NPD and Compliance Manager

Location Tipton

Salary Negotiable on experience  

Permanent full time Monday to Friday

Job description

Lead and manage the NPD and Technical services team and manage the development process from concept to launch. To ensure new products developed are innovative, of the highest quality and market leading. Optimising development processes and continually improving the service provided to customers. To ensure projects are delivered to the highest possible standards within agreed critical path timelines and commercial parameters set by both internal departments and external customers.

Main Responsibilities:

In this role you will be a senior specialist within product development and technical services, you will deliver high profile projects. In addition, you will challenge current processes and practices to assist in identifying opportunities for continuous improvement and business growth.

Some but not all your key responsibilities will include:

Developing and mentoring of both the NPD and Technical services teams, identifying key areas for training requirements and succession planning

Development and optimising the current development process, improving overall departmental performance, and driving business growth through new opportunities.

Promoting the development of an innovative and creative culture throughout the NPD function.

Demonstrating strong leadership, ensuring successful networks, knowledge transfer & cooperation with internal and external stakeholders.

Maintaining customer and company quality standards, ensuring compliance with standards, policies, safety requirements and applicable regulation. •

Building and maintaining customer relationships

Managing an overview of NPD projects and ensuring projects remain on track.

To keep up to date with relevant legislation changes and champion the knowledge transfer within the business.

To keep up to date with food, innovation and technological trends through relevant market data and other data sources.

To report departmental performance monthly through KPIs and seeking constant improvement where possible.

To promote and lead departmental growth and training through internal and external sources.

All customer technical contact, specifications, artwork generation and customer enquiries and customer complaints

Retailers technical account management coordinating their product range in full, product development, food safety, artwork approval and packaging change project management, specification updates (via central team), benchmarking and joint business plan objectives.

Coordinating customer site visits, review ways of working aligned to customer codes of practice to drive improvement at sites with year-on-year audit score improvements and lead focus on improvement in product complaints, working with sites to define improvement actions

To actively work in conjunction with site and central technical staff in the development of technical initiatives.

Health and Safety, Environment and Housekeeping

To assist to work in a safety conscious, sensible manner that is in accordance with company procedures and in accordance with received training.

To set standards of safety and ensure that the team for whom this person is responsible adheres to the given procedures.

Leading the team to be continually conscious of the need to keep the working environment clean and tidy, ensuring that working areas are left as one would expect them to be found.

To contribute to health and safety initiatives such as ongoing risk assessment, investigations and promoting the remit of the internal health and safety committee.

To work in an efficient manner by performing duties in such a way that will not affect the environment negatively, waste materials unnecessarily, damage company property or affect the success of the team of which one is a member and a leader.

Communication

All communication requirements must be conducted in a professional, positive and clear manner.

To conduct staff briefings and training or instructional sessions when the situation dictates or when prescribed by the management team.

Precise communication whilst relaying instructions, ensuring that they are delivered in a non-misleading manner.

Listening skills must be given equal importance where effective communication is to be achieved.

Team Orientation

To contribute to achieving success within the operation profit and loss account by being mindful of actions that might adversely affect operating costs.

Support the management team to achieve objectives regarding tackling human resource issues.

Guide team members to achieve personal opportunities and respect personal individuality.

Additional Responsibilities  

Personal Performance

To take responsibility for personal performance and the development of personal skills to ensure the required skills, knowledge, and competence to fulfil the role.

Customer Focus

To consider the behaviour of the team in relation to customer satisfaction and to ensure brand protection occurs.  

Values and Behaviours

To encourage and promote the values of the company and to comply with the required standards of conduct.  

Equality and Diversity

To promote, adhere to and implement the Equal Opportunities policy.  

Environment

To promote the Environmental Policy by implementing working practices and procedures that ensure a sustainable approach to the use of resources are disposed of in an efficient and environmentally friendly way.

Person Specification

Qualifications  5 GCSEs at grade A – D (or equivalent). Industry recognised food technical qualification – HND/Degree or equivalent     5 GCSEs at grade A – D (or equivalent).

Experience

5 years of experience in people management

Previous NPD manager or Senior Technologist experience of developing concepts through to launch and managing a team.

Experience launching products into a variety of market sectors including retailers, brands, and export markets.

Skills   

Commercial awareness

Effective organisational skills

Meticulous attention to detail

Numeracy

Excellent communication skills.

Commercial awareness

Effective organisational skills

Meticulous attention to detail

excellent communication skills.

Personal attributes   

The ability to form working relationships with people at all levels.

Teamworking and interpersonal skills

Diplomacy and the ability to deal with situations that are stressful to others.

The ability to form working relationships with people at all levels.

Teamworking and interpersonal skills

Diplomacy and the ability to deal with situations that are stressful to others.

Please apply with your CV in the first instance.

Wright Staff are acting as an employment business in relation to this vacancy.