Development Technologist | Wednesbury

Avara Foods is one of the UK’s leading food businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to the country’s major supermarkets and well‑known restaurants. We own and manage our entire supply chain, from farms to factory and all the way to the customer door, covering a whole range of functions across major processing sites in England and Wales and an agricultural network of over 350 farms.

As a New Product Development Technologist you will support the NPD Development Product Manager in developing and delivering upon NPD initiatives for your business unit area. You will report directly to the New Product Development Manager and work closely with cross‑functional teams such as Technical, Operations, Commercial, Planning & Procurement to identify requirements and plan schedules of work for product delivery. The role is predominantly office based, but you will be required to enter the factory environment and be exposed to a refrigerated, noisy environment. You’ll be working Monday to Friday 08:00‑17:00 and will need to travel to suppliers, customers & Avara manufacturing sites on a weekly basis.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Category and Market knowledge – research markets and technologies to develop new product concepts for Retail & Food Service.
• Organise internal and external benchmarking sessions.
• Manage & develop product concepts with suppliers against customer requirements & briefs.
• Prepare product costings to ensure profitable product launches.
• Update the internal NPD system for all potential & new launches.
• Support customer presentations, ensuring all required documentation is completed.
• Manage NPD meetings with cross‑functional teams to ensure all actions are completed prior to launch.
• Ensure all development activity is completed in line with NPD procedures and processes.
• Work with technical & operations to organise production trials, shelf‑life assessments, organoleptic testing, cooking instruction verification, and nutritional sample analysis.
• Occasional weekend working for organoleptic assessments may be required.
• Use production trials to update information and validate product costing.
• Liaise with site‑based Operations and Technical teams to plan product launch.
• Manage launches to ensure the product complies with specifications and meets agreed quality parameters.

What We Are Looking For

• Experience in developing and launching new products with retail and/or food service customers.
• Experience in product development within an FMCG environment.
• Ability to manage critical paths and coordinate internal departments for successful launches.
• Knowledge of the functional characteristics of food ingredients.
• Understanding of the product development process from concept to launch and familiarity with Retailers NPD systems.
• Ability to work autonomously.
• Computer literate.
• Methodical approach to ascertain clear stakeholder requirements.
• Highly accurate with excellent attention to detail.
• Full UK Driving License.

Desirable

• A recognised qualification in Food Sciences or related subject areas.
• Experience in product development within a Meat/Poultry environment.
• Knowledge of food labelling and ingredient regulatory requirements.

What’s in it for you

As a Development Technologist you will enjoy a secure, supportive and progressive working environment where your contributions and achievements are recognised and rewarded.

Benefits

• Competitive Salary
• 31 Days Holiday
• 6% Pension
• Private Medical Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Various lifestyle benefits, including wellbeing resources.

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer.