Innovation / NPD Lead – Borough Broth
About Borough Broth
Borough Broth began in 2015 with a simple idea: make proper, organic bone broth the way it should be made. Everything we cook is slow simmered using high quality British ingredients from farmers who care about their land. Our broths are wholesome, flavourful and convenient without cutting corners on nutrition or quality.
Innovation has always been at the heart of Borough Broth. From how we source and cook, to how we renovate existing products and bring new ones to market, we believe progress should always serve both people and the planet. We are now looking for an Innovation Manager to lead our end to end NPD and EPD agenda and help shape the future of the brand.
About the Role
As Innovation Lead, you will own Borough Broth's innovation pipeline across both NPD and EPD, from consumer insight through to successful products in market. This is a, hands on role for someone who has already been involved with NPD and EPD in an FMCG business and knows how to balance creativity with commercial and operational reality.
You will be the consumer led voice of innovation, spotting opportunities across new products, range extensions, and renovation, and making clear decisions on what to pursue and what to stop. You will work closely with Marketing, Operations, Technical, and Supply Chain to deliver products and packaging that are distinctive, viable, and on brand.
This role reports into the Marketing Director, with dotted-line accountability to both the Technical Director and Operations Director. The Innovation Lead owns NPD and EPD prioritisation and budget decisions within Borough Broth's stage-gated governance framework, working in close partnership with Technical and Operations. Technical retains approval on food safety, legality, labelling, and launch readiness.
Your Impact and Responsibilities
Consumer led innovation
Lead NPD and EPD from a deep understanding of consumer needs, behaviours, and unmet opportunities
Translate insights, trends, and cultural shifts into clear product, range, and packaging opportunities
End to end product development
Own and deliver the annual NPD and EPD roadmap, covering new products, renovations, and range optimisation
Lead cross functional teams to ensure projects are delivered on time, to plan, and to quality
Remain accountable for whether products succeed in market, even where launch execution is led by Marketing
Trends and foresight
Track UK and international food, wellness, and packaging trends
Apply trend insight to both breakthrough NPD and smart EPD rather than trend chasing
Share clear, prioritised opportunity thinking with senior stakeholders
Commercial ownership and prioritisation
Own the NPD and EPD budget and allocate spend based on impact, feasibility, and return
Make clear prioritisation decisions across the pipeline, including stopping or delaying projects where required
Balance creative ambition with commercial performance and operational deliverability
Partnerships and collaborations
Identify and lead brand partnerships and collaborations that align with Borough Broth values
Develop collaboration opportunities that are strategically sound, commercially viable, and brand enhancing
Packaging innovation
Fully own packaging innovation and renovation across new and existing products
Partner closely with Operations and Technical on cost, sustainability, and implementation
Ensure packaging decisions support product performance, quality, and brand goals
Ways of working
Strengthen cross functional collaboration across Marketing, Operations, and Technical
Bring clarity, structure, and momentum to NPD and EPD ways of working
Escalate key decisions to the Marketing Director or Founder when required
Your First Year Roadmap
3 months
Immerse yourself in the Borough Broth brand, products, and processes. Review the current NPD and EPD pipeline, packaging landscape, and ways of working. Begin shaping a clearer, more consumer led innovation approach.
6 months
Deliver a focused and prioritised NPD and EPD roadmap. Establish strong cross functional rhythms and decision making. Progress both new products and key renovations with confidence and clarity.
12 months
Demonstrate successful NPD and EPD launches delivered on time and to plan, with clear commercial performance. Build a stronger, more disciplined innovation pipeline and noticeably improved cross functional ways of working.
About You
You will thrive in this role if you are curious, creative, and opportunity led, while also being commercially sharp and confident making hard prioritisation decisions. You enjoy being close to the work and are comfortable owning outcomes across both new and existing ranges.
You bring:
Proven experience with NPD and EPD in an FMCG business
Strong consumer led thinking combined with commercial rigour
Confidence leading cross functional teams without formal line management
Experience managing NPD and EPD budgets
A practical understanding of production and operational constraints
A genuine interest in food, sustainability, and purposeful brands
Working Setup
Full time role
Hybrid working with three days a week in our Greenford office and two days remote
Reports to Marketing Director with a dotted line to Technical Director
Salary Range
£50,000>£60, % discretionary bonus.
Interview Process
We run a clear, three stage interview process designed to be respectful of your time and give you a full view of the role and the team.
Stage 1: Introductory Conversation
An initial discussion with the Hiring Manager to align on expectations, salary, culture fit and overall suitability.
Stage 2: Skills and Experience Assessment
A deeper conversation with members of our Production, Technical and Marketing teams to explore your experience, technical capability and commercial acumen.
Stage 3: On Site Case Study
A practical case study session with our Marketing Director and Technical Director at our Greenford site. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your thinking and see how we work up close.
We ideally would like this process to last no longer than one month end to end.