Pilgrim's Europe
Senior Product Development Technologist, Senior Product Development Technologist
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Senior Product Development Technologist
Location: Craigavon
Department: Product & Innovation
Reports to: Product Development Manager
Shape the Future of Food Innovation
At Pilgrim's Europe, we're passionate about creating innovative food products that excite consumers and drive business growth. We're looking for a talented and driven Senior Product Development Technologist to join our Product & Innovation team and play a key role in bringing new products from concept through to successful market launch.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced food product developer who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys managing complex projects, and has a passion for food trends, innovation, and delivering exceptional products for customers.
The Role
As a Senior Development Technologist, you will take ownership of end-to-end New Product Development (NPD) and Existing Product Development (EPD) projects, working closely with customer teams, development chefs, site teams, and cross-functional stakeholders.
You will drive projects through our concept-to-launch process, ensuring products are commercially viable, technically feasible, and aligned to customer strategies and business growth objectives. Acting as a key link between innovation, development, NPI, and launch teams, you'll help shape the future food agenda across Pilgrim's Europe.
Key Responsibilities
Product Development & Innovation
- Deliver customer-focused and commercially successful NPD and EPD projects.
- Work alongside Development Chefs, Technologists, and Customer Teams to develop innovative food solutions.
- Ensure all developments meet customer requirements, legal standards, allergen controls, sustainability goals, and welfare standards.
- Identify opportunities for product improvement that enhance customer satisfaction and business value.
- Support innovation sessions and customer presentations, bringing market trends and consumer insights to life.
- Become a subject matter expert within your product category.
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Project Management
- Lead projects through the Concept-to-Launch Gate Process, ensuring milestones are met and fully documented.
- Manage project critical paths and coordinate cross-functional teams to deliver successful product launches.
- Assess product feasibility and ensure all developments are technically and commercially viable.
- Build and maintain accurate recipe and costing data within internal systems.
- Support customer relationships by delivering projects on time and managing expectations effectively.
Technical Excellence
- Ensure products presented to customers are of the highest quality and representative of manufacturing capabilities.
- Challenge and resolve quality or consistency issues quickly and effectively.
- Review and approve artwork to ensure compliance with legal and customer requirements.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives and implementation of best-practice development processes.
- Maintain all required documentation to support internal and external audits.
People & Team Development
- Support and coach colleagues to maximise performance and development.
- Conduct regular one-to-one reviews with direct reports where applicable.
- Identify training and development needs within the team.
- Contribute to engagement initiatives and foster a positive team culture.
Market & Consumer Insight
- Stay ahead of emerging food, consumer, and restaurant trends.
- Monitor competitor activity and identify new business opportunities.
- Support customer roadmaps and innovation strategies aligned to market trends and site capabilities.
- Bring passion, creativity, and food expertise into every project.
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About You
We're looking for someone who combines technical expertise with commercial awareness and excellent stakeholder management skills.
Essential Requirements
- Previous experience in a Product Development role within the food manufacturing industry.
- Proven experience launching food products from concept to market.
- Product costing experience.
- Understanding of budgets and commercial drivers.
- Supply chain knowledge, including sourcing ingredients and packaging.
- Strong project management skills with experience managing multiple projects simultaneously.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills.
- Strong analytical ability and attention to detail.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
- Relevant food industry qualification and/or equivalent experience.
Desirable
- Degree in Food Science, Marketing, Business, or a related discipline.
- Experience within relevant product categories.
- Experience working with geographically dispersed teams.
Why Join Pilgrim's Europe?
At Pilgrim's Europe, Our Values Drive Everything We Do
- Availability - We embrace challenges and opportunities.
- Humility - We listen, learn, and respect each other.
- Discipline - We deliver on our commitments.
- Sincerity - We act with honesty and integrity.
- Simplicity, Ownership & Determination - We focus on what matters and drive results.
If you're passionate about food innovation, thrive on bringing ideas to life, and want to make a real impact within a leading food business, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply today and help shape the future of food at Pilgrim's Europe.
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