Existing Product Development Technologist

Existing Product Development Technologist

Location: Coventry

Reporting to: Head of NPD

Salary: up to £35k

About the Role

We are looking for an Existing Product Development (EPD) Technologist to join our UK NPD team, primarily based at our Coventry site. This role is key to ensuring the ongoing success and optimisation of our existing product portfolio through cost-saving initiatives, product and process improvements, and operational robustness.

You will play a pivotal role in prioritising, planning and delivering EPD activities, working closely with cross-functional teams to ensure products meet target costs, quality standards, waste levels and operational requirements.

Key Responsibilities

As an Existing Product Development Technologist, you will:

• Work collaboratively with NPD teams to ensure all EPD products are safe, robust, cost-effective and aligned with Gruma policies and target waste levels
• Support cost-saving initiatives across procurement, decomplexity, contingency planning, tenders and ingredient changes
• Produce kitchen samples where required to evaluate ingredients prior to factory-scale trials
• Support, organise and run factory trials, efficiently capturing all process data, settings, costs and outcomes
• Complete accurate trial documentation, including recommendations, conclusions and next steps
• Record and track ingredient, laboratory and trial costs, sharing insights with Project Managers and Finance
• Organise samples for nutritional, microbiological and organoleptic testing, customer requests and external laboratories
• Create and maintain QAS documentation to ensure products are launched on time, to specification and within target cost
• Communicate effectively with cross-functional European teams including Packaging, Operations, Technical, Purchasing, Planning and Engineering

Decision-Making & Scope

You will have autonomy to make daily operational decisions, including:

• Managing the storage and labelling of development ingredients
• Planning the order and approach of trial recipes to maximise efficiency
• Liaising with internal teams to resolve technical or operational challenges
• Reviewing factory worksheets with Process Technologists and Project Managers to ensure methodologies are current
• Supporting wider NPD, Packaging and Procurement teams through innovative problem-solving during trials

The role is primarily Coventry-based, with occasional support required at the Seaham site.

Key Challenges

• Developing recipes that meet food safety, quality, cost and waste targets
• Managing multiple projects at pace in a dynamic NPD environment
• Ensuring existing SKUs perform effectively on current equipment
• Capturing and controlling all ingredient, trial and laboratory costs
• Taking existing products through the full factory trial lifecycle, from request to launch documentation
• Identifying new ingredients or processes requiring HACCP review
• Resolving defects, faults and operational issues in collaboration with cross-functional teams

Why Join Us?

This is an excellent opportunity to work in a hands-on, fast-paced product development role where your technical expertise will directly impact cost savings, product quality and operational success across the business.