NPD Manager - Food (FTC)

Overview

We're on the lookout for a practical, proactive, and people-focused NPD Manager - Process Development (Maternity Cover) to help us bring new products to life smoothly and successfully. This is a hands-on role where you'll manage product launches from kitchen sample to production line, improve how we work, and guide a small team along the way. If you love solving problems on the factory floor and making things better every day, we'd love to hear from you.

About Belazu

This is a lovely opportunity to join a business with an impressive set of accreditations, from B Corp status to silver standard Investors in People and newly recognised in 2025 as a Sunday Times Best Place to Work. We're a tight-knit team with a strong set of values, a love of great food, and big ambitions for the future. For over 30 years, Belazu has been bringing bold Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours to kitchens across the UK. We've got exciting plans ahead and we're looking for great people to help us get there.

What the role looks like day-to-day:

As our NPD Manager - Process Development , you'll:

* Take charge of new product launches from kitchen to factory, making sure everything's ready, right, and on time.
* Be hands-on during trials and production runs, solving issues, tweaking processes, and making sure we deliver with quality and efficiency.
* Work closely with teams across Technical, Innovation, Operations, and more keeping everyone aligned and things moving forward.
* Finalise product specs, labels, and artwork, using systems like beCPG.
* Lead and support a small team, creating a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.
* Help us spot better ways of working and make them happen.

This role will suit you if:

* You've got strong years' experience in food manufacturing or a technical role and you're comfortable leading projects and teams.
* You've launched new products before and know what it takes to get things right the first time.
* You're happy being on the floor, solving problems, and making things happen not just behind a desk.
* You enjoy improving systems, processes, and ways of working.
* You're great at bringing people together and communicating clearly across different teams.

This role might not be for you if:

* You prefer to stay behind the scenes or avoid hands-on involvement in trials and factory runs.
* You struggle to juggle fast-moving projects or influence others across teams.
* You're not confident with technical detail or process documentation.

What's in it for you?

* 33 days annual leave per annum (incl public holidays)
* Auto-Enrolment Pension, plus an enhanced pension option
* Discretionary annual bonus scheme
* Learning and development opportunities for everyone in the business
* Life assurance from day one
* Cycle to work scheme
* Employee benefits portal with retail discounts, EAP and GP services and financial support tools
* Volunteer days
* Free parking on site
* Discount on Company products
* Socials and internal awards
* Subsidised Canteen

Terms

* 40 hrs/wk i.e. 8.00am-4.30pm Mon-Fri (start and finish times flexible) with a hybrid working model.
* Probationary period 3 months
* Annual salary review (our 'movers and shakers' are always rewarded)

And finally...

Thanks for reading our job advert. We do our very best to bring to life what it's like working as part of our team. Diverse teams really are the best teams.

We want everyone to feel they can be themselves at work and develop their talents to the full. All colleagues are expected to take personal responsibility for keeping our workplace free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying - a place where everyone is treated fairly and respectfully.

We also know that sometimes some candidates may be put off applying for a job unless they think they can tick every box. If you are really excited about working with us and think

Thanks for reading our job advert. We do our very best to bring to life what it's like working as part of our team. Diverse teams really are the best teams. We want everyone to feel they can be themselves at work and develop their talents to the full. All colleagues are expected to take personal responsibility for keeping our workplace free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying - a place where everyone is treated fairly and respectfully.

We also know that sometimes some candidates may be put off applying for a job unless they think they can tick every box. If you are really excited about working with us and think you can do much of what we are looking for but aren't sure if you are 100% there yet... go on... why not give it a whirl? Good luck!