Base pay range
Location: Manchester (M1)
About All About Food
We are a rapidly growing FMCG business with a £100M+ turnover and high growth ambitions. With 25 years of experience in licensing, we help restaurant brands succeed in retail. While we may not be a household name, we are confident you will recognise the brands we market in the UK & Ireland. Our portfolio includes Nando's, Costa Coffee, PizzaExpress, Wagamama, Pret-a‑Manger and others.
Our core values underpin everything we do. We succeed as a team, strive to improve, be better and achieve more together every day. We know we are in it together, and it always feels like it.
Primary Role
* Own, manage relationships with senior contacts within Brand Owners Food Teams to influence and deliver our innovation and renovation plans, using a consultative selling approach, to deliver best quality and costs.
* Own and manage Brand Owner and third‑party manufacturer relationships, influencing senior contacts within our 3PM to deliver best quality at the best cost, efficiently through the factory.
* Own and lead the ongoing renovation strategy to deliver improved competitiveness & profitability, including design‑to‑value projects.
* Diagnose and minimise cost impacts of ingredients, semi‑finished goods, inclusion level, standardisation, raw material consolidation and synergistic ingredients to identify cost‑saving opportunities, working with procurement to minimise cost inflation.
* Lead regular competitive benchmarking to understand competitor design‑to‑value changes.
* Troubleshoot and diagnose product or packaging opportunities, building a plan with clear project aims and objectives to align with senior stakeholders.
* Influence third‑party manufacturers and brand owners to make product changes through the consultative selling approach.
* Own and lead food development process and food COGs optimisation projects from concept to launch, with 100% adherence to the gate process, including:
o Clear and comprehensive manufacturer briefing including competitor benchmarking.
o Developing products to the expected standards and costs, including in‑person development days alongside Brand Owner senior food teams.
o Approving products through all stages of development to first production.
o Ensure successful Brand Owner Exec sign‑off.
o Ensuring successful trial production.
o Ensuring all products comply with the Brand License Agreement and the brand standards.
* Own and lead the Food Development Process, ensuring adherence to the process and delivering process improvements where possible to deliver the Food agenda in the optimum timeframe.
* Own and lead food trend evaluation, identifying the "next big thing" across the range of categories, alongside brand and category teams to drive a long‑term innovation pipeline.
* Lead innovation sessions with Brand Owners and Manufacturers.
* Ensure All About Food stays up to date on all food and packaging market trends.
Requirements
* 10+ years of food development experience.
* Experience in either or both retail food development (for supermarkets) or large‑manufacturer settings.
* Must have ambient food experience, with optional chilled and frozen expertise.
What We Offer
* Bonus Scheme
* 25 Days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays
* Extra Day Off for Your Birthday
* Option to buy 5 Extra Days’ Holiday
* Pension Scheme matched up to 8%
* Death in Service (4× salary) & Critical Illness Cover (5× salary)
* Private Bupa Healthcare (covering existing medical conditions)
* VIP Access to Co‑op Live Events
* Product Sample Scheme
* "Surprise & Delight" VIP Days (including Royal Ascot & Wimbledon)
* Company iPhone & Laptop
Seniority level
* Mid‑Senior level
Employment type
* Full‑time
Job function
* Project Management and Product Management
* Industries: Manufacturing
#J-18808-Ljbffr