Innovation Manager - Fruit; FTC

Overview

At Yeo Valley, we’ve been making delicious, organic dairy products for over 50 years. As a family-run business, we believe in doing things the right way – sustainably, ethically, and with people at the heart of what we do. Under the direction of the Senior Innovation Manager, the Innovation Manager will lead and manage, with the support of a Senior Development Technologist, the creation and development of insight led new and existing products in the yogurt, ice cream, and desserts categories for specific accounts.

This role collaborates with cross functional teams to deliver cutting-edge, high-quality product concepts aligned with customer and business priorities.
This role is critical in shaping the future of the Yeo Valley Product Portfolio.

• Nominated Lead Yeo Valley Innovation Development contact for all internal and external projects associated with allocated account customer for yogurt/dessert/ice cream.
• Manage specific NPD projects from kitchen concept to Gate 3 approval (kitchen vs factory), ensuring relevant stakeholders are involved at the right stage and the business has clear visibility on the NPD agenda for each customer and the state of play on current projects.
• Coordinate and manage critical paths aligned with stakeholders’ key dates and stages. Identify, solve and communicate problems and resolutions internally and externally. Understand the broader impacts across the department.
• Liaise closely with Insight Manager to provide expertise in food and eating trends and recipe formulation through insight led NPD, food safaris and trawls.
• Develop and maintain excellent customer relationships with defined retailers through a customer ‘intimate’ approach. Explain difficult or sensitive information and be willing to support more junior team members in this area.
• Liaise with current and new suppliers to source new ingredients.
• Ensure products meet the most up to date policy and brand standards for each relevant customer.
• Lead, coach, develop and influence Senior Development Technologists in delivering the customer development plans and be accountable for their performance and results.
• Have overall accountability for the results and performance of their customer accounts with regards to NPD success and reaching targets/objectives.

This is a Fixed Term Contract opportunity to cover maternity leave. The working hours are full time (40 hours per week, Monday - Friday). The role will be based at our Blagdon HQ with regular visits to our Crewkerne site required.

Essential

• Technical Skills – Expertise in product formulation & sensory analysis.
• Project Management – Experience in managing multiple product development projects simultaneously, with a focus on meeting deadlines and managing resources effectively.
• Knowledge of Ingredients – Strong understanding of the functional properties of yogurt, desserts & ice cream.
• Teamwork – Ability to work well with a collaborative, cross-functional team environment and lead in own area of expertise. Ability to encourage & lead within own team.
• Innovation Focus – Passion for staying ahead of trends and a desire to proactively explore innovative ingredients and product concepts.
• Problem solving – Excellent troubleshooting skills and ability to analyse complex technical challenges and implement solutions. Support and mentor team members to reach solutions.
• Communication – Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present ideas and data clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Driver’s License is essential due to multi-site locations.

Qualifications

• Food qualification or previous food manufacturing or catering experience.
• Minimum 5 years of post-graduate experience in a food NPD role, preferably within dairy, desserts or ice cream. Ideally have some people management experience.

Desirable Skills

• Industry Knowledge:
  Strong knowledge of Brands, values & processes as adopted by the retailers.
• Business Acumen - Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify and maximise opportunities while minimising costs.

Personal Attributes

• Creativity Flair & Data relevance – Strong creative…