D R Newitt Recruitment
Product Developer / NPD Manager
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Product Developer / NPD Manager
Bedfordshire | Hybrid (3 days on-site) | Circa £40,000 + Bonus + Pension
Ready to take ownership of major retail accounts without managing people?
This is the perfect opportunity for an ambitious Product Developer who's ready for the next step.
We're looking for someone with 12 months to 5 years' experience in food product development who wants to own projects, build relationships with leading UK retailers and take products from concept to supermarket shelf.
You don't need to have managed a team—your focus will be managing customer projects, innovation and launches, supported by an experienced Head of NPD & R&D.
What you'll be doing
- Developing exciting new products from concept through to launch.
- Managing retail customer accounts and becoming their trusted NPD partner.
- Creating products in the development kitchen and leading factory trials.
- Presenting concepts directly to customers.
- Spotting food trends, benchmarking competitors and driving innovation.
- Managing multiple projects and critical paths to deliver launches on time.
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We're looking for someone who has:
- 12 months–5 years' experience in Product Development or NPD.
- Experience developing products for UK retailers.
- Managed concept-to-launch projects.
- Strong organisation and project management skills.
- A genuine passion for food, innovation and creating market-leading products.
- A Food Science (or similar) degree is desirable.
- Bakery experience would be a bonus—but it's definitely not essential.
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If you've developed products for UK retail and have the ambition to progress, we'd love to hear from you.
Why join?
- Work with some of the UK's biggest retailers.
- Genuine ownership of customer accounts.
- Clear progression into a senior NPD career.
- Hybrid working (3 days on-site / 2 days flexible).
- Supportive, collaborative NPD team.
- Competitive salary, bonus and pension.
If you're an ambitious Product Developer looking for the role that accelerates your career, apply today or get in touch for a confidential conversation.
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