Senior Product Developer

Direct message the job poster from Lily\’s Kitchen

Head of Talent Acquisition & HR Business Partner @Lily\’s Kitchen

What we’re after: – Senior Product Developer

Reporting Line: – Head of Product

Lily’s Headquarters: – Goodge Street, Fitzrovia (with hybrid working between the office and working from home)

Equality and Inclusiveness at Lily’s Kitchen: –

At Lily’s Kitchen, we want to build and maintain a values-driven culture of trust and inclusion, one that empowers people safely and comfortably to express every characteristic of their personal identity and experience. We’re committed to supporting and encouraging a diverse and inclusive workforce. That means that whatever your ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age or status as an individual with a disability, you’ll get all the opportunities, respect and support you’d expect from a passionate business that cares about its people (as well as its pets).

We strongly encourage people of colour, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary people, veterans, parents, individuals with disabilities and/or other people from underrepresented groups to apply. Lily’s Kitchen is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes everyone to our team. If you need reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know.

In your application, please feel free to note which pronouns you use.

Location: –

This is a hybrid role, with a mix between working approximately 2 days a week (or more if you prefer) in our beautiful central London office (Goodge Street) and working from home.

How will I make a difference?

You will: –

• Be responsible for all product development on the pipeline from concept to launch, deliver on time and on budget.
• Manage the NPD critical path in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• Work closely with the Purina team and agree requirements and sign off criteria at the start of each project.
• Establish & document WOW for Product Development between LK & Purina team.
• Embed the Lily’s Kitchen UK/EU brand principles / values/ BCorp requirements in anything you develop, working closely with the Lily’s Kitchen developers responsible for UK/EU production to ensure consistency for our global brand proposition.
• Be directly responsible for our products, including aspects such as the development of new product lines, selection materials and processes – in line with the Lily’s Kitchen BCorp Complete and Distinct.
• Work closely with technical resource, managing their workload and requirements.
• Establish, develop and maintain effective working relationships with the Purina – including product, packaging and regulatory.
• Attend all Purina meetings in relation to product development, updating on actions under your responsibility.
• Co-ordinate with the Purina regulatory team, legal and LK marketing – to approve claims, owning, updating and finalising the copy sheets before the final copy sheet is used on pack.
• Obtain the relevant substantiation, which is to be filed and approved via the Purina regulatory team.
• Fully own the projects you are responsible for, have accountability and be self-sufficient, checking in with senior management as and when required.
• Visit factories under your management as and when required, including 1st production and to assist when required with quality control.
• Set up and manage weekly conference calls, collating into action points and communicating back to your line manager when necessary.
• Establish, develop and maintain effective working relationships with the UK LK design, technical, commercial, sales, supply chain and marketing.
• Ensure all projects are taken through our gate process, to document the progress & achieve LK sign off.
• Work on COGS & costings for approval as part of LK gate process.
• Ensuring all new product and packaging concepts are available for review by the senior team in a timely manner at key points through the project.
• Co-ordinate lab tests, feed trials and transit trials where required, ensuring the steps are built into the critical path.
• Collaborate with the design, technical and purchasing teams to ensure samples are available and costings fully prepared.
• Ensure all documentation is created, updated and approved and filed correctly, including – product specs, packaging specs, QAS, claims documents and substantiation.
• Keep abreast of the market, undertaking regular reviews (benchmarking) of the market maintaining accurate records of the ranges, pricing structure, messaging and claims used by the competitor set.
• Keep abreast of developments in sustainable packaging materials to ensure Lily’s Kitchen has access to the latest materials in a timely manner, and coordinate with packaging developments.
• Deputise for senior management in meetings etc as and when required.
• An excellent understanding of what it means to be part of a B-Corp business.

How will I be successful?

• A proven track record as a product developer within the FMCG industry.
• Confident in a creative and entrepreneurial environment.
• Strong Relationship Management skills, and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage the bigger picture whilst holding and attending to the detail.
• Expertise in working with PLM systems.
• Passion for Lily’s Kitchen brand, product and philosophy.
• Lily’s Kitchen values will shine through in everything you do.
• It goes without saying that you need to have a PFP (passion for pets).
• It’s fast paced here at Lily’s Kitchen so you will need to have worked in a similar environment.
• You will be comfortable with using Microsoft Office and in particular Excel (intermediate/advance level).
• First class communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly, effectively and appropriately with other Lily’s Kitchen employees, external suppliers and others at all levels.
• Fantastic planning and organisation skills to support the work schedule.
• The ability to use your initiative – being a self-starter with a positive ‘can do’ attitude and the desire to learn and grow.

At Lily’s Kitchen we believe that everyone should enjoy their time at work. We reward the care our people put into their job, by caring for them in return. Our benefits are designed to make our people smile, save for the future, stay healthy and give back where they can and include:

• Dogs at work; what better way to put a smile on your face!
• Flexible Working: flexitime, working from home, part-time working, flexible support, faith based public holidays.
• Save for the Future and Protect Loved ones: a pension plan that goes beyond, the option for salary exchange and an option of an ethical pension fund reflecting our team’s attitudes and needs. Plus, a life assurance scheme to look after those that depend on you.
• Staying healthy and well: Our team’s health and wellbeing is very important to us and we offer private medical, private dental, employee assistance programme, mental first aiders and a cycle to work scheme (and an electric car salary sacrifice scheme).
• Supporting our community: with a volunteering allowance we can give back to causes we are passionate about. Plus supporting and having fun together as a team.
• And more …

At Lily’s Kitchen we are pet food pioneers. We are changing the game with our mission to provide proper food for cats and dogs all over the world.

Lily’s Kitchen was founded in London in 2009, by Henrietta Morrison who set out to feed her beloved dog, Lily, food she could trust. Lily’s Kitchen is now the No1 Brand in premium natural pet food, still focusing on the mission to inspire pet parents to feed their four-legged friends natural, proper food for pets.

Lily’s Kitchen was a founding member of the UK B Corp movement and the first pet food brand in the world to achieve B Corp status. Determined to use business as a force for good, Lily’s Kitchen has recently partnered with Dogs Trust to support dogs in need and are proud to lend a paw to charitable causes.

We sell our nutritious natural recipes for cats and dogs in over 1,000 stockists, like Waitrose, Tesco, Ocado, organic food shops, vets, independent pet shops and garden centres all over the UK. We also sell internationally and are now sold in more than 30 countries worldwide.

Our Vision.

We’re all about warming hearts, feeding souls and enriching lives, for both our customers and employees.

Our Values.

We recruit to our values at Lily’s Kitchen: Respectful. Dedicated. Audacious. Passionate. Responsible.

Our People.

We seek out and develop talented people who love to succeed and make a positive difference in everything they do.

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Manufacturing, Product Management, and Project Management
• Industries: Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Food and Beverage Retail

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