Montezuma's Chocolates
NPD Lead -Chocolate & Confectionery
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Pay: £40,000.00-£45,000.00 per year
Job Description: NPD Lead – Chocolate & Confectionery
Lead Innovation for Two Iconic Confectionery Brands
We're looking for an experienced NPD professional with hands-on chocolate or confectionery product development experience to lead innovation across Montezuma's premium chocolate and Bristows of Devon traditional confectionery.
This is a senior role where you'll own the innovation pipeline from concept to launch, lead a small Product Development team and work cross-functionally to deliver commercially successful new products.
What You'll Do
- Lead the NPD and innovation strategy across both brands.
- Manage the full Stage-Gate process from concept through to commercial launch.
- Develop new chocolate and confectionery products, overseeing trials, scale-up and manufacturing.
- Identify consumer trends and translate insights into commercially successful products.
- Lead and develop a small Product Development team.
- Partner with Marketing, Operations, Procurement, Technical and Finance to deliver projects on time and within budget.
- Drive continuous improvement across the NPD process.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
What We're Looking For
Essential:
- Significant experience in chocolate or confectionery product development within a food manufacturing environment.
- Proven track record of taking products from concept through to commercial launch.
- Experience managing multiple NPD projects.
- Strong commercial understanding, including product costings and margins.
- Excellent stakeholder management and leadership skills.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
You'll stand out if you have:
- Experience leading or mentoring an NPD team.
- A passion for consumer trends and innovation.
- Experience within premium branded FMCG.
Please note: This role requires direct chocolate or confectionery product development experience. Applications without relevant industry experience are unlikely to be progressed.
Why Join Us?
This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of two much-loved brands, with the autonomy to influence innovation strategy and see your ideas become products on the shelf.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills