Senior Development Technologist

Job Title: Senior Development Technologist

Description

We are hiring for our client for a Senior Development Technologist to join a fast-paced and highly innovative food manufacturing business.

This Senior Development Technologist role sits at the heart of the product lifecycle, acting as the key link between Product Development and full-scale production. You will take ownership of projects from handover through to launch, ensuring products are fully validated and meet both customer expectations and internal manufacturing standards.

The successful Senior Development Technologist will play a key role in delivering exciting, culinary-led products to market while driving consistency, quality and operational excellence across site.

Top 3 Things to Know About this Job

1. End-to-end ownership of NPD projects from concept handover to launch
2. Strong exposure to retailer-facing projects and customer interaction
3. Leadership opportunity within a high-performing R&D team

The Role

• Lead and manage development projects from NPD handover through to successful product launch
• Ensure all products meet customer codes of practice and internal manufacturing standards
• Coordinate factory trials, pre-production runs and product validation activities
• Drive products through the concept-to-launch process, supporting team members where required
• Manage all technical documentation including nutritional analysis, shelf-life and cooking validations
• Ensure all ingredients, packaging and trial materials are available and aligned to timelines
• Work closely with R&D Manager to coordinate customer visits, trials and product presentations
• Support continuous improvement initiatives and best practice processes (e.g. A3 problem solving)
• Manage and develop junior team members, including NPI Technologists
• Act as the key link between development and production to ensure seamless product launches

The Person

• Degree (or equivalent) in Food Science or a related discipline
• Experience within NPD / process development in a food manufacturing environment
• Strong understanding of food legislation, labelling and customer requirements
• Level 2 Food Safety (or equivalent)
• Strong organisational, analytical and troubleshooting skills
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage across teams and with customers
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment
• Leadership or mentoring experience (desirable)

The Reward

• Competitive salary
• Opportunity to work on high-growth, innovative product categories
• Strong exposure to retailer-facing projects
• Clear opportunity to make an impact within the business
• Supportive, collaborative and driven team culture
• Excellent career development opportunities within a leading food manufacturing environment