NPD Co-Ordinator

Job Description

Reporting to the Head of NPD (New Product Development), you will support the progression of customer and strategic concepts through the NPD process to track and deliver launches with clear reporting throughout a controlled process. This role involves cross-functional engagement at all levels, providing transparency of projects and their impact on the business. Leading stage gate meetings and ensuring that we're on track with our critical paths. You will be a to be a person who is happy to challenge the status quo and embrace change.

Working in NPD is a great role for anyone who is passionate about food

Key Accountabilities

• Providing daily support to the Head of NPD.
• Supporting NPD, EPD, and Innovation projects to comply with the NPD stage gate process.
• Ensuring all weekly and monthly meetings follow the NPD process, with smooth execution, pre-reads, and minute-taking to support the team.
• Coordinating with NPD managers and Category managers to ensure all Business Cases are meaningful in advance of meetings.
• Acting as a superuser for the innovations tool, ensuring all NPD stage gate processes are adhered to and trained out to relevant users within the business.
• Maintaining and constantly improving business trackers with clear reporting (Resource mountain set up and maintenance, ROI / NPD sales, Recent launches).
• Organising NPD meeting agendas (NPD monthly, PLR annual agenda).
• Planning and organizing the annual NPD calendar, including Food Tours, Innovation events, Trade shows/events, customer and supplier visits.
• Ensuring all NPD activities are entered correctly into the In River system in a timely manner.
• Regularly liaising with the technical function to maintain BRC compliance.
• Amalgamating relevant trend articles and reports each month (food people & magazine summary) and circulating them to internal NPD, Sales & Marketing teams.

Key Performance Measures/Indicators

• NPD process maintained and followed by all functions.
• All functions of the business trained on the NPD process and following correct procedures.
• Smooth execution of meetings to ensure the above happens.
• NPD reporting.
• Supporting Technologists with workload.
• Scoping of workload and identifying bottlenecks (with resource mountain).

Job Environment

• Based in Bedford, with frequent travel to Milton Keynes and occasional travel to Bagshot.

Work Pattern

• Monday to Friday – 37.5 hours per week between the hours of 8am and 6pm.
• Additional hours may be required to achieve key business objectives, and travel is associated with the role.

Education, Qualifications & Experience

• Experience of working and communicating within a fast-paced environment.
• Experience of using Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint, and Nutricalc would be an advantage.
• Experience of product development or technical experience within the food industry is preferred but not essential.

Person Specification and Skills

• Flexibility: Thrives on a constantly changing and varied work schedule.
• Attention to Detail: Motivated by completing tasks to a high standard. Extremely well-organized, able to plan ahead for the team, and reviews work/projects for optimum results. Always looking for a better way to do things.
• Working with Others: An enthusiastic, collaborative team player but also self-motivated and proactive with the ability to work alone and under pressure.
• Communication: Able to clearly communicate and not be phased by communicating at all levels.
• Company Values: Keen to embrace the company values of “openness,” “Drive,” and “holistic view.”
• Creativity and Love of Good Food: You will be working with a team of people who have a real passion for food and bakery.
• Sense of Fun: Appreciates the importance of fun at work. We strongly believe that excellence in innovation comes from creating a lively atmosphere in the development kitchen and company as a whole.

Location: Bedford (plus travel to Milton Keynes and Bagshot)