Product Development Assistant

Advert:

Ella’s Kitchen was set up by Paul Lindley to promote healthy eating amongst babies and young children. We’re a highly entrepreneurial and values driven company which has achieved impressive growth to over £80m turnover, with a team of 80 employees based at Ella’s Barn near Henley. Our baby and toddler food pouches can be found in key retailers across the UK as well as the Scandinavian and BeNeLux markets. We are a brand recognised for its high quality ingredients and ethical credentials which are visible throughout our supply chain and in our social and charity work. Ella’s is part of the Hain Celestial group and we are very proud to be an accredited B’Corps and included in the Sunday Times Best Companies top 100 list for the last 4 years.

Purpose of role:

As a key member of our Product Development (Making Yummy New Stuff) team, you will proactively search out and bring new concepts, innovation and ingredient ideas into Ella’s Kitchen to help fuel the innovation process.

Once ideas are agreed work with the Senior Development Manager on taking projects from an idea, developing them all the way to successful launch.

Role activities / responsibilities:

Product development

• Support the wider NPD team in external scouting activities, gathering ideas from external sources such as events, shows, markets, etc. for new ingredients, products, packaging, concepts and feed these ideas into the innovation process at Ella’s
• Build relationships with wider Hain colleagues when required
• Working with other internal functions within Ella’s Kitchen, input to the Ella’s project gate process for NPD and EPD briefs for both UK and International markets
• Support implementation of our Product Development processes completing and maintaining all documentation throughout
• Develop kitchen recipes with wider NPD team and Ella’s co-manufacturers, focusing on new product innovation and existing product optimisations.Recipes to be in line with Ella’s brand values, nutritional, regulatory and technical guidelines on time, to budget and to brief, utilising the Hamilton Grant System.This may require travel to co-man sites in and outside the UK.
• Work with procurement and technical ingredients teams to ensure new ingredients fit the Ella’s Brand and Technical guidelines and are approved ahead of trials.
• Attend and support new product development trials (as needed) ensuring finished products are right first time and are safe, legal and fully documented. Travel to co-man sites in and outside the UK will be required.
• Hand over formulations with all documentation completed to Technical Manager & Operations for on-going supply to market
• Help design and set shelf-life protocols with Sensory Manager and input into sensory assessment over product shelf life

• Recipe development for content for the website, promotional campaigns and KFH with communication on the recipes

• Support with inhouse photo shoots- preparing recipes and styling food if required

Own our recipes

• Be responsible for completion and approval of recipes on Hamilton Grant and that these recipes are regularly reviewed.
• Ensure development and approval of recipes follows the Ella’s NPD process and the teams processes including generation of all supporting documentation
• Own your portfolio of recipes for changes within our non-conformance and change control process

• Train closely with and support Senior Makes Yummy New Stuff to rapidly upskill in areas of product development. Liaise closely with other key internal functions
• Support and contribute to the Making Things Right Strategy and to the overall Ella’s Kitchen strategy

You will need:

• Understanding of developing new products within a varied foodmanufacturing/production environment
• Understanding of a wide range variety of food manufacturing processes including but not exhaustive: extrusion, baking, pasteurisation and retorting
• Goodknowledge of safety and nutritional requirement relating to food product development, ideally but not essential in baby food
• Ability to build and nurture strong and productive relationships
• Fantastic communication and influencing skills
• Demonstrable ability to live and breathe our values: Win Together, Be Curious, Own It, Foster Inclusion, We’re Childlike

And what you’ll get in return

• Bucket loads of training and development, supporting your career pathway
• Competitive salary
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• A Box of Treats, including private medical, dental, pension, life assurance, 25 days holiday and the ability to buy more, high street discounts, a yummy breakfast every morning, pamper days, Give It A Go days… to name but a few!
• A really awesome place to come to work every day… our beautiful Barns in the Oxfordshire countryside

#J-18808-Ljbffr