Product Development

Zest is recruiting a Product Developer to join the team at one of the UK's major retailers. This is a part-time role and a 9 month fixed term contract covering a period of maternity leave.

The Opportunity: This role is all about driving growth across their own brand range - developing genuinely new products and refreshing what's already on shelf. The focus is speed to market, filling the gaps in the basket that competitors have missed, and making sure every product earns its place through quality and commercial relevance. Working part time, you’ll be a hands-on, proactive developer who can operate at pace without cutting corners and who’s ready to share that expertise by coaching and developing more junior members of the team.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Identifying and developing new product opportunities, with a focus on filling basket gaps in the own brand range
• Leading the renewal and refresh of existing products to keep them relevant and on-trend
• Driving speed to market across the development pipeline, clearing blockers and keeping projects on track
• Conducting competitor and market analysis to spot opportunities and benchmark performance
• Managing supplier relationships to support timely, cost-effective product delivery
• Coaching and supporting the wider team, sharing expertise and best practice

What You’ll Bring:

• Proven experience in own brand product development, ideally within grocery or retail
• A strong track record of delivering NPD and product refreshes at pace, with a real focus on time to market
• A commercial mindset, with the ability to identify and prioritise basket gap opportunities
• Solid understanding of supplier management, sourcing and product specification
• A collaborative style, with the confidence to coach and mentor junior colleagues
• Excellent organisation, with the ability to manage multiple projects at once
• A genuine passion for food and product quality and innovation

What’s In It For You: Alongside a role that genuinely moves the needle, you can expect a well-rounded package (pro rata where applicable), including:

• Private medical insurance, digital GP appointments, mental health support and dental insurance
• Family-friendly policies and discounted gym membership
• Up to 7% matched pension contributions and a colleague recognition and reward platform
• A generous staff discount
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme and a free shuttle bus to the office
• Hybrid working, 26 days holiday plus 8 flexible bank holidays, with the option to buy extra
• Two weeks a year to work from anywhere

How to Apply: This is a fantastic opportunity to join a fast-moving own brand team on a part-time basis, stepping in to cover maternity leave for nine months. If you’re a commercially sharp product developer who thrives on pace and loves the thrill of getting a new product onto shelf, we’d love to hear from you.