Food Service & Ingredients NPD Manager in Norfolk

As our Food Service & Ingredients division continues to grow, we are strengthening our innovation capability with the addition of a Foodservice & Ingredients NPD Manager. Reporting to the Head of NPD & Innovation / Foodservice & Ingredients Director, this role plays a key part in shaping and delivering customer‑led development plans across the Group.

Working closely with sales, marketing and development chefs, you will drive proactive innovation across multiple channels, leading projects from concept to launch. Acting as a central point of coordination across sites and divisions, you’ll ensure our pipeline is aligned to customer needs, commercial priorities and the wider Cranswick food strategy.

Who Are Cranswick? Cranswick is a leading UK food producer, employing thousands of people across a broad network of sites and supplying many of the country’s best‑known retail and food service customers. Operating at scale within a highly regulated, customer‑focused industry, the business has grown significantly through continued investment and expansion. This growth creates exciting opportunities to strengthen innovation, enhance collaboration across divisions and deliver best‑in‑class food development to our customers.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead the coordination and delivery of Food Service & Ingredients NPD projects and product launches across all divisions.
• Develop proactive, account‑based innovation pipelines in partnership with sales and marketing teams.
• Build and maintain strong, “gold standard” relationships with key customers across development and innovation.
• Create and manage 6‑month innovation pipelines with Development Chefs, focused on out‑of‑home (OOH) opportunities.
• Act as the lead development contact for key strategic customers, ensuring alignment to their requirements.
• Embed Cranswick food strategy pillars into innovation plans and customer engagement.
• Collaborate with B2B customers to maximise opportunities from existing retail ingredient portfolios.
• Streamline development activity to ensure efficiency, value and speed to market.
• Ensure all development activity meets customer sourcing guidelines, including preparing required documentation and product submissions.
• Work closely with site development teams to ensure adherence to stage‑and‑gate processes and drive agile, channel‑appropriate ways of working.
• Coordinate group‑level Foodservice & Ingredients NPD presentations.

This role will involve travel across Group sites and may require nights away from home and night working depending on audit schedules.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience in NPD, innovation or project management within a food manufacturing or related environment.
• A self‑starter with a dynamic, resilient approach and a passion for innovation.
• Strong project management and product launch experience, with the ability to deliver at pace.
• Commercially aware, with the ability to think strategically and align development to customer and business needs.
• Excellent relationship‑building skills, with the ability to influence, challenge and collaborate across teams and stakeholders.
• A natural networker, able to connect people, ideas and share best practice across the business.
• Curious and forward‑thinking, with an interest in new technologies and ways of working.
• Highly credible and results‑focused, with a reputation for delivering outcomes.

Why Join Us?

• Competitive Salary discussed at application stage.
• Car Allowance.
• Share Save Scheme - Access to purchase shares at a discounted rate.
• Pension Scheme with enhanced contribution options.
• Holiday Entitlement: - Generous allowance with the option to purchase additional days.
• Employee Discounts at major high street stores and supermarkets through our company portal.

Apply Now Submit your CV & cover letter, including your salary expectations to Closing Date: 30th July 2026. *Please note, the closing date may be brought forward if a suitable applicant is found.*

*Internal applicants must make their line manager aware before applying.*