Senior NPD Manager (9 Month FTC)

Here at innocent, we’re on a mission to make it easier for everyone to get more fruit and veg into their bodies. We started back in 1999 and since then we’ve gone from selling a few smoothies at a music festival to becoming one of Europe’s biggest drinks companies with around 1,000 people (and the B Corp seal of approval).

It’s nice to be able to say things like that but we’re not patting ourselves on the back just yet. We want to show everyone that it’s possible to be a successful business while looking after people and the planet too, so we’re trying to get better in pretty much every way. And that’s where this job comes in.

Our Renew & Protect team looks after the products people already know and love, making sure they remain delicious, reliable and ready for the future. We are looking for a Team Leader to guide a team of three and oversee projects from the first recipe idea through to samples and successful commercial production.

You’ll sit at the centre of product development, bringing together colleagues from marketing, finance, operations, technical, procurement and supply chain, alongside our customers and external partners. You’ll help us improve existing products, strengthen how we work and turn promising ideas into practical opportunities. While your main focus will be renewing and protecting our current range, you’ll also get involved in innovation and new product development when the right opportunities come along.

You’ll be

• Leading, supporting and developing a team of product development experts, while managing workloads, priorities and resources

• Delivering renewal, resilience and product improvement projects through to three successful commercial production runs.

• Overseeing budgets for your area, identifying future investment needs and planning relevant technical training for the team.

• Turning business strategy and consumer insight into practical product ideas and incremental opportunities.

• Working closely with internal teams, manufacturers, customers and external partners to keep projects moving.

• Making sure recipes can be successfully scaled from the kitchen into pilot and factory production.

• Ensuring product development, technical, costing, safety and risk‑assessment processes are followed.

• Leading continuous improvement work and supporting innovation projects, planning sessions and workshops.

You’ll have

• Experience leading a team, developing others and giving people clear, thoughtful support.

• A strong understanding of the product development process within fast‑moving consumer goods, ideally food or drinks.

• Practical experience delivering product development and continuous improvement projects.

• Strong delivery on EPD and line extensions under rapid time frames.

• Knowledge of ingredients, materials, food safety and food‑contact legislation.

• The ability to translate strategy into realistic research and development opportunities.

• Strong prioritisation, relationship‑building and presentation skills, with a knack for making complex subjects easy to understand.

You’ll get

• The chance to lead products all the way from an early recipe concept to successful factory production.

• A close‑up view of how marketing, insight, finance, operations, technical, procurement and supply chain bring products to life.

• The opportunity to shape how a specialist product development team works, learns and improves.

• Hands‑on experience solving scaling, cost, quality and production challenges with internal teams and external manufacturing partners.

• Space to influence future product opportunities while protecting and improving the drinks already in our range.

• The chance to make complicated product decisions feel refreshingly simple for the wider business.

We want innocent to be a great place to work, so we do lots of stuff to make people feel at home and try to make sure everyone’s career is shaping up the way they want it to. There are plenty of opportunities to have a go at something new or take things further.

In exchange for helping us do business in the right way, you’ll get a solidrewards packagethat includes a salary (phew), private healthcare, a target‑based bonus, and a bunch of other nice things like a day off on your birthday. And yes, you get free smoothies.

We also know that not all our drinkers come from the same background, or think the same – so why should we? At innocent, we want to be a great place to work where a diverse bunch of people from all backgrounds can turn up and thrive. When we hire, we want all the juice, bits, and pulp that make you who you are.

Even if you don’t think you can tick all the boxes, if the job sounds right for you, come and throw your hat in the ring.

Probably best to get your skates on though, as we might close this early if we get loads of applications.

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