Who is New England Seafood International?
New England Seafood International (NESI) was established in 1991 and is an importer and processor of premium fresh and frozen sustainable fish and seafood. NESI employs circa 850 people across three sites in the UK and imports a wide range of wild and farmed fish and shellfish from all around the world. We are part of the Sealaska Corporation, an Alaska Native corporation formed in 1971 and which is owned by 26,000 Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian shareholders, who are all bloodline descendants of the first settlers to the Americas.
Our vision is to “show people how to enjoy fish every day” and we pride ourselves on our supply chain integrity, sustainable sourcing and high-quality product. Our values run through our business and are Respect, Customer Care, By Learning We Grow, Team Spirit and Integrity.
Title: NPD Manager
Reports to: Lead NPD Manager
Location: Grimsby - travel to other sites and customer sites required
Salary: £45,000 DOE
Shift pattern: Monday - Friday
Hours: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Accountabilities

Working with Lead NPD Manager and other cross functional teams you will be responsible for the following:

• Manage customer product development from concept to launch via the Stage & Gate process, ensuring smooth handover to manufacturing and alignment with business and retailer requirements
• Build strong relationships with customer developers to stay front of mind in their strategic plans, while collaborating with the category insights team to share relevant insights
• Set and coordinate standards for customer presentations (product and paper) to position NESI as the centre of excellence for fish development across species and added value.
• Track expenditure and manage spend within budget, as directed by the Lead Product Development Manager.
• Support in managing and optimising our internal development process including both our creative and process development potential.
• Focus on building relationships with internal stakeholders to work cross-functionally to drive continuous improvement in product performance, reduce costs, and identify and evaluate gap-fill opportunities.
• Collaborating closely with suppliers to strengthen relationships, drive forward NPD thinking and concept development, while ensuring procurement teams are kept fully informed
• Gather market and competitor insights through online and in-store reviews to identify gaps and inspire new recipes or innovations.
• Manage critical paths for specific products, coordinating resources to deliver concepts to agreed quality and timelines.
• Ensure all tasks are completed, documented and signed off. As required, guide auditors through the stage-gate process for site-manufactured products.
• Represent the department at regular site-based meetings and share relevant feedback with Development Team.
• Act as a deputy for the Lead NPD manager when required
• Attend trade shows, NPD events and suppliers.

EXPERIENCE:

• Proven experience working cross-functionally in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment, with successful delivery of own-label or branded NPD.
• Experience working on customer own-label agendas, ideally with multiple major UK retailers.
• Strong experience on the full product development process and critical path & project management from concept through to launch.
• Skilled communication who is able to effectively communicate both written and verbal to a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Team player, who is comfortable to work alone, be part of a team or lead a team when required.
• Hands-on approach to development and a genuine interest in food is a must, complemented by strong commercial acumen.
• Understanding of factory environments and Food Industry Technical standards and compliance- HACCP, BRC, etc.
• Up-to-date knowledge on customer codes of practice, government labelling legislation and food trends.
• Excellent computer skills using Business Systems.
• Ideally a Food Science Degree or equivalent with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in a chilled manufacturing environment, some knowledge of fish an advantage.
• Full UK driving licence.

• Manage customer product development from concept to launch via the Stage & Gate process, ensuring smooth handover to manufacturing and alignment with business and retailer requirements
• Build strong relationships with customer developers to stay front of mind in their strategic plans, while collaborating with the category insights team to share relevant insights
• Set and coordinate standards for customer presentations (product and paper) to position NESI as the centre of excellence for fish development across species and added value.
• Track expenditure and manage spend within budget, as directed by the Lead Product Development Manager.
• Support in managing and optimising our internal development process including both our creative and process development potential.
• Focus on building relationships with internal stakeholders to work cross-functionally to drive continuous improvement in product performance, reduce costs, and identify and evaluate gap-fill opportunities.
• Collaborating closely with suppliers to strengthen relationships, drive forward NPD thinking and concept development, while ensuring procurement teams are kept fully informed
• Gather market and competitor insights through online and in-store reviews to identify gaps and inspire new recipes or innovations.
• Manage critical paths for specific products, coordinating resources to deliver concepts to agreed quality and timelines.
• Ensure all tasks are completed, documented and signed off. As required, guide auditors through the stage-gate process for site-manufactured products.
• Represent the department at regular site-based meetings and share relevant feedback with Development Team.
• Act as a deputy for the Lead NPD manager when required
• Attend trade shows, NPD events and suppliers