Development Manager - VAB

PURPOSE STATEMENT

A hands on role working with a dedicated and innovative R&D team from product concept to launch, working collaboratively with internal stakeholders and customers to deliver NPD, renovation, and optimisation projects on time to the highest possible standards. This is an all encompassing role covering:
• The delivery of customer briefed NPD projects as well as the proactive innovation of new product concepts utilising the Andover bakery manufacturing capabilities. 
• The delivery of formula optimization utilizing design to value principles
• The delivery of supply chain initiatives

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES/OUTCOMES

Product Development and Leadership for all New Product and Product Optimisation:  
• Develop new product, optimized, cost savings, and maintenance projects.  
• Identify and implement innovative, practical application and modification of ingredients, formulations, and process to achieve business goals of commercializing new products, improving existing products, or cost savings. 
• Provide project leadership in the development and commercialization of new products, product improvement, and cost savings. 
• Work on multiple interdisciplinary projects, setting direction for how projects are carried out, develop project plan, identify and organize project team, coordinate other resources to achieve goals, implement plan, monitor progress, and lead all communication of same within organization and outside of organization.  
• Design and execute experiments, analyze, and interpret data to make sound technical recommendations for specific projects.  
• Provide and communicate technical and business risk assessment and perspective for assigned projects.  
• Develop product and process specifications and ensure training and transfer of specification knowledge to QA and Operations.  
• Ingredient and Product Innovation to achieve business goals of commercializing new products and product platforms.  
• Research and gain understanding and knowledge of state of the art and emerging technologies in product and ingredient technologies. 
• Lead the development and implementation of new product and process technologies. 
• Provide innovative solutions for overall category.
• Carry out shelf life from factory trial including the appropriate organoleptic testing
• Complete customer submission forms
• Leverage supplier innovation and manage IP accordingly, seeking every opportunity to own the IP from the outset

Technical Support as the key overall category product development technical leader: 
• Support Operations, Procurement, and QA to resolve ingredient, formula, process issues and manage product/process changes. Provide technical support with customer on product information and process capability.  
• Collaboration with cross-functional teams on implementing new equipment and processes. 
• Provide formula and process specifications and support to assure smooth rollouts of new formulas, equipment, and processes.  
• Support the process design and review on new capability expansion, cost enhancement, and/or process improvement opportunities of new to the company or new to the world technologies. 
• Working with customer teams to agree new product plan by channel / customer
• Act as the Voice of the Customer by forming close working relationships with allocated customers to truly understand and deliver their needs
• Preparing costings, nutritional and ingredient declarations
• Working with the category team to understand market trends and be able to translate new product propositions into viable products for our customers
• Support the scale up of kitchen samples to factory trials
• Present new product concepts internally and to customers

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/EXPERIENCE

Critical
• Degree educated or equivalent in a food disciple. With a minimum of 5-6 years experience within a food manufacturing environment
• Experience of implementing the NPD process from concept to launch
• Bakery or related experience

Desirable
• Value Added bakery experience