Head of NPD

Our client is a well-established food manufacturer supplying major UK retailers. Due to continued growth, they are seeking an experienced NPD leader to drive innovation, customer engagement, and successful product launches across the business.

This role would particularly suit an individual with a strong bakery development background, a Food Science or related degree, and proven experience managing key retailer relationships, ideally including Tesco and JS (amongst all top 4).

The Role

Reporting into the Managing Director, you will lead the NPD and Process Development function, ensuring innovation projects are aligned with customer and business priorities. You will oversee the full development lifecycle from concept through to factory launch, while providing technical expertise, commercial awareness, and strong customer-facing leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop the NPD and Process Development team.
• Manage the delivery of NPD projects from concept through to successful launch.
• Oversee project critical paths, ensuring milestones are achieved and stakeholders remain aligned.
• Act as the primary contact for customers, suppliers, and internal teams throughout the development process.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with major UK retailers through a collaborative and customer-focused approach.
• Present new concepts, market insights, and product innovations directly to customers.
• Drive recipe development and ensure products are commercially viable and factory-manufacturable.
• Work closely with Technical, Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Commercial teams to ensure project success.
• Manage costings from concept approval through to post-launch review.
• Lead process improvement initiatives across existing and new products.
• Ensure all launches are delivered in line with agreed quality, cost, and timing expectations.