Senior Product Development Manager

Nomad Foods Inc; Lowestoft; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the FMCG sector is seeking an R&D leader to oversee a core segment's innovation strategy and execution. This role requires a seasoned leader capable of managing product development from concept to production, driving growth and ensuring compliance with industry standards. The ideal candidate will possess a degree-level technical qualification and extensive experience in FMCG environments, along with strong people and program leadership skills.

Qualifications

• Experience within FMCG in a technical role.
• Evidence of successful delivery in people and program leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end R&D team and programme.
• Ensure delivery of validated pipeline that meets growth targets.
• Influence innovation strategy and build performance culture.

Skills

Technical execution

Innovation strategy

Leadership

Continuous improvement

People development

Education

Technical qualification degree level or equivalent

Job description

Overview

ROLE PURPOSE: Leadership of an End-to-end R&D team & programme for part of a core Segment. Leads a single or multi-site team of developers, accountable for co-creation of strategy, innovation pipeline & end-to-end delivery (concept to production) of the R&D programme (NPD, EPD, F4G, ...), in Nomad factories and at selected copackers within agreed budget & timescale. Influential business partner with senior colleagues in Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain & Procurement.

BUSINESS IMPACT: Accountable for shaping & leading the strategy development within their MWBs & for driving the end-to-end R&D work programme to ensure delivery of a validated pipeline that delivers the MWB growth & renovation targets. Accountable for growing & maintaining their existing portfolio ensuring efficient R&D implementation of product & process changes impacting multiple MWBs &/or Growth Platforms (in-house & copack) including compliance with Nomad policies & procedures. Promotes consumer-led design & design for manufacture to ensure products are efficiently commercialised, meet consumer needs & are superior to the competition. Identifies & implements opportunities for savings, simplification & quality improvement. Accountable for safe & hygienic ways of working within their factory-based teams.

Responsibilities

Functional Leadership

• Influence & impact on innovation strategy
• Validated innovation pipeline to deliver growth targets for their MWBs &/or GPs
• Regulatory & policy compliance of portfolio
• Pro-active in identifying cost saving & simplification opportunities
• Excellent technical execution & knowledge capture
• Impact & influence re supply chain decisions impacting product attributes & claims
• Effective business partnership
• Continuous improvement

People Leadership

• Builds a performance culture
• Develop future leaders and nurture technical talent
• Maintain & develop relevant expertise
• Builds inclusive and diverse teams
• Drives sustainable engagement in teams
• Strong networks and proven leadership outside RDQ

Governance

• Accurate & informative input to gate documents
• Resource deployment based on priorities
• RDQ input to facilitate manufacturing & sourcing decisions
• Be able to prioritise resource vs business needs

Design Leadership

• Deep understanding of consumer needs (KCA & KPA translation) & preferences across multiple markets
• Good understanding of relevant supply chains & technologies
• Product & pack strategies for key products in their portfolio to ensure they remain relevant and maintain competitive advantage
• Superior products with strong claims & relevant points of difference

Operational Leadership

• On time, in full execution of the technical programme
• Delivery of programme within budget
• Contingency planning to ensure no gap to plan
• Continuous development of RDQ capability & facilities in line with business needs
• Adoption & sharing of best practice within teams

Qualifications

• Technical qualifications degree level, or equivalent
• Experience within FMCG in a technical role
• People and programme leadership with evidence of successful delivery