Npd Manager

About the Company

Our client is a well-established and growing UK food retailer with a strong presence across the South of England.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and commercially focused Multi-Category New Product Development (NPD) Manager to lead the development and launch of innovative products across a broad food portfolio.

The Role

Reporting to the COO, you will take ownership of the end-to-end product development process, managing multiple projects simultaneously from concept through to successful launch. Working cross-functionally with Commercial, Operations, Manufacturing, Procurement, Technical, Marketing and Supply Chain teams, you'll ensure new products meet customer expectations while delivering operational excellence and commercial success.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the complete NPD process from concept through to launch.
• Develop commercially viable products that support business growth.
• Create and manage category innovation pipelines.
• Identify emerging food trends and translate them into successful retail products.
• Develop seasonal promotions and limited-time offers.
• Continuously improve existing products through reformulation, quality improvements and cost optimisation.
• Own and manage multiple product critical paths.
• Coordinate cross-functional project teams to deliver launches on time and within budget.
• Work closely with manufacturing partners and production teams through factory trials and first production runs.
• Ensure products are operationally achievable without compromising quality.
• Monitor product performance following launch and recommend continuous improvements.
• Support value engineering initiatives while maintaining product quality and customer appeal.
• Ensure full compliance with food safety, allergen, nutritional and quality standards.

About You

You'll be an experienced NPD professional with a passion for food innovation and a strong commercial mindset. You'll thrive in a fast-paced environment and be comfortable managing multiple development projects simultaneously.

Essential Experience

• Minimum five years' experience in New Product Development.
• Experience across multiple food categories.
• Strong project management skills.
• Experience within food manufacturing or retail food production.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Commercial awareness with the ability to balance innovation and profitability.
• Experience managing product critical paths and multiple concurrent projects.