This is a senior, sleeves-rolled-up NPD role for someone who understands that great bakery products are born at the intersection of craft, commercial reality, and technical discipline.
You’ll take ownership of the end-to-end NPD lifecycle—idea to launch—working closely with commercial, technical, operations, and supply chain teams to deliver profitable, scalable, retailer-ready bakery products.
If you love bakery, thrive under pressure, and can turn a brief into a product that actually survives factory scale-up and retailer scrutiny, you’ll feel right at home
Key Responsibilities
Product Development & Innovation
* Lead the development of new bakery products across bread, morning goods, cakes, pastries, or seasonal ranges (depending on business focus).
* Translate customer and retailer briefs into technically sound, commercially viable products.
* Drive continuous improvement of existing products to optimise quality, cost, shelf life, and process efficiency.
* Champion ingredient functionality, recipe optimisation, and process robustness.
Customer & Commercial Interface
* Act as the technical NPD lead on key customer accounts.
* Support customer presentations, product submissions, tastings, and trials.
* Balance innovation with margin—because great ideas still need to make money.
Factory Trials & Scale-Up
* Lead factory trials from bench to full-scale production.
* Work closely with Operations and Engineering to ensure smooth handovers and repeatable processes.
* Identify and mitigate risks early—no surprises on launch day.
Technical & Compliance
* Ensure all products meet food safety, quality, legal, and retailer standards.
* Support shelf-life testing, nutritional compliance, and specifications.
* Work collaboratively with Technical teams to ensure seamless sign-off.
Mentorship & Leadership
* Coach and support junior NPD technologists.
* Set standards, share best practice, and raise the technical bar across the team.
* Be a calm, credible presence when timelines tighten and pressure rises.
About You
You’re commercially sharp, technically credible, and bakery-obsessed—in the best possible way.
You’ll bring:
* Proven experience in bakery NPD within a food manufacturing environment.
* Strong understanding of bakery processes, ingredients, and functionality.
* Experience working with major UK retailers or branded customers.
* Confidence leading trials, customer meetings, and cross-functional projects.
* The ability to manage multiple projects without dropping the ball