Job Description

As the Senior NPD Manager, you will play a pivotal leadership role in the strategic delivery of new and existing product development across multiple projects. You will be responsible for leading and managing large-scale, cross-functional innovation projects for major UK retailers, foodservice clients, B2B partners, and export customers.

This is a senior, high-impact role requiring both commercial awareness and deep technical knowledge of bakery product development and manufacturing processes. You will be instrumental in driving innovation, ensuring speed to market, and maintaining the company's reputation for product excellence.

What would you get for working here?

If you have the Senior NPD Manager experience and skills we are looking for then you will receive a total reward package that includes:

A competitive salary 10% Pension Contribution 33 days annual leave (Inc of Bank Holidays) Private Health Care 4 x Death in Service 250 refer-a-friend scheme Access to an exclusive employee benefits/discounts platform where you can save s on your everyday spends Professional development opportunities and qualifications A progressive working environment that puts its people at the heart of what it does Great opportunity for career development

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Leadership & Strategy

Provide day-to-day leadership to the wider NPD team. Develop and implement project strategies that align with customer briefs, market trends, and internal capability.

Support the strategic NPD pipeline and long-term innovation plans.

Project Management

/ Innovation and Development

Lead complex NPD projects from concept through to launch, ensuring delivery on time, within budget, and to specification.

Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Commercial, Operations, Technical, Procurement.

Manage the NPD process and procedures ensuring all documentation throughout concept to launch - including recipes, submission forms, QAS, launch folders, factory paperwork, are completed, to BRC and retailer standards, by the NPD team.

Leading / supporting on feasibility meetings, pre-production runs, pre-launch meetings and product launches. Monitoring the sourcing of new ingredients by the NPD team and ensuring these are approved by the Compliance Manager before use. Ensuring all new raw materials have up to date costings and MOQ's from the initial concept. Recipe costings and submission to commercial team, ensuring up to date raw material prices are used. Responsibility for ensuring that product samples are sent to customers according to agreed specifications and requirements prior to despatch Support team's workload to "get the job done" Work closely with Specifications Technologists to ensure alignment with project updates Maintain up to date NPD project tracker Chair the weekly NPD meeting and update on all NPD and EPD live projects. To continually assess current products, to recommend and redevelop where necessary to ensure they reflect current market requirements. To react to any problems relating to existing products raised internally or externally.

Customer & Commercial Engagement

Build strong relationships with UK major retailers and other key customers including B2B and export partners.

Participate in customer meetings, presentations, site visits, and category reviews.

Maintaining excellent relationships with our customers and ensuring regular and clear communication on all projects.

People & Process

Mentor and develop junior NPD staff.

Ensure best practices in concept development, kitchen trials, factory validations, and product handovers. Drive continuous improvement.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Benefits:

Company pension Employee discount On-site parking Referral programme Store discount
Work Location: In person