Head of New Product Development

We are working with a well-established food business to appoint a Head of New Product Development.

This is a senior, hands-on role offering the opportunity to lead food innovation from concept through to launch within a fast-paced, customer-led environment.

The Opportunity

You will take ownership of the full new product development lifecycle, working closely with Commercial, Operations, Technical, Quality, Procurement and Supply Chain teams to deliver products that are innovative, scalable and commercially viable.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys balancing strategic leadership with hands-on delivery and wants to make a real impact on product performance, team capability, and customer relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver the NPD strategy and roadmap aligned to business objectives
• Own end-to-end product development from ideation and business case through to launch and continuous improvement
• Lead, mentor and develop the NPD team, setting standards and driving high performance
• Translate culinary concepts into scalable manufacturing recipes and support factory trials and scale-ups
• Maintain commercial control, balancing creativity with cost, margin and ingredient availability
• Attend and support customer meetings, tastings, presentations and tenders

About You

We are interested in speaking with people who:

• Have strong experience in a hands-on food NPD role, ideally within manufacturing or customer-led food businesses
• Bring a commercial mindset with a clear understanding of cost, margin and scalability
• Enjoy leading and developing teams while remaining closely involved in hands-on product work
• Are confident working cross-functionally with Technical, Operations, Quality and Commercial teams
• Have a solid understanding of UK food safety, quality, labelling, allergen and nutritional standards

Why This Role?

Opportunity to own and shape the NPD function end-to-end

High visibility and influence within the business

Strong customer exposure and commercial involvement

A role where innovation is practical and delivered, not theoretical

Products you develop go into production and onto customer menus  

Location: East Midlands
Salary: £75,000 to £90,000
Travel: Customer meetings, factory trials and food inspiration activity
Eligibility: Right to work in the UK required

If you have experience leading food NPD or food innovation and are looking for a site-based leadership role with real commercial impact, I would be very interested in having a confidential conversation.