NPD Manager

Vickerstock are delighted to be working in partnership with a well established and growing food manufacturing business in the Ballymena area on the appointment of NPD Manager.

This is a key role within the technical team, responsible for driving new product development from concept through to launch, working closely with major retail customers and cross functional teams to deliver high quality, commercially viable products.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the full NPD process from concept to factory launch.
• Interpret customer briefs and develop commercially viable product solutions.
• Lead product trials, scale up activities and first production runs.
• Ensure all products meet food safety, legal and retailer requirements.
• Develop and maintain product specifications, formulations and technical data.
• Coordinate project timelines, critical paths and launch activities.
• Liaise with customers, suppliers and internal teams to ensure project delivery.
• Support artwork, packaging and labelling development and approval.
• Troubleshoot issues during trials and drive successful product launches.

What you'll need to succeed

• Experience in an NPD or Technical role within food manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of retailer requirements and food safety standards (BRCGS).
• Proven experience managing product development from concept to launch.
• Experience running factory trials and product scale up.
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience within meat or chilled food manufacturing.
• Degree in Food Science, Food Technology or related discipline.
• HACCP Level 3 (or working towards).
• Experience with major UK retailers (e.g. Tesco).