Product Development Manager in Haverhill

For uncompromising cat parents who want the best, KatKin goes hardcore for cat health. We make the UK’s only fresh cat food: 100% human-quality meat, gently cooked, and frozen for freshness. Where the competition cuts corners, catfishes customers and puts profits over health, we put cat wellbeing first. No shortcuts. No secret recipes. We’re cutting the fluff, thinking fresh and channelling hardcore love into industry-wide change. So cats live long and cat parents can love hard without compromise.

Why You’ll Love Working With Us

We’re all-in for cats, and it shows: our energy will blow you away from day one. You’ll be surrounded by knowledgeable scientists, big creative thinkers, astute business brains, and a whole team of hardcore cat parents. All on a mission to make hardcore love the new standard in cat care – with a fresh take on every product in the cat industry.

About your role

We are looking for an experienced Product Development Manager to lead product concepts into scalable, repeatable, and operationally viable manufacturing processes and own product launches into regular production. This role will be responsible for process design, scale-up decisions, and manufacturing readiness, including defining and validating process parameters and constraints; it will also include managing direct reports. New equipment scoping and validation for new products and processes will be part of this role, in close collaboration with other teams on-site.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and manage the entire Product Development (PD) process from concept through to launch, including the management and development of a small PD team.
• Provide strategic input into product development projects at the concept definition phase and assess equipment suitability/needs.
• Own line trial scheduling and lead execution, ensuring cross-functional set-up and strict compliance with factory processes, food safety, and health and safety.
• Define and validate all process parameters and production settings on the main line during scale-up to match concept samples and pilot kitchen products.
• Trial and validate new upscaled equipment to ensure it meets expectations, supports production volumes, and delivers the desired product results.
• Ensure new product formulations are correctly set up for line execution, including new ingredients, BOMs, print, and weight settings.
• Own the preparation of all trial-related paperwork and the timely handover and documentation of validation details to the technical and operations teams.
• Summarise process parameters and pilot learnings for decision making, and ensure scale-up validations are successfully completed for product launches.
• Develop or update production Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), train operators for production handover, and provide process/product expertise during initial production.
• Coordinate product launch dates across Planning, Product Strategy, and Operations, and undertake a post-launch review for continuous process and product improvement.

Who you are

• You have owned or lead factory scale trials in a product development environment, working cross-functionally with Operations, Technical, Engineering and Nutrition.
• You have owned or lead production upscales, from pilot kitchen, onto main line, into launch.
• Experience interpreting data to inform product or process decisions; able to communicate decision rationales clearly.
• Strong communicator, problem solver and analytical thinker.
• You can operate independently within defined project scopes, progressing tasks and reporting back on progress in a timely manner.
• Able to identify risks and mitigations and escalating when necessary.
• Comfortable delivering high quality outputs suitable for stage gate decision.
• A genuine passion for food and product development and excited to work in a collaborative and creative working environment.

Qualifications and experience

• Food Science / Food Technology / Process Engineering Degree.
• HACCP and Food Safety Certificate.
• 5 years experience in FMCG or related industry.

What’s In It For You?

At KatKin, we’re not just offering a job – we’re offering a chance to shape the future of cat care. Here’s what you’ll get:

• A career-defining opportunity to scale an innovative brand, fast.
• A genuine opportunity to quickly develop and grow your scope and responsibility level.
• A small, close-knit team with zero egos and plenty of passion.
• 33 days holiday + your birthday off (because everyone deserves cake and cat cuddles).
• Discounts on KatKin’s fresh meals – because your cat deserves the best.
• Comprehensive AXA health insurance, including optical and dental coverage.
• A yearly personal development budget to keep growing your skills.
• Company pension to keep your future secure.