Location : Enniskillen - office-based role (5 days a week in the office)
Department : Product & Innovation
Reporting to : Head of Product & Process Development
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced and driven Product Development Manager to play a pivotal role in bringing new products to market — from concept through to successful launch.
Working closely with site teams, customer innovation teams and the wider Pilgrim's Europe Product & Innovation Leadership Team, you will lead end-to-end NPD and EPD activity, ensuring alignment with customer strategies, commercial objectives and operational capability.
This is a highly collaborative, influential role where you will shape the innovation agenda, champion feasibility and quality, and help drive the future food agenda at Pilgrim's Europe.
Key Responsibilities
Work closely with the Head of Product & Process Development, Development Chefs and Customer Teams to deliver customer-focused, commercially viable NPD and EPD activity
Ensure all product development meets customer Codes of Practice and relevant legislative requirements (including health, allergens, sustainability and welfare)
Act as a key contributor across ideation, innovation, NPI and product launch, acting as the feasibility gatekeeper
Become the Product & Innovation subject matter expert for your assigned category/categories
Identify opportunities to improve existing products, supporting improved customer feedback, online reviews and value creation
Own and drive the Concept to Launch Gate Process, ensuring products move smoothly through each stage
Manage multiple projects and critical paths, providing clear communication and regular progress updates to stakeholders
Ensure accurate product recipes and specifications are built into the recipe management system (P74) to enable robust costings
Collaborate closely with Customer Teams to deliver against briefs and manage expectations, positioning Pilgrim's Europe as the preferred supplier
Oversee product handovers to site cross-functional teams and approve new or amended artwork in line with legal and customer requirements
Ensure all products presented to customers are of the highest quality and representative of the manufacturing process
Champion quality, consistency and continuous improvement across development activities
Support the development of best-in-class ways of working through benchmarking and innovation
Deliver against functional KPIs, including % revenue from NPD and conversion rate targets
Maintain accurate documentation to support internal and external audits
Support, coach and develop the Product Development team to achieve high performance
Ensure effective workload planning and clear project delegation
Conduct regular one-to-ones and support personal development planning
Create action plans to improve engagement and team effectiveness
Stay at the forefront of food trends, consumer behaviour and market activity
Bring passion for food, cuisines and innovation into internal and customer-facing activities
Work with the Natural Work Team to create customer roadmaps aligned to trends and site capability
What We're Looking For
Proven experience in a Product Development role within the food industry, with responsibility for launching products
Strong experience in product costing, budgeting and commercial decision-making
Supply chain experience, including ingredient and packaging sourcing
Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple complex workstreams
Strong analytical capability and exceptional attention to detail
Confident communicator who thrives in a cross-functional environment
IT proficiency (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
Experience working with geographically distributed teams (desirable)
Relevant food industry qualification and/or equivalent experience ( Essential )
Degree in Food, Marketing, Business or related discipline ( Desirable )
Why Join Pilgrim's Europe?
At Pilgrim's Europe, innovation sits at the heart of what we do. You'll be part of a business with scale, ambition and strong customer partnerships, where product development plays a critical role in shaping future growth.
We offer:
A competitive salary
Opportunities to influence innovation strategy at a site and customer level
Career development within a leading European food business
A collaborative, values-led culture where quality, ownership and practicality matter
The chance to work on exciting, trend-led products that reach customers at scale
Ready to Apply?
If you're passionate about food, driven by innovation and excited by the challenge of delivering commercially successful products from concept to launch, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply now and help shape the future of product innovation at Pilgrim's Europe.
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