Product Developer - Food

At WHSmith our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are the ones that go the extra mile for our customers, the ones that enable our growth. That’s why our Commercial team is passionate about creating an environment where people can be creative and trailblazing in order to do their best work. The Product Developer has a fundamental role in developing our product proposition. They will lead new product development across food‑to‑go categories including sandwiches, hot food, bakery, snacking, and drinks and translate trend, consumer, and competitor insight into compelling product briefs and range proposals. In addition, the Product Developer will also manage the full development cycle from brief through to listing, including concept creation, supplier briefing, tasting, costing, and launch.

What you will be doing:

• Drive innovation in line with seasonal calendars, NPD windows, and trading priorities.
• Identify gaps in the current range and proactively bring forward ideas to trading and buying stakeholders.
• Act as the day‑to‑day product development lead for a defined set of supplier partners, including food‑to‑go manufacturers and foodservice providers.
• Brief suppliers clearly and commercially, balancing quality ambition with margin requirements.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with suppliers, including regular site visits and kitchen sessions.
• Collaborate closely with buying, quality, operations, and marketing to ensure seamless delivery of new products.
• Support sourcing activity and contribute to supplier reviews and tender processes where required.
• Ensure all products meet WHSmith’s technical and quality standards, including allergen compliance, labelling requirements, and nutritional information.
• Work alongside the technical team to resolve quality issues and manage specification sign‑off.
• Maintain up‑to‑date product specs, artwork briefs, and development trackers.
• Ensure all products are developed in line with current UK food legislation and WHSmith’s own policies.
• Develop products with a clear understanding of cost of goods, target margin, and retail selling price.
• Contribute to range reviews with trading data, consumer feedback, and competitive analysis.
• Support delivery of commercial targets by managing development timelines efficiently and minimising delays to launch.
• Also includes hot drinks & impulse category NPD (e.g., sweets).
• Find relevant new own brand suppliers as part of briefing process.
• Packaging – responsible for managing end‑to‑end packaging production process, including collaborating with stakeholders in group procurement, food technical, and marketing where necessary to produce compliant & engaging packaging briefs for suppliers.
• Recipe management – responsible for creation of all recipes (coffee, hot food, etc.) in relevant systems and collaborating with operations teams to ensure these are fit for purpose for stores.

What we are looking for:

• Proven product development experience within food‑to‑go, travel retail, convenience, or a major UK multiple retailer.
• Strong track record of taking products from brief to launch across multiple categories.
• Experience managing supplier relationships and leading briefing and development sessions.
• Solid understanding of food safety, allergen legislation, and UK labelling requirements.
• Commercially literate – able to cost products, model margins, and make sound trade‑off decisions.
• Excellent palate and genuine passion for food – you eat widely, follow trends, and have strong opinions about what good looks like.
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
• Clear, confident communicator – able to influence internally and build credibility with supplier partners.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and able to operate effectively in a fast‑moving retail environment.
• Familiarity with NPD systems and spec management tools.
• Food science, culinary, or nutrition qualification (degree or equivalent).

How we reward our teams:

• Hybrid Working Model from home and in the office.
• 4pm Friday Finish.
• Flexible Working.
• 25 Days holiday, plus your Birthday off, plus Bank Holidays with an opportunity to buy extra days holiday.
• Family Friendly Leave.
• Company Pension scheme.
• Annual Bonus based on company and personal performance.
• Competitive Salary and Car Allowance.
• Private Medical.
• Cycle to work scheme.

At WHSmith, we’re all about creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace where everyone can be themselves and do their best. No matter your background, age, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, race or ethnicity, marital status, religion, sex, sexual orientation or anything else that makes you, you—you’re welcome here. We’re also open to flexible working where possible, so if that’s something you need, let’s chat. And if you need any adjustments during the selection process, just let our Talent Acquisition team know—we’re happy to help!