Job Description
About us:
We are a rapidly growing, privately owned food-to-go manufacturer based in South London, proudly creating high-quality handcrafted products since the 1970s. Our passion for delicious food, innovation, local communities, and sustainability remains at the heart of everything we do.
All our products are handmade at our South London facility with the same care, expertise, and dedication that have driven our success from day one. As we continue to grow, we’re looking for an experienced and driven NPD Manager to lead exciting product development initiatives and help shape the future of our innovation pipeline.
The Opportunity
This is a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious NPD Manager to take ownership of the full product development lifecycle — leading multiple projects from concept to launch within a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.
You’ll play a key role in driving innovation while ensuring projects are delivered on time, commercially viable, operationally feasible, and aligned with customer and business expectations.
Working closely with chefs, operations, commercial teams, customers, and manufacturing, you’ll combine creativity with strong project management discipline to successfully manage a busy and evolving development pipeline.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage multiple NPD projects from concept through to successful launch
- Own and maintain the NPD critical path, ensuring projects are delivered on time and in full
- Drive structured project management across development activity, managing timelines, risks, dependencies, and priorities
- Lead stage-gate processes and prepare key development documentation throughout project lifecycles
- Collaborate cross-functionally across Operations, Technical, Commercial, Procurement, and Production teams
- Work closely with chefs to translate customer briefs into commercially viable, scalable products
- Ensure manufacturing capability and operational feasibility are embedded throughout development
- Build strong relationships with customers and internal stakeholders
- Support capacity planning and prioritisation across active and pipeline projects
- Conduct competitor benchmarking, market analysis, and trend research to identify innovation opportunities
- Maintain a proactive, solutions-focused approach to overcoming development challenges
- Support and contribute to a high-performing, delivery-focused NPD culture
About You
We’re looking for an organised, commercially aware, and passionate food professional who thrives in a fast-moving manufacturing environment.
Experience & Background
- Proven experience within food product development, ideally within food-to-go, chilled food, or food manufacturing
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, factory environments, and cross-functional project delivery
- Experience managing multiple concurrent NPD projects with competing deadlines
- Customer-facing experience with retail or foodservice accounts would be advantageous
- Experience working within structured product development or stage-gate processes
Skills & Attributes
- Strong project management and critical path management capability
- Excellent organisation, prioritisation, and stakeholder management skills
- Commercially minded with the ability to balance innovation with operational practicality
- Confident decision-maker and effective problem solver
- Able to influence and collaborate across multiple teams
- Passionate about food innovation, trends, and product excellence
- Resilient, proactive, and delivery-focused mindset
What We Offer
We believe our people are central to our success and are committed to creating an environment where individuals can thrive, develop, and enjoy coming to work.
Benefits & Culture
- Free lunch and beverages every day
- Regular social events including summer and Christmas parties, BBQs, pizza days, sweet treats, and more
Career Development
- Ongoing training and development opportunities
- Sponsored professional development
- Genuine opportunities for career progression
Financial & Lifestyle Benefits
- Pension scheme
- Financial wellbeing support and cash plan
- Discounted car repairs and MOT
Health & Wellbeing
- Gym scheme
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Access to mental health champions and wellbeing services
Time & Recognition
- 33 days annual leave
- One paid charity day each year
- Long service awards recognising your contribution
Why Join Us?
This is more than just an NPD role — it’s an opportunity to make a real impact within a growing and ambitious business. You’ll have ownership, visibility, and the chance to drive meaningful product innovation while developing your career within a supportive and passionate team.
