Senior Product Development Manager

TieTalent; Ashford; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food service company in Ashford is seeking a Senior Product Development Manager to innovate and drive category growth. You will oversee product development, ensuring alignment with standards while managing a small team. The ideal candidate has a background in the food industry, strong collaboration skills, and is data-driven. This position offers a hybrid work model, requiring flexibility and readiness to travel.

Qualifications

• Proven product development experience in the food industry or a similar role.
• Solid factory and process knowledge.
• Strong data-driven decision-making skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop effective products to drive category growth through innovation.
• complete value engineering projects to optimize product and packaging efficiency.
• Lead product resourcing activities to support tendering processes.

Skills

Product development experience

Collaboration

Data-driven decision making

Adaptability

Knowledge of Sysco standards

Tools

PowerPoint

Job description

About

Job Description

Sysco GB (including brands such as Brakes, Fresh Direct, KFF & Medina) has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Product Development Manager to join the Centre of Plate team on a permanent basis. The role is crucial for developing a differentiated product proposition with a focus on Fresh & Independent categories.

As a Senior Product Development Manager, you will lead initiatives in new product development, innovation, resourcing, and value-engineering across designated categories. The main goal is to drive category growth through innovation, increase sales volume, and improve margins via strategic value-engineering, enhancing product quality, availability, and cost competitiveness.

The role also involves supporting product placement within the supplier base, ensuring alignment with Sysco’s standards, including packaging, product quality, and tiering criteria.

This position offers a hybrid working contract, combining remote work with time at the Ashford, Kent office. Flexibility and travel readiness are required.

Key accountabilities

• Develop effective products to drive category growth through innovation and expansion
• Complete value engineering projects focusing on optimizing product and packaging efficiency without compromising quality or volume
• Lead product resourcing activities to support tendering processes
• Ensure compliance with Sysco brand and packaging standards
• Support effective collaboration between EU Hub and in-market teams
• Drive innovative offerings in the Independent sector while maintaining relevant ranges for corporate customers
• Contribute to building Joint Business Plans, Supplier Strategies, and Category Strategies
• Manage actions related to product development, value-engineering, and resourcing within supplier and category strategies
• Collaborate with internal and external teams to ensure professional execution of NPD/EPD
• Gather and share market insights to inform proposition planning
• Maintain accurate data on product changes
• Make data-driven decisions using internal and external data sources
• Source products aligned with global standards and lead times
• Enhance supplier relationships through innovation and strategic alignment
• Manage two direct reports: Product Development Executive and Product Manager

About you

The ideal candidate will have proven product development experience in the food industry or a similar role, with solid factory and process knowledge. Familiarity with Sysco standards, product specifications, tiering, packaging, and FSQA standards is desirable. You should be adaptable, collaborative, and results-oriented, with strong data-driven decision-making skills. Experience in a chilled food manufacturing environment is a plus.

**Nice-to-have skills**

• PowerPoint

**Location:** Ashford, England, United Kingdom

**Work experience:** Product Owner / Product Manager

**Languages:** English