New Product Development Manager in Newtownards

At Mash Direct, our aim is simple: to bring the taste of great food, rooted in six generations of farming, to every table, nurturing a stronger connection between people, their food, and the land it comes from. We are here to be the trusted source of freshly prepared vegetable side dishes, honouring our heritage while growing responsibly for future generations. How we do that matters. We work collaboratively, act with purpose, support one another, and take ownership of the results we deliver. We also believe in looking after our people. We are building a culture where everyone's voice is heard, good leadership is developed, and learning and growth are part of everyday work. Supporting each other and sharing knowledge is just as important as producing great food.

If you care about good food, honest work, and being part of a team that does things properly and you want to help shape the future of how we buy, Mash Direct is a place where you'll belong.

What you'll be doing:

• Own the end-to-end NPD process, from concept generation through to feasibility, trials, sign-off and launch.
• Build and manage a structured innovation pipeline based on our NPD framework, balancing speed to market with rigour and operational capability.
• Translate consumer and retailer trends like health, convenience, provenance, and sustainability, into products that are genuinely ownable to Mash Direct.
• Champion the story behind our food: heritage vegetable varieties, farm-to-fork provenance and the Hamilton family's six generations of growing knowledge, and make sure that comes through in every new product.
• Work closely with the Technical, Operations and Commercial teams to ensure every new product is deliverable at scale within our farm and factory's real capacity and capability.
• Lead product trials and factory-scale runs, working hand-in-hand with the technical and operational teams to iron out issues before launch.
• Collaborate on costings and margins on new products in partnership with Commercial, Finance & Operations ensuring every launch stacks up financially as well as creatively.
• Build strong relationships with retail and food service customers' own NPD and innovation teams to develop branded, and also appropriate own label opportunities.
• Keep across ingredient, packaging and format innovation, and horizon-scan the wider food industry, including what our competitors are doing, to keep Mash Direct's pipeline fresh.
• Ensure all new products meet legal, allergen, labelling and nutritional requirements, working closely with the Technical team on compliance.

You will be joining a culturally diverse workforce where people look out for each other and take real pride in what they produce.

What we're looking for:

• Proven experience in a New Product Development role within food manufacturing, ideally fresh, or chilled produce.
• A genuine passion for food, health and provenance, with a creative eye for where the market is heading.
• A track record of taking products from concept through to successful launch at pace.
• Strong commercial awareness, comfortable balancing innovative ideas against costings, margins and what the business can realistically produce.
• Hands-on experience of product trials, factory environments and working with technical teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, comfortable presenting ideas to both our customers and to our Senior Leadership Team.
• A collaborative, hands-on approach; you'll spend time in the test kitchen and on the factory floor as much as at a desk.

If you want to be part of a business that values hard work, teamwork and doing things the right way, we'd love to hear from you. Mash Direct is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.