NPD Manager

Job Title: NPD Manager

Location: County Armagh, Northern Ireland 

Description

We are hiring for our client, a leading food manufacturing business, who are seeking an experienced NPD Manager to join their New Product Development function.

This NPD Manager role will focus on creating new recipes and successfully transferring them from kitchen to factory, ensuring all products meet agreed customer specifications and can be manufactured efficiently at scale. Working closely with the Head of NPD, the NPD Manager will manage multiple projects from concept through to launch, while playing a key role in customer engagement, innovation, and long-term business sustainability.

Top 3 Things to Know About this Job

1. End-to-end NPD ownership – Take products from concept to launch within a fast-paced fresh & chilled environment.

2. Customer-facing role – Manage key retail accounts and lead customer presentations.

3. Innovation-led business – Strong focus on food trends, commercial viability, and sustainable growth.

The Role

• Interpret NPD briefs in line with customer expectations and business plans.

• Create and develop new recipes, ensuring successful transfer from kitchen trials to factory scale-up.

• Manage multiple projects simultaneously, delivering to strict critical paths with full supporting documentation.

• Adjust recipes and processes to suit existing manufacturing systems or support the creation of new systems where required.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of food trends, consumer behaviour, and competitor activity, translating these into commercially viable products.

• Take ownership of key customer accounts, leading internal and external presentations and product demonstrations.

• Prepare recipes, samples, presentation materials, and photographic portfolios for customer meetings.

• Liaise with internal departments and external partners to support business development and innovation.

• Complete accurate recipe documentation and record keeping on internal systems.

• Attend factory trials and understand site capabilities to support successful product launches.

• Lead by example by adhering to company policies relating to Food Safety, Health & Safety, and general compliance.

• Ensure food safety compliance at all times, maintaining audit readiness.

• Contribute to a collaborative, integrity-driven culture across the business.

The Person

Essential:

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a similar NPD role.

• Previous experience within the fresh or chilled food industry.

• Third-level qualification in Food Science, Food Technology, or a related discipline.

• Strong understanding of product development from concept to launch.

• Computer literate with strong working knowledge of Microsoft packages.

• Basic level of verbal and written English.

Desirable:

• People management experience.

• Strong commercial awareness and customer-facing experience.