Product Development Technologist, Product Development Technologist

Product Development Technologist

Location: Craigavon

About The Role

Are you passionate about food innovation and bringing exciting new products to market? We are looking for a Product Development Technologist to join our dynamic Product Development team.

In this role, you will work closely with site teams, customers, chefs, and cross-functional stakeholders to support the end-to-end development of new and existing food products, from initial concept through to successful launch. You will play a vital role in delivering customer-focused development and innovation, supporting business growth, and helping to shape the future food agenda at Pilgrim's Europe.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a passion for food, strong organisational skills, and a desire to develop a career in New Product Development (NPD).

Product Development & Innovation

• Support the delivery of customer-focused and commercially viable NPD and EPD projects.
• Assist in transforming customer briefs and innovation ideas into successful product launches.
• Ensure products meet customer codes of practice, legislative requirements, allergen standards, sustainability objectives, and welfare standards.
• Contribute to innovation sessions, customer presentations, and product ideation activities.
• Help identify opportunities for product improvement, value creation, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
• Flexibility to travel for training and business requirements such as customer submissions and supplier visits. Full UK driving license is essential.

Project Management

• Support projects through the development gate process, ensuring all information is accurately maintained within recipe management systems.
• Build recipes and products to generate accurate submissions forms and costings.
• Assist and delegate the preparation of customer product submission samples.
• Assist with project planning, critical path management, and cross-functional communication.
• Support artwork approval processes to ensure compliance with legal and customer requirements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Commercial, Operations, Procurement, Technical, NPI, and Customer teams to deliver projects successfully.
• Support feasibility assessments for new products, ingredients, processes, and packaging solutions.
• Participate in customer visits and presentations.
• Maintain documentation to support internal and external audit requirements.

Market & Consumer Insight

• Stay informed about food, consumer, restaurant, and market trends.
• Monitor competitor activity and emerging food innovations.
• Support the development of customer roadmaps aligned with market trends and site capabilities.
• Bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm to future innovation and NPD projects.

We're looking for someone who is enthusiastic about food, highly organised, and enjoys working in a collaborative environment.

• Experience with in a Product Development or food manufacturing environment is advantageous but not essential.
• Understanding of product costing, ingredient sourcing, packaging, or supply chain processes would be beneficial.
• Strong project management and organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects at once.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Analytical mindset with exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Experience working with cross-functional or geographically diverse teams would be advantageous.

• Relevant food industry qualification and/or practical experience.
• Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Marketing, Business, or equivalent qualification is desirable.

At Pilgrim's Europe, Our Values Drive Everything We Do

• Availability
  - We are open, responsive, and ready to embrace new challenges.
• Humility
  - We listen, collaborate, and value the views of others.
• Discipline
  - We consistently deliver on our commitments.
• Sincerity
  - We act with honesty, respect, and integrity.
• Ownership
  - We take responsibility and make things happen.
• Determination
  - We strive for excellence and continuous improvement.
• Simplicity
  - We focus on what matters most to achieve success.

If you're passionate about food innovation and want to be part of a business that is shaping the future of the industry, we'd love to hear from you.