New Product Development (NPD) Food Technologist

Job purpose

Sitting within the product development function this role is at the forefront of O'BFF's Leeming Bar product development program. Working across the cross functional departments you will play a pivotal role in ensuring our values, Better Made, Better for You and Better Sourced are at the forefront of our products.

In this role you will routinely engage with our customers and suppliers as well as other teams to collate and share information on our raw materials and finished product specifications. You will actively support the onsite team with new concept development.

You will take a key role in managing our NPD Process helping to ensure we are always able to deliver great tasting, quality, and nutritious food to our customers.

As a Food Technologist you will be supported to stay up to date with food legislation, as you will play a key role in the implementation of any change.

We are continually striving to improve our products and processes; in this role you will be encouraged to make suggestions to your colleagues based around your experience and research and to challenge ways of working to drive continuous improvement across the team and wider business.

Pre- Requisite Responsibilities

1. Health +Safety (Do the Right Thing)
2. Proactive approach to creating a H&S culture within team
3. Accountable for delivering H&S metrics
4. Responsible for supporting H&S on compliance and H&S system management
5. Responsible for supporting SLT on delivery of H&S strategy
6. Providing a safe and positive environment for our colleagues

Food Safety + Quality (Bring Better Quality Food to Everyone Every Day)

1. Ensuring all products produced and dispatched are compliant with Food Safety Regulations
2. Ensuring that all activities managed in line with external audit standards (BRC) and or customer specifications
3. Taking a pro-active approach to product quality and good manufacturing practice.

Culture - Care, Commitment, Trust

1. Operating and communicating with colleagues in a respectful and positive manner
2. Pro-actively supporting colleagues in achieving personal and company goals
3. Positively growing a positive working environment encompassing all pre-requisite responsibilities
4. Be self-aware as a leader. Be open to change. Listen to ideas & concerns openly.
5. Show people that you care by giving genuine feedback on ideas & concerns & rewarding if/when relevant.
6. Communicate effectively. Always remain professional & calm. Always do the right thing.
7. Acknowledge & address your mistakes with honesty & integrity

Continuous Improvement (Entrepreneurial Spirit)

1. Developing teams to embrace and drive a continuous improvement culture
2. To develop and improve people, yield, throughput
3. Work collaboratively to improve results on identified projects
4. Reduce waste (utilities, product, packaging)

Duties and responsibilities

1. Work cross functionally, across all relevant departments on the development and delivery of customer specific product concepts.
2. Working in fast paced environment while managing several growth enhancing customer specific projects.
3. Responsible for specific customer accounts and the management of delivery of high-quality product concepts in response to relevant customer briefs.
4. Liaise with production regularly in relation to the introduction of new products.
5. Documentation of all trial/sample data, pictures, and SOPs.
6. Liaise with suppliers and source new ingredients and packaging innovations.
7. Support on customer meetings and presentations for the specific customer accounts.
8. Driving the agenda to deliver first to market solutions that are customer specific and value enhancing.
9. Manage the NPD / EPD projects in line with critical paths.
10. Update internal documents, spreadsheets, and notes.
11. Ensure new products / changes to existing products are produced safely and legally.

Expectations, Competencies & Qualifications

1. Degree in Food Science or similar.
2. You are passionate about food, ingredients and innovate food concepts.
3. You will develop relationships and liaise with Production, Quality, as well as Supply Chain, Commercial and Marketing teams.
4. You have the capability to convey knowledge, passion and confidence when talking about food.
5. You display our core values by being committed and ambitious to excel in the food industry and progress into a management role.
6. You have the ability to think outside the box and identify solutions for the customer that fall within the business strategy.
7. You will be able to multitask and keep several projects running parallel at the same time.
8. You have a deep understanding of Food manufacturing and the transfer of an idea into reality in a large-scale manufacturing environment.
9. Be able to demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate.
10. Can work on your own initiative.
11. Be pro-efficient in Excel and Power Point.
12. Full clean driving license

Working conditions

Here at O'Brien Fine Foods Leeming Bar, we pride ourselves on a culture where everyone is willing to go that extra mile. We have a very strong team of talented employees who make working here an enjoyable experience.

In return for your commitment, passion & drive we will offer you every opportunity to develop and progress within your role and beyond.