New Product Development Manager

New Product Development Manager

Salary: Competitive (dependent on experience)

Paul Rhodes Bakery, an ambitious and innovative bakery located in Greenwich, London, is seeking a New Product Development Manager to join our dynamic team. This is an exciting opportunity for an innovative and detail-oriented individual passionate about the bakery industry and keen to lead product development from ideation to launch, ensuring we remain at the forefront of market trends and consumer preferences.

About Us:

At Paul Rhodes Bakery, we are known for our commitment to high-quality, hand-crafted bakery products. As we continue to innovate and expand our product range, we are looking for a New Product Development Manager to drive the development of both new products and improvements to existing offerings. This role is critical to supporting our growth and ensuring that all products align with market trends, customer expectations, and our business values of innovation and quality. This is a stand-alone role within the business, often coordinating up to 40 live projects at any given time - so strong project management skills and prior NPD experience are key to succeed in this position.

Key Relationships:

• Reporting directly to the Commercial Director
• Working closely with cross-functional teams, including production, technical, procurement, marketing, finance, and operations
• Liaising with external consultants and suppliers to source ingredients, conduct trials, and ensure product scalability

Key Responsibilities:

• Project Development & Innovation: Lead and manage the development and launch of new products (NPD), improvements to existing product lines (EPD), and bespoke customer requests (CPD). You will oversee the entire product lifecycle from ideation, development, and trials, to launch and market introduction.
• Product Performance Management: Regularly analyze the performance of all product lines using data on sales, customer feedback, and operational costs. Use this data to determine product success, recommend improvements, and identify products for delisting to maintain a high-quality, high-performance portfolio.
• Product Launch Management: Oversee the product launch process, ensuring all departments are aligned on timelines, pricing, and customer communications. Lead project coordination to ensure smooth and timely execution of new product launches.
• Market Research and Trend Analysis: Stay up-to-date with trends in the UK and international bakery markets. Use these insights to guide product innovation and strategy, ensuring our products reflect evolving consumer preferences and market dynamics.
• Cross-departmental Communication & Collaboration: Lead weekly NPD meetings to keep teams aligned and informed. Collaborate with marketing and account management teams to ensure product positioning, packaging, and messaging are in line with company brand values and customer expectations.
• Product Costing & Pricing: Ensure precision in recipe development, ingredient selection, and product costing. Work with finance teams to ensure pricing strategies are competitive and profitable.
• Quality & Compliance: Support the technical team in ensuring all products meet food safety standards, maintain high organoleptic quality, and adhere to regulatory requirements.

What We Are Looking For:

• Minimum 2 years of experience in product development within the bakery or food industry, with a strong understanding of bakery processes, ingredient functionality, and food safety regulations.
• A proven track record of successfully launching new products, managing product lifecycles, and driving continuous product improvements.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple development projects simultaneously, ensuring deadlines are met and stakeholders are informed.
• A creative and strategic thinker who can identify market gaps, develop innovative product ideas, and challenge conventional thinking to push boundaries in product development.
• Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills, with experience working across production, procurement, marketing, finance, and operations teams to deliver successful products.
• Analytical and financial skills, including experience with product costing, pricing strategies, and performance analysis to ensure product success and profitability.
• A passion for the bakery industry and the London food scene, with a drive to stay ahead of trends and continually innovate to meet evolving customer needs.

Hours of Work:

This is a full-time position based in Greenwich, London. The standard workweek is 40 hours, Monday to Friday, with the flexibility of a hybrid working arrangement where applicable, however, due to the nature of this role a significant amount of time is required on-site.

Application Process:

If you are excited about the opportunity to shape the future of our product offerings and drive innovation at Paul Rhodes Bakery, please apply by submitting your CV. Initial interviews will be held online, with follow-up meetings at the bakery.

We look forward to hearing from you and discussing how you can contribute to the continued success and growth of Paul Rhodes Bakery!

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £35,000.00-£40,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company events
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted or free food
• Referral programme
• Store discount

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• London: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Experience:

• Product Development: 2 years (preferred)

Work Location: In person