At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative food product launches and manage cross-functional teams.
- Company: Join Pilgrim's Europe, a leader in food manufacturing with iconic brands.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career growth, and a vibrant team culture.
- Other info: Be part of a passionate team dedicated to quality and excellence.
- Why this job: Shape the future of food and drive real innovation in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in food manufacturing and strong project management skills.
The predicted salary is between 32400 - 39600 £ per year.
The Vacancy NPI Manager Location: Craigavon Department: Product & Innovation
Shape the Products of Tomorrow
Are you passionate about bringing innovative food products to market? Do you thrive in a fast-paced manufacturing environment where no two days are the same? At Pilgrim's Europe, we're looking for an experienced NPI Manager to lead our New Product Introduction team and play a pivotal role in delivering successful product launches from concept through to commercial production. This is a fantastic opportunity for a driven food industry professional to lead cross-functional projects, collaborate with customers and stakeholders, and contribute directly to the innovation pipeline while driving operational excellence across the business.
What You'll Be Doing
- Take ownership of the site's New Product Introduction process, ensuring products are launched right first time and delivered in line with customer expectations and business objectives.
- Lead and manage the day-to-day activities of the NPI team.
- Act as the site Subject Matter Expert (SME) for NPI activities.
- Support innovation and ideation initiatives, helping bring future concepts to life.
- Evaluate manufacturing feasibility during the product development stage.
- Manage product trials, first production runs, and launch activities.
- Build strong relationships with customers and act as a key point of contact where required.
- Collaborate closely with Commercial, NPD, Engineering, Quality, Production and Customer teams to ensure successful project delivery.
- Drive adherence to project critical paths and company gate processes.
- Lead weekly pre-launch reviews and ensure all launch documentation is complete and approved.
- Ensure technical validation, nutritional analysis, shelf-life verification and cooking validations are completed.
- Support artwork approval and specification processes.
- Identify opportunities to improve profitability, efficiency and product performance.
- Analyse current production methods and recommend process or equipment improvements.
- Maintain compliance with food safety, labelling and legislative requirements.
- Deliver against departmental KPIs, budgets and continuous improvement objectives.
- Ensure Health & Safety standards are always upheld.
Leadership Responsibilities
- Conduct regular one-to-one meetings and performance reviews.
- Set clear goals aligned to business objectives.
- Identify training and development opportunities.
- Coach and mentor team members to maximise performance and potential.
- Support employee engagement initiatives and drive positive team culture.
What We're Looking For
- Enthusiastic and commercially aware food industry professional who can successfully balance customer requirements, operational capability and innovation.
- Experience managing customer relationships within a food manufacturing environment.
- Experience leading factory trials and product launches.
- Experience working with product costings.
- Strong project management and organisational skills.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Strong analytical ability and attention to detail.
- Knowledge of food manufacturing legislation, food safety and product labelling requirements.
- Ability to identify cost-saving opportunities and process improvements.
- Confidence in building relationships across all levels of an organisation.
- Strong Microsoft Office skills, including Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
- Ability to travel when required.
Qualifications
- Essential: Relevant food industry qualification and/or equivalent industry experience.
- Desirable: Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Marketing, Business, or a related discipline.
Why Join Pilgrim's Europe?
At Pilgrim's Europe, our values are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in:
- Availability - Being open, responsive and ready to embrace new challenges.
- Humility - Listening, respecting others and valuing different perspectives.
- Discipline - Delivering on our commitments consistently.
- Sincerity - Acting with honesty, integrity and respect.
- Simplicity - Focusing on what matters most.
- Ownership - Taking responsibility and making things happen.
- Determination - Driving success through persistence and action.
If you're looking for an opportunity to influence product innovation, lead a talented team and make a real impact within a leading food manufacturing business, we'd love to hear from you. Apply today and help shape the future of food at Pilgrim's Europe.
NPI Manager in Craigavon employer: Pilgrims Europe
At Pilgrim's Europe, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer, offering a collaborative and supportive work culture that prioritises food safety and quality excellence. Our team in Attleborough benefits from continuous professional development opportunities, competitive remuneration, and a commitment to innovation in food safety practices, making it a rewarding place to grow your career.
