- Company Name
- PROPER SNACKS
- Job Title
- NPD Manager - Maternity Cover - Feb 2026
- Job Description
-
Job Title: NPD Manager – Maternity Cover (Feb 2026)
Role Summary: Manage the full product development cycle for new snack products, guiding teams through ideation, R&D, prototyping, scale‑up, validation, and launch while meeting critical path, nutritional, and commercial targets.
Expectations: Deliver all assigned projects on time and within scope, coordinate cross‑functional stakeholders, uphold scientific and regulatory rigor, produce comprehensive stage‑gate documentation, and continuously optimise the NPD process.
Key Responsibilities:
- **Ideation**: Analyse briefs, consumer insights, and category trends; craft detailed food briefs and identify scientific exploration avenues.
- **R&D & Supplier Partnership**: Liaise with suppliers and scientific bodies to investigate functional ingredients and process technologies.
- **Development & Prototyping**: Prepare supplier briefs, oversee submissions, design prototype recipes ensuring nutritional compliance, factory feasibility, and commercial viability.
- **Scale‑Up**: Plan, execute, and report on pilot trials with suppliers and production sites, preserving concept integrity.
- **Validation & Testing**: Conduct shelf‑life studies, data collection, taste panels, and generate action‑able reports.
- **Stage & Gate Documentation**: Build product elements for gate reviews, manage risk mitigation and critical‑path updates with PM teams.
- **Baseline & Continuous Improvement**: Maintain NPD function, integrate best practices, and align with broader business processes.
Required Skills:
- Minimum 3 years in food NPD or process development.
- Scientific curiosity with deep knowledge of ingredients, manufacturing processes, and functional components.
- Strong project management skills: critical path, risk, and timeline control.
- Excellent written and verbal communication; concise briefing/reporting skills.
- Proactive, flexible, “can‑do” attitude; collaborative yet decisive.
- Taste‑testing expertise and passion for snacking.
- Analytical, detail‑oriented, data‑driven decision making.
Required Education & Certifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Manufacturing, or a closely related field.
- (Additional industry certifications not mandatory but preferred.)