Senior NPD Technologist - FTC Maternity Leave cover - 12 months

Who We Are

Science in Sport Group is a world-leader in performance nutrition.

We have two highly regarded brands; SiS which combines world-class knowledge and scientific formulations to provide optimal performance solutions for endurance athletes, supplying over 320 professional teams worldwide. Brand ambassadors include former track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy.

PhD Nutrition is a premium active-nutrition brand targeting the active lifestyle community; fuelled by science our products help maximise performance, whether this is building strength, getting leaner, or everyday wellness. PhD brand ambassadors include leading strength and endurance athlete Ross Edgley.

The two brands sell through the Company's phd.com and scienceinsport.com digital platforms, third-party online sites, including Amazon, and extensive retail distribution in the UK and internationally.

In 2022 the company opened a state of the art 160,000 square foot manufacturing and logistics facility in Blackburn, Lancashire. Providing a significant advantage in product costs and customer response time. And this allows Science in Sport to have the highest standards of quality.

Science in Sport is Performance Solutions partner to Ineos Grenadiers cycling team, Tottenham Hotspur, New York City and OGC Nice football clubs, in addition to being the Official Nutrition Partner to the Milwaukee Bucks, 2021 National Basketball Association Champions and in 2023, winner of the women’s marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Gotytom Gebreslase.

The Role

Reporting to Group Head of New Product Development, Senior NPD Technologist is a food scientist, predominantly responsible for hands-on kitchen sample development and factory upscaling. In this role, Senior NPD Technologist will specialize primarily in protein bars – focusing not only on new products but also on continuous improvement of the existing line(s) from recipe as well as manufacturing process standpoint. The role involves a high degree of autonomy and problem solving alongside strong technical skills, ideally developed in a cookie dough-, protein- bars or functional ingredients category.

• Job Type:FTC Maternity Leave cover - 12 months
• Salary: £35,000
• Working Hours:Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:30pm
• Location:Blackburn

Benefits

• Cycle to work scheme
• Hybrid working (minimum 3 days in the office)
• Product discount
• Birthday day off
• Pension scheme, employer contribution at 4%

The work - Your 4 most important responsibilities

• In-House Manufactured Protein Bar(s) continuous improvement – recipe- and process amend(s) support
• Existing Product Development (EPD) ownership – building a pipeline of product improvements, creating and managing project plans for each, and running EPD meetings driving actions and keeping stakeholders updated
• Formulation and benchtop development of sports nutrition products including ready-to-mix powder blends, gels and bars – protein bars focus.
• Supporting Supply Chain with raw material tenders whilst safeguarding NPD set-out product quality

Accountability – what you are responsible for delivering

• Continuous product improvement of bars, gels and ready-to-mix powder blends – recipes and process (bars focus).
• Formulation and benchtop development of sports nutrition products including ready-to-mix powder blends, gels and bars – protein bars focus.
• Organising- and reviewing factory trials & creating technical reports.
• Supporting Supply Chain with raw material tenders whilst safeguarding NPD set-out product quality
• Ownership of Existing Product Development (EPD) meetings – collaborating with Operations, Technical and Product- Teams

Capability - the skills and behaviours required to do this job well

• Educated to a degree level (Food Technology or similar), food scientist with proven experience in a factory setting
• Background in cookie dough-, protein- bars development (or similar) highly desirable
• Strong understanding of ingredients, recipes, costs and the NPD process
• Self-starter with excellent analytical-, problem solving and project management skills
• Able to run cross-functional meetings and driving actions
• Able to work well under pressure and deliver to tight deadlines

Performance – how you will know you are doing a great job

• Smart Bar product improvement(s) plan(s) clearly set-out with provisional timeline and tangible outcomes (improved product quality over shelf-life and production efficiency)
• EPD meetings run regularly with all the stakeholders informed and/or consulted (as appropriate)
• Supply Chain raw material tender supported timely, unlocking costs-saving without compromising product quality

Specific metrics will be set when in role and will be reviewed and built upon regularly. Alongside this, you will be supported with a personal performance plan that will enable you to continue improving your own performance and impact.

Attributes – experience and mindset that will enable you to do well in this role.

• Enthusiastic and self-driven
• Natural problem solver
• Great communicator
• Excellent food hygiene
• Attention to detail and great mathematical & IT skills
• Adaptability and resilience

Science in Sport Group is an equal opportunity employer; we value diversity and strive to cultivate an inclusive workplace. We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind in regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We fully support reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, to provide an inclusive and welcoming recruitment experience.