Product Development Manager

Overview:

Product Development Manager | Up to £60,000 base salary | Annual bonus | Chichester

Are you a passionate innovator with a flair for leading teams and bringing creative food ideas to life? At Nature's Way Foods, our mission is to be "The Best at Fresh." We're looking for a Product Development Manager to lead the creation and delivery of innovative, high-quality salad and fresh food products that delight our customers and consumers.

In this pivotal role, you'll lead the development pipeline from concept to launch — transforming consumer insights, customer briefs, and category trends into commercially successful products. You'll collaborate with Development Chefs, process, technical, and commercial teams to ensure every product reflects freshness, quality, and creativity. As a key leader in our innovation function, you'll also oversee the management of our point 74 product lifecycle management (PLM) system, ensuring projects are delivered on time, to brief, and within budget.

What you get from us

• Base salary of £50,000 – £60,000 dependent on experience
• Annual bonus
• Employer matched pension up to 5%
• Health cash plan
• Flexible benefits including corporate gym discounts, shopping discounts, enhanced maternity & paternity policy and many more
• Access to online GP & life assurance

Key responsibilities

• Lead the NPD and EPD pipeline for assigned retail and foodservice customers, ensuring all projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to brief
• Translate customer briefs and category opportunities into innovative, commercially viable concepts aligned with Nature's Way Foods' "Best at Fresh" vision
• Oversee the full product lifecycle — from idea generation and recipe development through to factory trials, sign-off, and launch
• Manage and maintain the point 74 PLM system, ensuring all data and documentation are accurate, current, and compliant
• Collaborate with Development Chefs, Process Technologists, technical, and operations teams to ensure product feasibility and scalability
• Partner with commercial and category teams to deliver customer expectations and profitable, insight-driven launches
• Use market data, trend insights, and consumer feedback to identify and develop new product opportunities
• Support customer presentations and range reviews with compelling, insight-led recommendations
• Ensure all products meet food safety, quality, and shelf-life standards in collaboration with technical teams
• Manage costings and sustainability considerations to achieve commercial and environmental targets
• Lead, coach, and develop the Product Developer, fostering creativity, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Deliver a three-year rolling innovation pipeline aligned with strategic goals and customer requirements

Requirements

• Proven experience in product development or innovation leadership within fresh, chilled, or short shelf-life food manufacturing
• Strong understanding of the NPD process from concept to launch
• Experience using a PLM system (Point 74 experience highly desirable)
• Excellent project management and organisational skills, able to manage multiple priorities
• Experience working with major UK retailers and/or foodservice customers
• Strong communication, influencing, and presentation skills
• Commercial acumen with the ability to balance creativity, cost, and operational feasibility
• Passionate about food, innovation, and delivering exceptional freshness
• Full-time role, with a minimum expectation to be in the Chichester office four days per week

About us

Nature's Way Foods is the leading manufacturer of prepared salads, coleslaw, and "food-to-go" for supermarkets. We work closely with farmers across Europe to deliver exceptional quality and freshness. But there's more to us than the products we make.

Our culture is inclusive and our people are diverse, spanning 39 different languages across four manufacturing facilities capable of producing over 400 million units per year. It's an exciting time to join Nature's Way Foods — we're growing rapidly and there are genuine opportunities to progress within the organisation.

Interested?

Click apply, submitting an up-to-date CV. We look forward to hearing from you.

At Nature's Way Foods, we believe that diversity and inclusion are key to driving innovation and achieving excellence. We're committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. Join us in our mission to create a more inclusive and fairer world. Together, we can become Best at Fresh.