Food & Drink Manufacturing Recruitment Agency

Location: Lancashire
The Opportunity: A senior operational leadership opportunity for an experienced food manufacturing professional ready to take ownership of a complex, multi-shift manufacturing operation and make a measurable impact on performance.

This is an opportunity to lead a busy food manufacturing site, working closely with the Operations Director and wider leadership team to improve safety, quality, service, cost and operational performance.

You'll have genuine responsibility for the site's day-to-day operation, while also playing a key role in its longer-term development. The business is continuing to invest in its manufacturing capability, so this is a role where there is scope to influence how the site operates and how it develops.

Why this role?
This is a 24/7 manufacturing operation with multiple production areas and a sizeable multi-disciplinary workforce.

Reporting to the Operations Director, you'll lead the site management team and create the structure, accountability and performance culture needed to deliver against operational KPIs.

The challenge is not simply keeping production running. You'll be expected to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce costs, strengthen leadership capability and embed a culture of continuous improvement.

You'll have exposure across Operations, Engineering, Technical, Quality, Health & Safety, Finance, People and Sustainability, giving you a genuine opportunity to influence the wider site strategy.

What will you be responsible for?

• Taking overall operational responsibility for the manufacturing site and ensuring production targets are delivered safely, efficiently and consistently.
• Leading and developing the site management team, creating clear accountability for performance.
• Driving improvements across safety, quality, service, cost and efficiency.
• Embedding Lean and continuous improvement principles across the operation.
• Managing site budgets, operating costs and capital expenditure proposals in partnership with Finance.
• Developing a strong safety culture and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and site standards.
• Working closely with Technical and Quality teams to maintain food safety and customer standards.
• Leading cross-functional collaboration across Engineering, Technical, Finance, People, IT and Sustainability.
• Establishing effective management routines, communication forums and performance reviews.
• Identifying operational risks and ensuring robust business continuity plans are in place.
• Supporting major site projects, including new equipment, systems implementation and wider manufacturing improvement programmes.
• Building leadership capability through coaching, mentoring and clear performance expectations.

What we're looking for
Essential

• Proven senior operational or Factory Management experience within food manufacturing.
• Experience leading a sizeable, multi-disciplinary manufacturing operation.
• A strong track record of improving operational KPIs and delivering measurable performance improvements.
• Experience managing budgets, costs and capital expenditure.
• Strong understanding of food safety standards, including BRCGS or equivalent.
• Experience of Lean and continuous improvement methodologies.
• The ability to lead through other managers and create clear accountability for performance.

Desirable

• Multi-site manufacturing experience.
• Experience of significant manufacturing projects or site transformation.
• Experience working within a 24/7 production environment.
• Formal Lean / Continuous Improvement qualification.

What’s on Offer?
This is a great business to join as they really invest in the people and support development and growth. It’s a great culture and people are genuinely happy in their roles within the business.

We are seeking applications from talented Head of Operations, Site Leaders, Operations Managers, Site Manager who live within Greater Manchester, Lancashire or Cumbria.

Why True North Talent?
True North Talent specialises exclusively in recruitment across the UK food and drink manufacturing industry. We understand the sector, the challenges businesses are facing and the experience required to succeed within it.

Our specialist consultants work closely with both clients and candidates to ensure we're not simply matching a CV to a job description – we're helping people make the right career move and businesses secure the expertise they need.

Interested?
If you are an experienced Site Lead within the food and drink manufacturing sector and this sounds like the kind of opportunity you're looking for, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply directly or contact Carole on 0161 399 1575 / 07899 686690 for a confidential discussion, quoting reference CH/TNT/3440.

We may hold your data, as per our privacy policy detailed on our website.

We are only able to consider candidates who have the legal right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we can only contact successful applicants.
 

Location: Lancashire
The Opportunity: A hands-on technical leadership role where you’ll be visible on the factory floor, influence standards and help drive technical performance across a busy food manufacturing operation.

This is an opportunity for an experienced Technical professional to take ownership of factory technical standards, work closely with Production, Engineering, Hygiene and Warehouse teams, and make a tangible difference to day-to-day technical performance.

You’ll be joining an established food manufacturing business at an important stage of its development, with continued investment and growth creating opportunities for people who want to make an impact rather than simply maintain the status quo.

Why this role?
This is a highly visible, factory-based role working alongside the Site Technical Manager.

Your focus will be on maintaining audit readiness, improving factory standards and challenging practices that create avoidable non-conformances. You’ll also play an important role in coaching colleagues across the site and deputising for the Technical Manager during audits and factory walkarounds.

It’s a role that will suit someone who enjoys being close to the operation, can build credibility with different departments and is comfortable holding standards when they need to be challenged.

What will you be responsible for?

• Ensuring finished product meets agreed technical and quality standards.
• Maintaining a high level of audit readiness across the factory.
• Establishing and embedding clear “what good looks like” standards.
• Coaching and supporting QA, Production, Engineering, Hygiene and Warehouse teams.
• Identifying the causes of avoidable non-conformances and driving improvements in factory practices.
• Supporting retailer code approval requirements and managing associated samples.
• Overseeing pest control processes across the manufacturing operation.
• Deputising for the Site Technical Manager during audits and factory walkarounds.
• Spending the majority of your time on the factory floor, providing a visible technical presence.
• Working flexibly across shifts where required to maintain standards and provide technical support.

What we're looking for
Essential

• Previous technical experience within a food manufacturing environment.
• Experience of leading, coaching or supervising technical/quality colleagues.
• Strong understanding of food safety, technical standards and factory compliance.
• Experience working with retailer requirements and customer audits.
• The confidence to challenge standards and influence colleagues across different functions.
• A practical, hands-on approach with the ability to identify issues and drive them through to resolution.

Desirable

• Experience deputising for a Technical Manager or leading technical activity during audits.
• Experience working with major UK retailers.
• Experience across QA, factory standards and technical compliance.

What's on offer?
This is a great business to join as they really invest in the people and support development and growth. This is a Factory Technical Manager they are looking to find someone who has experience working in the factory running the technical and quality team.

We are seeking applications from talented QA Managers, Assistant Technical Managers, Senior QA Managers, Factory Technical Managers or Technical Managers, who live within Greater Manchester & Lancashire.

Why True North Talent?

True North Talent specialises exclusively in recruitment across the UK food and drink manufacturing industry. We understand the sector, the challenges businesses are facing and the experience required to succeed within it.

Our specialist consultants work closely with both clients and candidates to ensure we're not simply matching a CV to a job description – we're helping people make the right career move and businesses secure the expertise they need.

Interested?
If you are an experienced Factory Manager within the food and drink manufacturing sector and this sounds like the kind of opportunity you're looking for, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply directly or contact Carole on 0161 399 1575 / 07899 686690 for a confidential discussion, quoting reference CH/TNT/3442.

We may hold your data, as per our privacy policy detailed on our website.

We are only able to consider candidates who have the legal right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we can only contact successful applicants.
 

Location: Merseyside
The Opportunity: A senior technical leadership opportunity where you'll have real ownership of food safety, quality and hygiene across a busy manufacturing site.

This is a role for an experienced Technical or Quality professional who enjoys being close to the operation, challenging standards and making improvements that have a measurable impact.

You'll take ownership of the site's technical agenda, working closely with Operations and other functions to ensure food is produced safely, consistently and to the standards expected by customers, accreditations and the business.

Why this role?
This isn't simply a role focused on maintaining systems and passing audits.
You'll have genuine accountability for the site's food safety, quality and hygiene performance, with the opportunity to influence how the factory operates and drive improvements across standards, processes and ways of working.

You'll lead customer and accreditation audits, own the site's HACCP, TACCP, food defence and food fraud systems, and work with colleagues across the business to identify risk and implement sustainable solutions.
There is also scope to get involved in new product, plant and equipment projects, as well as wider site initiatives.

What will I be responsible for?
You'll take ownership of:

• Food safety, quality and hygiene standards across the manufacturing site.
• HACCP, TACCP, food defence, food fraud and product integrity systems.
• BRC, IFS, RSPO and customer standards, ensuring the site remains audit ready.
• Leading customer and accreditation audits, including RCA and close-out of non-conformances.
• Quality and Hygiene KPIs, including RFT, complaints, blocked and scrapped stock and hygiene performance.
• Customer and consumer complaints, including identifying trends and driving reduction programmes.
• GMP and hygiene standards across the factory, challenging non-compliance and improving ways of working.
• Risk assessments across products and ingredients, working collaboratively with Operations, NPD and Technical colleagues.
• Supporting new product introductions and projects involving plant and equipment.
• Quality and Hygiene budgets, ensuring expenditure supports the wider site strategy.
• Leading local improvement projects and escalating significant issues appropriately.

What we're looking for
You'll already have substantial Technical, Quality or Food Safety experience within food manufacturing and be comfortable operating at both a strategic and hands-on level.

Essential:

• Strong experience within food manufacturing Technical, Quality, Food Safety or Hygiene.
• Thorough understanding of HACCP, TACCP, food defence, food fraud and food safety systems.
• Experience leading BRC/IFS and major customer audits.
• Proven experience managing non-conformances, RCA and corrective actions through to completion.
• Strong understanding of GMP, hygiene and food manufacturing standards.
• Experience using KPIs to drive improvements in quality, complaints, RFT and hygiene performance.
• The credibility to challenge standards and influence operational teams.

Desirable:

• Experience with RSPO or other customer-specific certification standards.
• Experience supporting NPD, capital projects or new equipment introductions.
• Budget management experience.
• Degree-level qualification or equivalent technical experience.

What can they offer you?
This is a great business to join as they really invest in the people and support development and growth. You will be joining a company that really are about their people and collaborative working.

We are seeking applications from talented Technical Managers, Site Technical Leaders, Assistant Technical Managers, Senior Technical Managers or Senior Quality Managers, who live within Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Manchester, Hale, Sale or Trafford Park region.

Why True North Talent?
True North Talent specialises exclusively in recruitment across the UK food and drink manufacturing industry. We understand the sector, the challenges businesses are facing and the experience required to succeed within it.

Our specialist consultants work closely with both clients and candidates to ensure we're not simply matching a CV to a job description – we're helping people make the right career move and businesses secure the expertise they need.

Interested?
If you are an experienced Technical Manager within the food and drink  manufacturing sector and this sounds like the kind of opportunity you're looking for, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply directly or contact Carole on 0161 399 1575 / 07899 686690 for a confidential discussion, quoting reference CH/TNT/3444.

We may hold your data, as per our privacy policy detailed on our website.

We are only able to consider candidates who have the legal right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we can only contact successful applicants.
 

Location: Remote (approx. 1day per month in Glasgow)
The Opportunity: This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing B2B sales team at a time of continued investment and expansion across both UK and international markets.

Working within the confectionery, inclusions and decorations sector, you'll play a key role in strengthening existing customer partnerships whilst identifying and securing new commercial opportunities. This role offers genuine autonomy and the chance to influence growth across a diverse customer base including bakery, chocolate, ice cream and large food manufacturing businesses.

If you enjoy building long-term relationships, developing commercial strategies and delivering profitable growth, this could be an excellent next step in your career.

The Role
As Key Account Manager, you will lead the growth and development of an established B2B customer portfolio whilst identifying new opportunities to expand market presence.

In this role, you will:

• Manage and develop key customer relationships to deliver sustainable and profitable sales growth.
• Identify, target and win new business across food manufacturing, bakery, confectionery and related sectors.
• Develop and deliver a rolling 12-month strategic plan for your customer portfolio.
• Lead customer meetings, negotiations and account reviews with key decision-makers.
• Provide accurate forecasting, reporting and customer insight to support commercial decision-making.
• Represent the business at trade shows and industry events.
• Collaborate with colleagues, suppliers, partners and wider group businesses to maximise cross-selling opportunities.

You'll be expected to balance the demands of maintaining strong existing customer relationships whilst proactively driving new business growth. Success will be measured through commercial performance, customer retention and strategic account development.

About You
We're looking for someone with:
Essential

• Proven B2B sales or account management experience within the food manufacturing industry.
• Experience selling into bakery, confectionery, chocolate, ice cream or related food sectors.
• A track record of securing new business and delivering profitable sales growth.
• Strong commercial awareness and negotiation skills.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Full UK Driving Licence.

Desirable

• Experience working within ingredients, inclusions, decorations or value-added food products.
• Exposure to international customer accounts.
• Experience attending and generating opportunities from industry trade shows.

About the Business
Our client is a well-established and highly respected manufacturer supplying confectionery products, inclusions and decorations to customers across the UK and international food manufacturing sectors.

The business combines the agility of a specialist manufacturer with the backing and support of a large international group, creating exciting opportunities for both customers and employees. With continued investment and ambitious growth plans, this is an excellent time to join the organisation.

What's On Offer?
Salary: £50,000
Bonus: 10% Annual Bonus
Pension: Company Pension Scheme
Holiday: 25 Days + Bank Holidays
Healthcare: To be confirmed
Car/Car Allowance: Car Allowance
Other Benefits: Mobile Phone, Laptop, Home-Based Working
Working Pattern: Home based, with approximately one day per month required at the Glasgow office alongside customer visits and business travel.

We are seeking applications from talented Key Account Managers, National Account Managers, Business Development Managers, Sales Managers, Commercial Managers and Account Directors who live within Glasgow, Edinburgh, Motherwell, Paisley, Stirling, Falkirk, Dundee, Perth, Ayr, Dumfries, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds and surrounding areas.

Why True North Talent?
True North Talent specialises exclusively in recruitment across the UK food and drink manufacturing industry. We understand the sector, the challenges businesses are facing and the experience required to succeed within it.
Our specialist consultants work closely with both clients and candidates to ensure we're not simply matching a CV to a job description, we're helping people make the right career move and businesses secure the expertise they need.

Interested?
If you're an experienced Sales, Commercial or Account Management professional within the food and drink manufacturing sector and this sounds like the kind of opportunity you're looking for, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply directly or contact Matt at True North Talent on 0161 399 1575 for a confidential conversation about the role.

We may hold your data, as per our privacy policy detailed on our website.

We are only able to consider candidates who have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we can only contact successful applicants.
 

Location: Bristol or London
Working Pattern: Monday - Friday

Overview: Ready to take ownership of business critical data and processes and make a genuine impact across a growing food manufacturing business?
We’re working with an established food manufacturer looking to appoint a Business Process & Master Data Manager into a newly created position within its Programme & Change function.

This is a broad, influential role combining master data, costing assurance, process improvement and business change, with the opportunity to make a real difference to how the business operates.

You’ll be responsible for improving the quality, ownership and use of master data across the business, helping teams work more efficiently, make better decisions and rely on accurate, consistent information.

Why this role?
This is not a role where you’ll simply maintain spreadsheets or administer data.
You’ll have the opportunity to influence how master data, costing and business processes are managed across the organisation, working with senior stakeholders, functional leaders, data owners, Finance, Food, IT and Data teams.

Around 40% of the role will focus on Food master data and costing assurance, including validating information, investigating discrepancies and understanding how product, recipe, ingredient and labour data impacts costing and operational decisions.
A further 40% will focus on master data strategy, governance and improvement, giving you ownership of standards, controls, data ownership and improvement roadmaps.

The remaining 20% will involve supporting projects and business change, ensuring that master data requirements, ownership and process impacts are properly considered when new systems, processes or ways of working are introduced.

You’ll report to the Programme & Change Manager but for yourself there are no direct reports, so this is a role where your impact will come through stakeholder management, expertise, challenge and influence, rather than traditional line management.

What will you be doing?
You’ll take ownership of a broad business process and master data remit, including:

• Managing and validating Food master data, ensuring information is accurate from the outset and flows correctly into costing, reporting and operational processes.
• Providing costing assurance and investigating discrepancies across P74 and Syspro.
• Developing a strong understanding of standard costing and labour models, identifying and explaining costing anomalies.
• Working with NPD, Finance and operational teams to investigate root causes and resolve recurring issues.
• Embedding clear data, costing and approval controls across Food and Innovation processes.
• Acting as the business subject matter expert for master data within the Innovation process.
• Identifying process weaknesses that lead to costing errors, delays, duplicated effort or unreliable reporting.

About the business
Our client is an established food manufacturing business with a complex operational environment where accurate product, ingredient, recipe, costing and operational data is critical to the way the business performs.

As the business continues to develop its processes, systems and ways of working, this newly created position will play an important role in strengthening the foundations around data quality, governance and process control.

You’ll work closely with senior stakeholders including the Finance Director, Head of Food, functional leaders, business data owners and administrators, as well as IT, Data and external Syspro specialists.

What are they looking for?
Essential

• Experience improving and embedding cross-functional business processes within a complex operational environment.
• Experience working with master data or business-critical information such as product, ingredient, recipe, costing, customer, supplier or operational data.
• Experience validating information, investigating discrepancies and improving controls at source.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across senior, operational and specialist teams.
• The ability to translate unclear business problems into practical requirements and improvement plans.
• Strong root-cause analysis skills and experience addressing recurring data or process issues.

Desirable

• Experience within food manufacturing, FMCG, retail supply chain, NPD, technical, quality, supply chain or commercial operations.
• Experience working in a regulated or audited environment where product, allergen, nutritional, packaging or customer-facing information needs to be tightly controlled.
• Exposure to ERP, MRP, PIM, PLM, workflow, reporting or integration projects.
• Experience in continuous improvement, Lean, business analysis, process mapping or project delivery.
• Experience establishing data governance, ownership models, governance forums or cross-functional improvement roadmaps.
• Understanding of Power BI, reporting datasets or data platforms from a business-user or requirements perspective.

What’s in it for you?

• £55,000 salary plus bonus & benefits.
• A newly created position with genuine scope to shape the role and its impact across the business.
• The opportunity to influence master data strategy, governance and business processes rather than simply manage existing systems.
• Broad exposure across Finance, Food, IT, Data, Innovation and wider operational functions.
• The opportunity to become a key subject matter expert for Food master data and costing.
• A role with significant autonomy and the opportunity to challenge existing ways of working.
• The chance to play a key role in business change and improvement projects.

Why speak to True North Talent?
We're specialists in food and drink manufacturing recruitment, so we understand the operational, technical, commercial and supply chain environments in which these roles sit.

If you’re a Business Process Manager, Master Data Manager, Business Analyst, Continuous Improvement professional or process-focused data specialist looking for a role where you can take genuine ownership and influence how a business operates, we’d love to have a confidential conversation.

Interested?
If you have the desired experience, please send your CV quoting ref JO/TNT/3426, or call 0161 399 1575 / 07830 944145 for a confidential discussion.
We may hold your data, as per our privacy policy detailed on our website.

We are only able to consider candidates who have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we can only contact successful applicants.

Location: Bristol or London
Working Pattern: Monday - Friday

Overview: Ready to take ownership of business critical data and processes and make a genuine impact across a growing food manufacturing business?
We’re working with an established food manufacturer looking to appoint a Business Process & Master Data Manager into a newly created position within its Programme & Change function.

This is a broad, influential role combining master data, costing assurance, process improvement and business change, with the opportunity to make a real difference to how the business operates.

You’ll be responsible for improving the quality, ownership and use of master data across the business, helping teams work more efficiently, make better decisions and rely on accurate, consistent information.

Why this role?
This is not a role where you’ll simply maintain spreadsheets or administer data.
You’ll have the opportunity to influence how master data, costing and business processes are managed across the organisation, working with senior stakeholders, functional leaders, data owners, Finance, Food, IT and Data teams.

Around 40% of the role will focus on Food master data and costing assurance, including validating information, investigating discrepancies and understanding how product, recipe, ingredient and labour data impacts costing and operational decisions.
A further 40% will focus on master data strategy, governance and improvement, giving you ownership of standards, controls, data ownership and improvement roadmaps.

The remaining 20% will involve supporting projects and business change, ensuring that master data requirements, ownership and process impacts are properly considered when new systems, processes or ways of working are introduced.

You’ll report to the Programme & Change Manager but for yourself there are no direct reports, so this is a role where your impact will come through stakeholder management, expertise, challenge and influence, rather than traditional line management.

What will you be doing?
You’ll take ownership of a broad business process and master data remit, including:

• Managing and validating Food master data, ensuring information is accurate from the outset and flows correctly into costing, reporting and operational processes.
• Providing costing assurance and investigating discrepancies across P74 and Syspro.
• Developing a strong understanding of standard costing and labour models, identifying and explaining costing anomalies.
• Working with NPD, Finance and operational teams to investigate root causes and resolve recurring issues.
• Embedding clear data, costing and approval controls across Food and Innovation processes.
• Acting as the business subject matter expert for master data within the Innovation process.
• Identifying process weaknesses that lead to costing errors, delays, duplicated effort or unreliable reporting.

About the business
Our client is an established food manufacturing business with a complex operational environment where accurate product, ingredient, recipe, costing and operational data is critical to the way the business performs.

As the business continues to develop its processes, systems and ways of working, this newly created position will play an important role in strengthening the foundations around data quality, governance and process control.

You’ll work closely with senior stakeholders including the Finance Director, Head of Food, functional leaders, business data owners and administrators, as well as IT, Data and external Syspro specialists.

What are they looking for?
Essential

• Experience improving and embedding cross-functional business processes within a complex operational environment.
• Experience working with master data or business-critical information such as product, ingredient, recipe, costing, customer, supplier or operational data.
• Experience validating information, investigating discrepancies and improving controls at source.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across senior, operational and specialist teams.
• The ability to translate unclear business problems into practical requirements and improvement plans.
• Strong root-cause analysis skills and experience addressing recurring data or process issues.

Desirable

• Experience within food manufacturing, FMCG, retail supply chain, NPD, technical, quality, supply chain or commercial operations.
• Experience working in a regulated or audited environment where product, allergen, nutritional, packaging or customer-facing information needs to be tightly controlled.
• Exposure to ERP, MRP, PIM, PLM, workflow, reporting or integration projects.
• Experience in continuous improvement, Lean, business analysis, process mapping or project delivery.
• Experience establishing data governance, ownership models, governance forums or cross-functional improvement roadmaps.
• Understanding of Power BI, reporting datasets or data platforms from a business-user or requirements perspective.

What’s in it for you?

• £55,000 salary plus bonus & benefits.
• A newly created position with genuine scope to shape the role and its impact across the business.
• The opportunity to influence master data strategy, governance and business processes rather than simply manage existing systems.
• Broad exposure across Finance, Food, IT, Data, Innovation and wider operational functions.
• The opportunity to become a key subject matter expert for Food master data and costing.
• A role with significant autonomy and the opportunity to challenge existing ways of working.
• The chance to play a key role in business change and improvement projects.

Why speak to True North Talent?
We're specialists in food and drink manufacturing recruitment, so we understand the operational, technical, commercial and supply chain environments in which these roles sit.

If you’re a Business Process Manager, Master Data Manager, Business Analyst, Continuous Improvement professional or process-focused data specialist looking for a role where you can take genuine ownership and influence how a business operates, we’d love to have a confidential conversation.

Interested?
If you have the desired experience, please send your CV quoting ref JO/TNT/3426, or call 0161 399 1575 / 07830 944145 for a confidential discussion.
We may hold your data, as per our privacy policy detailed on our website.

We are only able to consider candidates who have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we can only contact successful applicants.
 

Location: London
Working Pattern: Monday - Friday
Overview: Passionate about food and want to play a key role in turning creative concepts into commercially viable products?
We’re working with a category leading food business looking to appoint a Concept Technologist to join its NPD team.

This is an exciting opportunity for a food focused technologist to work closely with Development Chefs and NPD Manager, helping take new food concepts from the initial brief through development, feasibility and ultimately into process handover.

You’ll sit at the heart of the development process, acting as the link between the creative side of food development and the wider technical, commercial and operational teams.

It’s a varied role combining food development, costing, raw material sourcing, product feasibility, process understanding and stakeholder management, giving you exposure to the full journey of bringing new food to life.

Why this role?
This isn’t a role where you’ll be purely focused on paperwork or technical compliance.

You’ll be working closely with chefs to help turn creative ideas into products that are great tasting, commercially viable and capable of being produced successfully at scale.

You’ll play an important role in making sure concepts are properly costed, recipes and processes are accurately set up, ingredients are sourced appropriately and production implications are considered early in the development process.

You’ll also become a key point of contact between Development Chefs, NPD/EPD, Procurement, Technical, Operations and Supply Chain, giving you visibility across the wider business and the opportunity to influence how new products move through development.

For someone who genuinely loves food and wants to build their career within new product development, it offers the chance to work alongside experienced chefs while developing a much broader understanding of the commercial and operational side of food development.

What will you be doing?
You’ll support the NPD and EPD Managers across the new food development process, including:

• Working closely with Development Chefs to ensure recipes are accurately set up and appropriately reflected within P74.
• Supporting accurate process set up, packaging understanding, labour assumptions and theoretical concept data.
• Working with site teams to validate labour models and understand production requirements.
• Ensuring new food is developed in line with brand values and nutritional guidelines.
• Preparing and delivering professional food presentations covering recipes, ingredients, costs, brand values, nutritionals and cooking methods.
• Completing concept development documentation accurately and within agreed timescales.
• Developing clear ingredient briefs and ensuring sourcing activity remains aligned with project critical paths.

About the business
Our client is an established food manufacturer with a strong focus on developing high-quality, commercially successful food products.

The NPD team brings together chefs, technologists and wider business functions to develop new concepts from the earliest stages through to operational handover.

This role sits at the centre of that process, working across Food Development, Procurement, Technical, Operations and Supply Chain to make sure creative ideas can ultimately become commercially and operationally viable products.

It’s an opportunity to join a collaborative development environment where food quality, creativity and commercial thinking all need to come together.

What are they looking for?
Essential

• A genuine passion for food, ingredients and new product development.
• Experience working within either NPD or EPD programmes.
• A Food Technology, Food Science or similar degree would be advantageous.
• Experience working with recipes, ingredients, costing or food development processes.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills, with the ability to understand and work with COGS and pricing.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple development activities simultaneously.
• Confident communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with chefs, technical specialists, procurement, supply chain and operational teams.

Desirable

• Experience within chilled food manufacturing, particularly chilled meals.
• Experience working alongside Development Chefs or within a chef led NPD environment.
• Experience with P74 or similar product development / costing systems.
• Experience with raw material sourcing and ingredient specifications.
• Experience with shelf-life testing, benchmarking and product tastings.
• Understanding of packaging, nutritional and labelling considerations.
• Experience supporting process improvement or implementing new ways of working.

What’s in it for you?

• £40,000 salary plus bonus & benefits.
• Exposure to the full new food development process, from concept brief through to process handover.
• The opportunity to develop your commercial understanding alongside your food and technical expertise.
• Genuine involvement in bringing new food concepts to life rather than simply supporting one part of the process.
• A role where your ideas, attention to detail and understanding of food can directly influence the success of new products.
• Scope to take ownership of projects and develop your experience within a growing food development environment.

Why speak to True North Talent?
We're specialists in food and drink manufacturing recruitment, so we understand the development, culinary, technical, commercial and manufacturing landscape you're working in.

If you’re a Concept Technologist, NPD Technologist, Development Technologist, Food Technologist or food-focused NPD professional looking for a role where you can work closely with chefs and gain broader exposure across the product development process, we’d love to have a confidential conversation.

Interested?
If you have the desired experience, please send your CV quoting ref JO/TNT/3424, or call 0161 399 1575 / 07830 944145 for a confidential discussion.

We may hold your data, as per our privacy policy detailed on our website.

We are only able to consider candidates who have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we can only contact successful applicants.