Advert:
Senior Portfolio Manager – Makes Friendly Stuff
Hybrid | Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire | Full-time, Permanent
At Ella’s Kitchen, we make food that helps little ones grow up happy, healthy and loving food. We’re now looking for a Senior Portfolio Manager to lead a key part of our range, shape our future innovation pipeline and help our products succeed with families across the UK and international markets.
This is a senior, hands-on role for an experienced FMCG portfolio or innovation leader who loves combining consumer insight, commercial thinking and creative thinking to build winning brands.
Who we are
Ella’s Kitchen was founded by Paul Lindley with one big mission:
to improve children’s lives through developing healthy relationships with food.
From our Barns near Henley-on-Thames, our team of just under 80 people has grown Ella’s into an £80m+ brand, sold across the UK, Scandinavia and the BeNeLux. We’re proud to be:
1. A certified B Corp
2. In the Sunday Times Best Companies Top 100 for five years running
3. Part of the Hain Celestial Group
We’re entrepreneurial, purpose-led and guided by strong values — and we’re looking for someone who shares that spirit.
About the role
Reporting to the Group Portfolio Manager, you’ll take ownership of a key segment of the Ella’s portfolio, leading best-in-class range management, innovation and renovation across the UK and Around-the-World markets.
You’ll shape a 3-year EPD and NPD strategy, lead high-impact projects from concept to launch, and ensure our ranges are commercially strong, consumer-led and future-ready. You’ll also line-manage a Portfolio Manager (and potentially an Assistant Brand Manager).
This is a hybrid role, based from our beautiful Oxfordshire Barns.
What you’ll be doing
Portfolio leadership
4. Own and shape a 3-year innovation and renovation strategy for your portfolio
5. Use category, shopper and performance data to optimise range structure and performance
6. Monitor commercial and operational metrics and make decisions on delists, investment and optimisation
7. Translate consumer insight, feedback and trends into clear portfolio direction
Innovation & product development
8. Lead and own projects across your sub-segment from idea to launch
9. Create compelling, insight-led product and pack propositions
10. Partner with the Innovation team to build strong 8P briefs
11. Own the delivery of stand-out packaging and formats
12. Own on-pack messaging and claims, ensuring compliance and parent appeal
13. Act as a champion for Kids First thinking across all projects
14. Lead and improve key operational and innovation workflows
Ready-to-sell & commercial delivery
15. Build inspiring sell-in stories with the Group Portfolio Manager
16. Represent Ella’s confidently in customer meetings, showcasing new product development
17. Deliver performance reviews and launch evaluations using consumer, category and commercial data
Leadership & collaboration
18. Line-manage and coach Portfolio Manager(s)
19. Manage budgets to support the business plan
20. Be an active, collaborative leader in the Friends Team
What we’re looking for
You’ll bring:
21. Strong portfolio and innovation experience within FMCG
22. A successful track record of developing NPD from concept to launch across markets
23. Experience managing packaging design and on-pack communication
24. A data-led mindset, using insight, performance and P&L to guide decisions
25. A commercial, business-minded approach to innovation and portfolio management
26. The ability to influence, inspire and bring people with you
And just as importantly, you’ll:
27. Be a collaborative, passionate team player
28. Live and breathe our values: Win Together, Own It, Be Curious, Foster Inclusion, We’re Childlike
29. Care deeply about Ella’s mission to help children build healthy relationships with food
What you’ll get
30. Bucket loads of training and development
31. Competitive salary
32. Discretionary bonus
33. Box of Treats — our brilliant benefits package
34. A genuinely fantastic place to work, whether in our Oxfordshire Barns or over Teams
Click Apply Now if you are interested in the opportunity to join Ella's Kitchen as our Senior Portfolio Manager.
Qualifications
Benefits
Not Specified