NPD Manager

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for an experienced and driven NPD Manager to join a fast-paced and highly innovative food manufacturing business. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a customer-focused environment, enjoys leading teams and has a passion for delivering best-in-class products within a fast-moving market.

The successful candidate will play a key role in managing the full product development lifecycle, leading projects from concept through to launch while ensuring timelines, quality standards and customer expectations are consistently met.

Key Responsibilities
- Take ownership of maintaining, developing and continuously improving the product development critical path.
- Lead projects through all development stages, coordinating effectively with both internal and external stakeholders.
- Prepare and present key documentation throughout the development process, leading critical handover meetings.
- Manage projects with an agile and solutions-focused approach, adapting quickly to changes and challenges while meeting deadlines.
- Lead, mentor and support the NPD team, ensuring workloads are effectively managed and performance standards are achieved.
- Drive a high-performance culture across the department.
- Build strong, trusted relationships with customers and key stakeholders.
- Work closely with development and operational teams to ensure customer briefs are translated into commercially viable, high-quality products.
- Maintain a hands-on approach and promote a collaborative team culture during busy periods.
- Keep up to date with market trends and competitor activity to ensure product offerings remain innovative and competitive.
- Conduct regular benchmarking and gap analysis activities to identify opportunities for improvement and growth.
- Develop a strong understanding of products, ingredients and manufacturing processes to support efficient product development and customer engagement.

The ideal candidate will have proven experience in a senior NPD role within a fast-paced food manufacturing environment, with strong project and critical path management skills. You will be a confident leader with the ability to manage and develop teams effectively, while also building strong customer relationships and presenting confidently at all levels. Commercially aware and highly organised, you will have a strong understanding of market trends and innovation, alongside the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously. A proactive, hands-on approach and excellent communication skills are essential for success in this role.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing and forward-thinking business where you can make a real impact and help shape future product innovation.

For more information or to apply, please contact Danielle Bailey on 01780 483 999 or on [email protected]

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