New Product Development Manager

The NPD (New Product Development) Manager at Ballymaguire Foods will spearhead the creation and commercialisation of innovative food products, ranging from prepared meals to food service solutions. The role requires an individual with a deep understanding of Irish food trends, regulatory standards, and industry practices, as well as a passion for driving growth through creative and commercially viable products. You will be working in a dynamic and collaborative environment, interacting with Sales, Marketing, Technical, and Production teams to bring products from concept to launch, catering to both local and international markets. Your contributions will be pivotal in ensuring that Ballymaguire Foods remains at the forefront of product innovation while meeting the evolving needs of consumers and clients.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Driving Innovation:
   1. Lead the development of new food offerings with a focus on prepared meals and food service innovations, ensuring they are aligned with emerging food trends in Ireland and beyond. Your expertise in understanding consumer preferences, market needs, and sustainability will drive the creation of forward-thinking products that meet the tastes of modern consumers.
   2. Stay ahead of trends in the food sector, ensuring that the product pipeline reflects the growing demand for healthier, sustainable, and locally sourced food products.
2. Product Development:
   1. Identify market gaps and opportunities for product creation, using your knowledge of food trends, culinary techniques, and nutritional considerations to develop high-quality, commercialised food solutions.
   2. Innovate new product concepts that incorporate robust recipes, seasonality, and the unique flavour profile of Irish ingredients, while ensuring scalability for production.
   3. Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, NPD, Production Operations, and technical teams, ensuring that product development strategies align with company objectives, regulatory standards, and customer expectations.
   4. Foster a culture of innovation within these departments by ensuring they are well-informed and involved throughout the product development process, from concept ideation to production readiness.
3. Customer Project Management:
   1. Take ownership of customer-driven projects, ensuring the seamless transition of ideas from initial brief to handover to NPD teams. Your leadership will be critical in adhering to the project timelines, maintaining quality standards, and ensuring all specifications are met.
   2. Implement and manage the stage-gate process for customer projects, guaranteeing that projects progress efficiently while addressing both customer and regulatory requirements.
4. Sensory Analysis & Benchmarking:
   1. Conduct detailed sensory analyses and product benchmarking to evaluate how new concepts compare to market leaders. This insight will help refine product offerings and improve sensory characteristics, including taste, texture, and visual appeal.
   2. Collaborate with external sensory panels and internal teams to validate product success in real-world applications.
   3. Research and source high-quality, sustainable ingredients that align with both consumer trends and Ballymaguire Foods' sustainability goals.
   4. Establish relationships with suppliers to ensure that ingredients are compliant with Irish food safety regulations (e.g., FSAI, HACCP), while meeting customer-specific packaging requirements.
   5. Work with the packaging team to develop packaging solutions that are not only functional and attractive but also sustainable, ensuring products meet packaging waste reduction targets.
5. Concept to Launch Management:
   1. Lead the end-to-end process of taking new products from concept to commercialisation. This includes creating detailed timelines, establishing milestones, and working with cross-functional teams to ensure the timely delivery of product development phases.
   2. Collaborate with Sales to ensure that the product launch is well-supported, including aligning promotional activities and ensuring adequate stock levels for both domestic and international markets.
   3. Engage directly with customer NPD teams to ensure products meet the agreed specifications and quality standards. Regular communication with customers will be vital in fine-tuning product development to ensure complete satisfaction.
   4. Maintain a customer-first mindset by offering support and updates throughout the product development process and responding proactively to feedback.
6. Presentation Skills:
   1. Present new product concepts, market insights, and development progress to both internal stakeholders and customers in a clear and persuasive manner.
   2. Use your presentation skills to inform and excite customers about the latest innovations, helping them to visualise the commercial potential of new products.
7. Documentation & Reporting:
   1. Ensure comprehensive and accurate documentation of all research, trials, and experimental results, maintaining a clear record of product development and decision-making processes.
   2. Prepare and present regular updates to management, internal teams, and external stakeholders on project status, timelines, and key learnings.
8. Other Duties:
   1. Undertake any additional responsibilities related to the NPD function as assigned by the Directors or senior management, including market research, competitive analysis, and continuous process improvement initiatives.

Key Skills and Competencies:

1. Food Industry Knowledge: In-depth understanding of food trends and consumer preferences in the Irish market, with an awareness of evolving international trends. Strong knowledge of the regulatory environment in Ireland, including FSAI and HACCP guidelines, is essential to ensure all products meet the highest standards of food safety and quality.
2. Product Development Expertise: A proven track record in food product design, recipe formulation, and food processing techniques, particularly in the prepared meals and food services sector. Ability to translate trends and customer needs into successful food products.
3. Regulatory Compliance: Deep knowledge of Irish and EU food safety regulations and how they apply to food product development. Proven ability to ensure that new products are fully compliant with all relevant regulations, including packaging and labelling standards.
4. Project Management: Expertise in managing cross-functional product development projects, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, and meet customer and regulatory requirements. Familiarity with stage-gate processes and product lifecycle management.
5. Sensory Analysis: Ability to conduct comprehensive sensory evaluations to assess products against benchmark standards. Experience with sensory panels and the application of sensory data to product refinement.
6. Ingredient & Packaging Sourcing: Strong understanding of sourcing ingredients and packaging materials that align with quality, cost, sustainability, and regulatory standards. Ability to manage supplier relationships and maintain product integrity.
7. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across departments to align product development efforts with company strategy and customer expectations.
8. Presentation Skills: Proficiency in presenting complex product concepts and development updates to both internal teams and external stakeholders, with an ability to make a compelling case for new products.
9. Documentation & Reporting: Exceptional attention to detail in documenting processes, research, and product development progress. Experience preparing reports and communicating project outcomes to a variety of stakeholders.
10. Problem-Solving: Ability to troubleshoot and resolve challenges that arise during the product development process, including ingredient sourcing, production challenges, or customer feedback, while ensuring compliance with all regulatory and quality standards.

Experience and Qualifications:

1. Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, or a related field. A Master's degree or further qualifications in food innovation or product development would be advantageous.
2. Minimum 5 years of experience in new product development within the food manufacturing sector, specifically in prepared meals or food service industries.
3. In-depth knowledge of Irish food safety regulations, HACCP, and FSAI guidelines.
4. Proven track record in product development, including expertise in ingredient sourcing, recipe formulation, sensory analysis, and gap analysis.
5. Experience in managing cross-functional teams and working closely with customers' NPD teams to develop market-ready food products.
6. Familiarity with stage-gate product development processes and the ability to manage the full cycle from concept through to commercialisation.
7. Strong presentation skills, with the ability to present to customers, sales teams, and other industry stakeholders.
8. Strong understanding of sustainability practices in food sourcing and packaging in the Irish and broader European market.

Ballymaguire Foods
Rathmooney
Lusk, Co. Dublin
K45 NP03
Ireland.