LEON Restaurants
Senior Product Development Manager – LEON Grocery (FTC, 12 months)
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Senior Product Development Manager – LEON Grocery (FTC, 12 months)
At LEON, we believe food should taste good and do you good. Since opening our first restaurant, we’ve been on a mission to make it easier for everyone to eat well and live well, whether that’s in one of our restaurants or from a supermarket shelf.
As our Grocery business continues to grow, we’re looking for an experienced, creative and commercially minded Senior Product Development Manager to help shape the next generation of LEON products. From big innovation ideas to perfecting existing favourites, you’ll play a key role in bringing delicious, distinctive and market-leading products to life.
Working closely with suppliers, retailers and cross-functional teams, you’ll own the product journey from concept through to launch, ensuring every product delivers against our brand promise, delights consumers and meets the highest technical and quality standards.
This is a hands-on role for someone who loves food, thrives on turning ideas into reality and gets excited by spotting the next big trend before everyone else.
Summary of the Role
You will be responsible for growing the LEON Grocery pipeline, managing all new product development and existing product development across multiple categories
- Act as launch manager and 'Guardian' of the LEON brand values, following the gated process
- Create and manage the LEON Grocery NPD and EPD briefs across our supply base
- Work directly with our suppliers to create and deliver the best LEON grocery products, which embody our LEON mission, using experience and skill in recipe development, innovation, and trend interpretation
- Create and brief design to our in-house designers, managing the creative design process from concept to launch
- Work in conjunction with the LEON Technical Manager to oversee product quality of both NPD products and the current product portfolio
- Work closely with the Marketing team, organising and project managing product photoshoots with recipe creation using our Grocery products
- Work with sales and marketing to feed into new retailer meetings with appropriate information and samples. Where required, attend meetings as the 'LEON product specialist' to support
- Take ownership of technical compliance for your portfolio, including pack copy, product specifications, QAS & nutritional information, ensuring all products meet UK food legislation requirements.
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Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Launch Management
- Complete end-to-end management of LEON's launch plans for all relevant NPD & EPD projects within your portfolio
- Meet weekly to manage products through to launch on time and to budget
- Work cross-functionally within the business to create robust and exciting product briefs
- Take end-to-end responsibility for delivering products as outlined in briefs
- Uphold clear critical paths for all projects
- Work closely with suppliers on all facets of the PD process, ensuring complete buy-in to timelines
- Attend supplier sites for NPD as well as supporting trials and productions
- Lead and manage the NPD Gate Process for the owned portfolio, ensuring a smooth, well-communicated process
- Contribute insights to help inform the NPD pipeline
- Manage COGs for all owned NPD projects
- Ensure all items sourced for manufacturing are to the required specification and fit for purpose (both ingredients and packaging)
- Visit with and build knowledge on our suppliers across all categories (ingredient, packaging, co-manufacturers, etc.)
- Contribute business objectives where necessary to keep LEON ahead of the curve
- Arrange benchmarking activities to aid development projects
- Be the'market expert' in the UK and Europe across relevant products and brands to ensure LEON is developing the right flavour in the right market in the right format, every time
- Attend trade shows and seminars as and when required
- Be aware of what's happening with relevant competitors in the UK market, the European market & worldwide
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Technical & Regulatory Compliance
- Write and manage all pack copy, ensuring full compliance with UK food legislation (FIC, allergen labelling, nutrition declarations, %RI, claims substantiation)
- Create, maintain & approve product specifications across the owned portfolio, working with suppliers to ensure specs are accurate, complete & up to date
- Manage QAS and ensure technical documentation is fit for retailer compliance requirements
- Review and verify nutritional information, ensuring accuracy across packaging, retailer systems & marketing materials
- Work closely with the Technical Manager to resolve non-conformances and ensure ongoing product compliance post-launch
What we are Looking For:
- Significant experience in product development, innovation or NPD within FMCG food and drink.
- A proven track record of bringing products from concept through to successful launch.
- Strong understanding of food manufacturing, ingredient functionality and supplier management.
- Experience managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
- Knowledge of UK food legislation, product specifications, nutritional labelling and retailer requirements.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
- A keen eye for food trends, consumer behaviour and emerging opportunities.
- Commercial awareness and an understanding of what makes products succeed on shelf.
You'll fit right in if:
- You're obsessed with food and always curious about what's next.
- You combine creativity with attention to detail.
- You enjoy solving problems and finding practical solutions.
- You're comfortable working autonomously and taking ownership.
- You bring positivity, energy and a collaborative approach to your work.
- You care about creating products that make eating well easier and more enjoyable for everyone.
Perks
- 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
- Free LEON!
- Summer and Winter Well Being Events
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