Concept Trials Manager Food To Go

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Job Posting Closing Date: midnight Tuesday 17th March 2026

At Henderson Group, we are proud to be Northern Ireland’s leading food service provider. Our group encompasses Henderson Wholesale, Henderson Retail, Henderson Food service and Henderson Group Property. We employ over 5,500 staff and have been placed 5th in Ulster Business Top 100 Companies 2024.

We're a family-owned team that cares about our people and the community in which we live. Our leaders care about employees, and our employees succeed together and celebrate the success of others. We are interested in your aspirations, interests and skills and we strive to support and inspire you to do well.

Henderson Wholesale is a leading Wholesaler in Northern Ireland and supplies goods to over 500 stores across various brands such as SPAR, EUROSPAR and VIVO. We source from local farmers, growers and producers and are proud to contribute to our local economy and environment.

We achieved Gold accreditation against the Investors in People standard framework in 2023 in recognition of people management excellence and our commitment to investment in people.

The Food to Go and In-Store Bakery categories are undergoing significant transformation and growth. This pivotal role will help drive operational efficiency, generate actionable insight, and support the delivery of innovative new concepts across our retail estate.

You will contribute to both the strategic and operational development of new Food to Go and Bakery initiatives, ensuring they meet world‑class standards. The role holds responsibility for designing and delivering robust trials of new concepts, using data and analysis to inform decisions on wider rollout.

You will also be accountable for achieving agreed sales and margin targets in line with KPI objectives.

• Manage the Implementation of new concepts at store level and support store teams to optimise workflows and labour efficiency
• Evaluate in-store trials to assess the commercial and operational viability of new concepts.
• Analyse performance data and develop dashboard reports based on agreed success criteria (sales, margin, labour and participation) and provide clear recommendations on rollout.
• Contribute operational insight to NPD development and ensure concepts align with operational standards.

• Drive best practice in launching new products and concepts through training and clear communication.
• Coordinate communication plans across key stakeholders.
• Ensure new concepts deliver a high‑quality, customer‑focused food offer in store.

• Develop and deliver training and implementation programmes to set stores up for successful trials.
• Provide structured feedback and identify opportunities to improve products, processes, equipment and service.
• Maintain and enforce high standards of food safety and operational excellence.

• Build strong relationships with store, area and development teams to deliver initiatives effectively.
• Act as a key point of contact for stores, supporting problem‑solving and continuous improvement.
• Present trial findings and insights to senior stakeholders to support decision‑making.
• Work with suppliers and partners to maximise operational effectiveness.

• Support delivery of sales, margin and cost targets.
• Identify opportunities to reduce waste, improve efficiency and enhance profitability.
• Provide feedback on market competitiveness and performance opportunities.

• Demonstrate strong food handling knowledge and attention to detail.
• Inspire store teams to maintain high standards and embrace innovation.

Joining us as Concept Trials Manager the minimum criteria you’ll need is:

• GCSE English and Math’s (or equivalent) at grade C or above
• Minimum 1 year’s experience within a food service operational role
• Proven experience managing targets and controlling costs
• Demonstrabl…