Job Title: New Product Development and Innovation Manager
Salary: Competitive + Benefits and Company Incentives
Location: Cambridgeshire
Purpose of the Role
Henderson Brown is proud to partner with a long-standing client in their search for an NPD and Innovation Manager, set to join the team in 2025.
This role is truly exciting, not only is there an extensive team, but also a highly exciting product range that has very little limits in scale and opportunity. The right individual will have a passion for researching and developing products that significantly enhance the existing range. You will analyse current industry trends, create new products tailored to UK consumers and retailers, and manage these projects through all stages of the development process. You will be someone who understands the process, and the parameters a business in this food and beverage industry must work within when developing each product.
Someone who has report management experience would be a must, as well as, an individual who understands the structure required to motivate this team appropriately. If you feel you are a great people person and capable of really getting under the skin of stakeholders this will be an exciting opportunity made for you.
Key Responsibilities
* Product Development: Research and develop high-quality concepts from initial idea to launch, proactively identifying new market opportunities to drive core business growth.
* Innovation and Creativity: Bring fresh ideas and inspire others by leveraging food industry trends and consumer insights. Act as a champion for product quality, competitiveness, and innovation.
* Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with internal teams and external stakeholders to build rapport and cooperatively work towards the customer's brief.
* Competitor Benchmarking: Develop "blue sky" concepts to stay ahead of competitors, guided by category management principles.
* Quality Standards: Establish and uphold quality standards, ensuring factory teams prioritise product excellence in appearance, taste, and overall quality.
* Continuous Improvement: Conduct regular taste panels to assess internal quality and benchmark against competitors, driving improvements and setting new standards of excellence.
* Market Representation: Represent the company at trade shows and other industry events, showcasing the portfolio and fostering new opportunities.
Key Experience
* Proven experience in food retail, particularly in a customer-facing capacity.
* Expertise in developing chilled and frozen products.
* Strong creative instincts, with a track record of building new products and solving challenges innovatively.
* Excellent communication and storytelling abilities.
* Comfortable working both independently and as part of a team.
* Experience managing a small team and working towards process excellence.
If you have the skills, experience, and drive to excel in this role, please reach out to James Grant, Head of Practice - Sales and Marketing at james.grant@hendbrown.com.