Senior NPD Technologist

Senior NPD Technologist

Location: County Durham

Package: up to £37,000 plus 1-day WFH

Are you an experienced food innovator with a passion for bringing exciting products to market? We're looking for a Senior NPD Technologist to play a key role in developing and launching new products across retail and branded portfolios, while driving continuous product improvement and innovation.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a fast-paced food manufacturing environment, leading projects from concept through to launch and working closely with commercial, technical, procurement and production teams.

The Role

As a Senior NPD Technologist, you'll take ownership of a varied portfolio of NPD, EPD, value engineering and ingredient-led projects. You'll be responsible for turning customer briefs into commercially viable products, leading factory trials and ensuring successful product launches.

You'll also support and mentor junior team members and act as a key link between development, technical, procurement and commercial functions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development of new and improved food products from concept to launch.
• Translate retailer and customer briefs into innovative, commercially viable products.
• Conduct market and trend research to identify new opportunities.
• Develop and reformulate recipes to meet customer, technical and financial requirements.
• Source and evaluate new ingredients alongside procurement and technical teams.
• Organise and manage factory trials, product testing and shelf-life validation.
• Review and approve product artwork and supporting documentation.
• Support nutritional analysis, product claims and cooking instruction development.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, allergen and retailer requirements.
• Manage product launch handovers and cross-functional project meetings.
• Drive continuous improvement across NPD processes, systems and ways of working.
• Mentor junior NPD team members and support their development.
• Deputise for the NPD Manager when required.

About You

We're looking for someone who combines creativity with strong technical expertise and excellent project management skills.

You'll ideally have:

• Previous experience in an NPD role within food manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of product development processes from concept to launch.
• Experience managing retailer accounts and customer-facing projects.
• Understanding of thermal processing, shelf-life testing and nutritional compliance.
• Knowledge of food safety legislation, HACCP and allergen management.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience mentoring or managing junior team members.
• A proactive, innovative and solutions-focused approach.
• Full UK driving licence.

What's in it for you?

• Opportunity to lead high-profile product development projects.
• Exposure to major retailers and cross-functional business teams.
• A varied and fast-paced role with genuine autonomy.
• Chance to mentor and develop others while progressing your own career.
• Supportive and collaborative working environment.

If you're passionate about food innovation and thrive on seeing products move from idea to supermarket shelf, click apply!