Senior NPD Manager
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Role Overview
Lead the customer-focused innovation and NPD strategy across Sofina Foods Europe, driving growth through market-leading innovation for M&S. Identify consumer opportunities, shape retailer growth plans, and lead teams to deliver commercially successful products from concept to launch.
Full Job Posting
The Ideal Candidate
A true NPD professional with experience in a retailer focused and fast changing food environment
Practical and hands on approach with strong experience of NPD Process and Innovation
Innovative analytical and capable of delivering strategic initiatives
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
Passion for food, innovation, and product development
A “superstar” NPD professional you will clearly have ability to inspire and challenge those around you combining strategic NPD experience with a strong commercial ability, and exceptional people skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities effectively
Collaborative and proactive approach to cross functional working
Strong leadership, mentoring, and coaching capability
Solutions focused with strong problem solving skills
Minimum 8 years experience within a retailer-facing food NPD environment.
Demonstrable experience leading innovation programmes for major UK retailers, ideally M&S.
Strong understanding of category strategy, consumer insight and retailer innovation processes.
Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders both internally and externally.
Experience presenting innovation strategies and concepts directly to customers.
Driving licence and willingness to travel as required
Why Sofina Foods?
Competitive Salary
Company Pension Scheme
Life Assurance
Online Benefits Hub
Career Development Opportunities
Supportive and Collaborative Working Culture
Opportunity to work on innovative branded and retailer products across Seafood and Pork divisions
Exposure to cross functional teams, major customers, and exciting development projects
Your Key Responsibilities
- Create a high-performance NPD culture through coaching, mentoring and capability development.
- Champion best practice NPD processes, governance and ways of working across the business.
- Drive continuous improvement in speed to market, launch success and innovation effectiveness.
- Develop and maintain a rolling 3-year innovation pipeline aligned to customer, category and business growth strategies.
- Identify emerging consumer, market and food trends and translate these into commercially viable innovation opportunities.
- Lead customer innovation sessions and present concepts directly to retailer development teams.
- Build strong partnerships with Commercial, Marketing, Category and Operations teams to ensure innovation priorities are aligned.
- Represent Sofina Foods at customer presentations, innovation forums and product reviews.
Summary
Lead the customer-focused innovation and NPD strategy across Sofina Foods Europe, driving growth through market-leading innovation for M&S. Identify consumer opportunities, shape retailer growth plans, and lead teams to deliver commercially successful products from concept to launch.
About Sofina Foods
Privately owned Canadian food processor supplying meat, poultry, and seafood to retail and foodservice customers.
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