Senior NPD & Innovation Manager

Zendbox | Fulfilment from Zendgroup; Whetsted; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care, optical & hearing

Salary sacrifice & discounts

Competitive salary with bonus

Job summary

Zendlabs in Paddock Wood, Kent is seeking an exceptional NPD Specialist to drive end-to-end product development for health, wellness and sports nutrition brands. You will work directly with founders and customers to move concepts to launches while upholding quality, innovation and customer experience.

You'll own projects from concept through to launch, coordinating formulations, claims and documentation, and ensuring regulatory compliance across the product lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Experience in sports nutrition, supplements, or health products.
• Proven NPD, formulation or technical roles.
• Strong knowledge of ingredients and manufacturing processes.
• Experience managing multiple projects.
• Commercial awareness and customer-first mindset.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Curious and proactive with a passion for innovation.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end new product development from concept to launch.
• Coordinate ingredient selection, formulations, claims and formats with customers.
• Lead onboarding and product launches for new brands.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and manage documentation.
• Lead cross-functional projects with procurement, operations, manufacturing, and supply chain.
• Identify trends and opportunities to drive innovation.

Skills

NPD management

Formulation expertise

Regulatory knowledge

Project management

Customer communication

Cross-functional

Sports nutrition

Job description

On-site | Leadership | Full Time | Hybrid

Paddock Wood, Kent (with occasional UK, EU and US travel)

Help Build One of the UK's Most Exciting Contract Manufacturing Businesses

Zendlabs is looking for an exceptional NPD Specialist to help build one of the UK's fastest-growing contract manufacturing businesses.

This isn't a traditional NPD role.

This is an opportunity to work with ambitious health, wellness and sports nutrition brands, taking products from concept through to launch whilst helping shape the future of a business built around quality, innovation and customer experience.

You'll work directly with founders, brand owners and internal teams to bring new products to life, solve technical challenges and deliver an exceptional customer experience.

If you love products, innovation and building relationships, you'll love this role.

What You'll Be Responsible For

Own New Product Development

• Manage customer projects from concept through to launch
• Develop new powder formulations across sports nutrition, wellness and functional health products
• Work closely with customers on ingredients, claims, flavour profiles and formats
• Coordinate artwork approvals, specifications and technical documentation
• Support continuous product innovation and line extensions

Customer Success & Relationship Management

• Build long-term relationships with customers and brand founders
• Lead onboarding and product launches
• Deliver an exceptional customer experience that drives retention, referrals and advocacy

Technical & Regulatory Leadership

• Work alongside Manufacturing to ensure products meet regulatory requirements
• Support formulation development, stability and specification management
• Manage change controls and continuous improvement projects
• Help maintain world-class quality standards across the facility

Cross-Functional Project Management

Work closely with:

• Procurement
• Operations
• Manufacturing
• Supply Chain
• Commercial

to ensure projects are delivered on time and in full.

Drive Innovation

• Identify emerging ingredients, formats and market trends
• Support future product categories and technologies
• Attend exhibitions and supplier events
• Help shape the future direction of Zendlabs

What We're Looking For

• Experience within sports nutrition, supplements, functional foods or health and wellness products
• Proven experience in NPD, formulation or technical roles
• Strong understanding of ingredients, formulations and manufacturing processes
• Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously
• Commercial awareness and a customer-first mentality
• Exceptional communication and organisational skills
• Naturally curious with a passion for innovation and continuous improvement

The Type Of Person Who Will Thrive Here

You love products and innovation.

You enjoy solving problems and turning ideas into reality.

You are equally comfortable discussing formulations with customers, working with Quality or spending time on the production floor.

You are curious, proactive and commercially minded.

You thrive in fast-moving environments with plenty of autonomy.

You want to build something genuinely special rather than simply maintain the status quo.

Requirements

Benefits

Why Join Zendlabs?

• Help shape one of the UK's fastest-growing contract manufacturing businesses
• Work with exciting health, wellness and sports nutrition brands
• Influence innovation, systems and customer experience
• Be part of a passionate and ambitious team
• Opportunity to grow with the business and build a team around you
• Health Care, Optical & Hearing
• Salary sacrifice, Retail & Health discounts
• Competitive Salary (£60,000 to £65,000 DOE), Bonus and Exceptional Long-Term Career Opportunity

If you're looking for a role where you can combine innovation, technical expertise and customer relationships whilst helping build something special, we'd love to hear from you

Career Path & Next Steps

Year 1

• Establish and lead the NPD function
• Deliver world-class customer onboarding and product launches
• Help shape the innovation roadmap

Years 2-3

• Build and develop an NPD team
• Lead future product categories and technologies
• Become a key member of the wider leadership team

Next Step: Head of Innovation

Responsible for innovation strategy, product pipeline, technical leadership and long-term growth of Zendlabs.