Senior Product Development Manager (12–18 Month FTC)

London
£negotiable
Permanent
Ref: 6976

The Company

This fast-growing, category-leading FMCG business is redefining the future of health-led food. With a focus on natural, functional products and a strong ethical foundation, they have built a loyal following among increasingly health-conscious consumers.

Operating at pace with an entrepreneurial mindset, the business continues to expand its award-winning range and push the boundaries of innovation within its category. With significant growth ambitions and a clear vision for the future, they are now looking to strengthen their product team with an experienced development professional who can play a key role in shaping the next phase of their journey.

This is a 3 days a week in office hybrid role, based in London with regular travel to manufacturing partners and customers across the UK and Europe.

The Role

Reporting to Head of Product, this is a highly visible and fast-paced role at the heart of the company’s innovation pipeline, where you will lead product development activity from concept through to launch while also optimising the existing portfolio.

You will take ownership of end-to-end NPD projects, working through a structured stage gate process to deliver commercially viable, high-quality products that meet both brand ambition and consumer demand. From early concept development and prototyping through to factory trials, customer engagement and launch execution, you will be deeply involved at every stage of the product lifecycle.

Alongside innovation, you will play a critical role in driving improvements across the current portfolio, working cross-functionally with commercial, technical and operations teams to ensure products remain competitive, compliant and aligned to strategic growth objectives. You will build strong relationships with manufacturing partners and key stakeholders, represent the business in external meetings and contribute to the wider innovation strategy.

This is a role with real pace, ownership and impact, ideally suited to someone who thrives in an entrepreneurial environment and enjoys turning ideas into reality.

The Candidate

You will be an experienced and commercially minded NPD Manager with a strong track record of delivering successful products from concept to launch, within chilled manufacturing / branded and bring a deep understanding of ingredients, processing and packaging technologies.

You will be confident operating in a structured development environment, comfortable managing multiple projects simultaneously and experienced in using formal project management methodologies such as stage gate. Your communication and stakeholder management skills will be a key strength, enabling effective collaboration with senior leadership, external partners and cross-functional teams.

A driven, energetic and highly organised approach is key, along with a proactive and self-starting mindset. The ability to thrive under pressure, take ownership and deliver results within a fast-moving, ambitious business will be essential, alongside a genuine passion for food, health and innovation.

This is a rare opportunity to join a high-growth business at an exciting stage of its journey, where you can have genuine influence over product strategy and innovation while accelerating your own career.

If this sounds like an opportunity too good to miss, please apply or call Jessica on 0345 2600 737 or 07700 137 110.

—

Ref: 6976

Due to the large number of applications our opportunities attract, it sometimes takes us time to thoroughly review and consider them all. We endeavour to respond to every application within 5 working days, however if you have not heard from us within this timeframe, we are sorry to say your application for the role has not been successful. To support you in showcasing your best self, we make sure that any necessary accommodations, whether physical or non-physical, are provided to assist you throughout the job application and interview process.

Also, please note that we are only able to accept and respond to applications from candidates with eligibility to work in the UK and those who hold valid work visas.

A few kind words

Blue Spark have been a completely different experience. Dhrutee genuinely cares, investing the time and energy to get to know the sorts of role I was searching for and importantly the reasons why. She has an enviable network across the industry and deep intuition about people which means the fit was perfect. I couldn't recommend Blue Spark highly enough and look forward to partnering for years to come. Thankyou!

Working with Blue Spark was a game changer for our team, their expertise and dedication finding the right talent transformed our team. Blue spark delivers excellence in recruitment, they swiftly found us the right candidate with a perfect fit for our team.

Working with Dhrutee is a pleasure, her industry knowledge is second to none, she always has her finger on the pulse and will offer advice when asked. I have always found Dhrutee to be professional, passionate and discrete she genuinely cares about both her candidate and her client. I would strongly recommend speaking to Dhrutee whether you are looking for your next opportunity or looking to add talent to your team.

The Blue Spark team offered a fantastic experience by guiding me through my work options based on my background which they had deep expertise in. They were kind and friendly over the phone, and listened well to my requests to ultimately help me understand what sort of roles I should be aiming for. They followed up the conversation with an email with all the points we discussed together over the phone and guidance for my next steps. This approach helped bring clarity and confidence to my decisions going forward.

Blue Spark are brilliant! They listen well to what’s needed and use their great insights into people and businesses to really match the right people to the right roles. I have worked with Dhrutee who is always friendly, has great strengths in filtering to the heart of what’s wanted (skills & character) and always gives “spot on” recommendations that make sense. I would highly recommend if you are either recruiting for NPD / Innovation roles or looking for a new role as a candidate; especially if you prefer an easy journey that feels positive throughout with no time wasted at any point.

Dhrutee and the team at Blue Spark are wonderful, they always make sure candidates are kept in the loop and provide feedback at all stages of the interview process, with complete honesty and transparency. They are truly one of the best recruitment agencies I have come across in my years of experience.

Senior Product Development Manager (12–18 Month FTC)

Apply

A few kind words