**Relocation to Australia**
Food/Meat NPD experience is essential for this role
If you are genuinely strong on innovation pipeline development, turning insights into commercially successful value-added products, this is a rare opportunity to build something from the ground up in a high-growth meat business.
This is not a standard NPD leadership role.
The business is private equity-backed, growing quickly, and already operationally strong. What they need now is someone who can take ownership of innovation, define where to play, and build a pipeline that drives real commercial growth across retail and foodservice.
The Head of Innovation will be responsible for setting a 3 to 5 year innovation roadmap, with a clear focus on value-added categories. You will lead the full process from insight and trend analysis through to product development, launch, and scale, ensuring ideas translate into tangible commercial outcomes.
You will inherit an 8 person NPD team, but this role goes beyond team leadership. It’s about raising the bar. Building capability. Creating structure. And embedding a more strategic, insight-led approach to innovation.
Within the first 90 days, you will be expected to define a clear innovation strategy, build a prioritised pipeline, and establish a framework for how the business evaluates and delivers new opportunities.
UK experience is highly valued, particularly exposure to more advanced value-added meat categories and competitive retail environments.
What you’ll be doing:
* Build and deliver a long-term innovation pipeline across value-added meat categories
* Use consumer, customer, and market insights to identify and prioritise opportunities
* Lead end-to-end innovation from concept through to commercial launch and scale
* Develop and elevate the NPD function, improving structure, pace, and output
* Work closely with retail and foodservice customers to align innovation with market demand
* Play a central role in shaping the future direction of the business
What you’ll need:
* Food Industry NPD/Innovation background - ESSENTIAL
* Meat Industry NPD/Innovation background - DESIRABLE
* Proven experience building and delivering innovation pipelines, not just managing projects
* Strong track record of launching successful value-added products into retail or foodservice
* Ability to translate trends and insights into commercially viable product opportunities
* Strategic mindset, but also hands-on enough to drive execution
* Confident engaging at a senior level and influencing both internally and externally
Job Title: Head of Innovation - Meat
Location: NSW, Australia
Salary: $negotiable, we are looking for the best + relocation support + superannuation (12% pension) + Bonus/STI
This role could also be a 3 year FTC if a permanent relocation is not possible.
Food/Meat NPD experience is essential for this role
This role is being advertised by Redhook Global Talent on behalf of one of its clients. Redhook Global Talent is a specialist recruitment firm dedicated to the global protein industry.