technologist to join our NPD team in Sherburn-in-Elmet. You will lead projects from concept through to launch, coordinating with customers, suppliers and internal colleagues to deliver commercially viable products.

The ideal candidate has 3+ years in NPD/food development, a food-related degree, and strong project management, with excellent communication and cost-management skills. A UK driving licence is required.

Qualifications

• 3+ years' experience in NPD/food development.
• Food-related degree or equivalent qualification.
• Strong project and critical path management skills.
• Experience managing customer relationships.
• Understanding of product development, food technology and commercial requirements.
• Experience from concept through to launch.
• Strong understanding of finished product specifications and customer brand standards.
• Knowledge of meat technology, butchery and pig meat utilisation beneficial.
• Good commercial awareness including costing and project spend management.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to work independently, prioritise workloads and meet deadlines.
• Full UK driving licence.

Responsibilities

• Manage NPD projects from concept through to launch.
• Develop and manage detailed critical paths and project timings.
• Act as a key point of contact for customers throughout the development process.
• Independently present products to customers, providing clear product rationale.
• Manage customer requirements in line with site capabilities and agreed timelines.
• Develop products to meet retailer briefs, brand standards and consumer expectations.
• Work closely with the NPD Chef, Category teams, suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Manage product costing and project spend, ensuring commercial viability.
• Support benchmarking activities and analyse results.
• Maintain accurate project files, contact reports and stage & gate documentation.
• Chair stage & gate meetings and ensure actions are followed up.
• Keep up to date with food trends and new processes.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
• Support delivery of the site and retailer NPD agenda.
• Ensure products are developed with factory processes and constraints in mind.

Skills

Project management

Critical path management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Time management

Driving licence

Education

Food-related degree

Job description

Senior Concept to Launch Development Technologist

Working Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm

Are you an experienced NPD professional looking for your next challenge?

Cranswick Gourmet Bacon is looking for a Senior Concept to Launch Development Technologist to join our NPD team in Sherburn-in-Elmet.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced food development professional to take ownership of customer projects from concept through to launch, working closely with customers, suppliers, internal teams and our NPD Chef to develop commercially viable products.

About the Role

As a Senior Development Technologist, you will be responsible for managing NPD projects and critical paths, ensuring projects are delivered on time, to the required quality standards and within commercial expectations.

You will:

• Manage NPD projects from concept through to launch.
• Develop and manage detailed critical paths and project timings.
• Act as a key point of contact for customers throughout the development process.
• Independently present products to customers, providing clear product rationale.
• Manage customer requirements in line with site capabilities and agreed timelines.
• Develop products that meet retailer briefs, customer brand standards and consumer expectations.
• Work closely with the NPD Chef, Category teams, suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Manage product costing and project spend, ensuring projects remain commercially viable.
• Support benchmarking activities and analyse results.
• Maintain accurate project files, contact reports and stage & gate documentation.
• Chair stage & gate meetings and ensure actions are followed up.
• Keep up to date with food trends, cuisines, market trends and new processes.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
• Support the delivery of the site and retailer NPD agenda.
• Ensure products are developed with an understanding of factory processes, machinery and operational constraints.

About You

We are looking for someone who has:

• 3+ years' experience in a relevant NPD / food development environment.
• A Food-related degree or equivalent qualification.
• Strong project and critical path management skills.
• Experience working with customers and managing stakeholder relationships.
• A good understanding of product development, food technology and commercial requirements.
• Experience of developing products from concept through to launch.
• Strong understanding of finished product specifications and customer brand standards.
• An understanding of meat technology, butchery and pig meat utilisation would be highly beneficial.
• Good commercial awareness, including costing and project spend management.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• The ability to work independently, prioritise workloads and meet deadlines.
• A full UK driving licence.

Why Join Us?

You'll have the opportunity to play a key role in developing innovative products for our customers, working within a collaborative NPD team and having real ownership of projects from the initial concept through to launch.

If you're commercially minded, passionate about food development and ready to take your NPD career to the next level, we'd love to hear from you.