Product Development Manager - Leeds

Advertised Job Title

Product Development Manager - Food

Location/City

Asda House - Leeds

Employment Type

Full-time

Contract Type

12 Months Fixed Term Contract

Salary

Competitive salary plus benefits

Job Category

Product Development - Own Brand

Job Advert

About the Role

Asda are seeking a Product Development Manager to join the team on a 12 Month Fixed Term Contract. This is a highly innovative, fast paced and high profile role within the Fresh Food category.

Asda's Own Brand new product development is key to our business strategy, driving quality, innovation and newness for our Asda customer to enjoy. If successful you'll be joining a team who lead from the front, driving category development and implementing the Trading and Brand strategy across Fresh Food.

As a Product Development Manager you'll ensure that the category delivers against their quality benchmark; that Innovation and newness is landed across your category and that Quality is maintained from initial product concept right through the entire product life cycle to launch. You will also make sure that your suppliers comply with the Asda policies throughout the product development process.

Partnering with stakeholders across the business you will be accountable for setting the range and product strategy based on customer needs and ensuring products are commercially viable and in line with our continuous improvement programme.

You will be passionate about driving quality and continuous improvement and will ensure our products are both great quality and great value for our customers. In line with our Asda Brand benchmarking strategy you will be accountable for managing ongoing improvements of our products to meet customer needs.

From food sourcing plans to PR events and product launches, you will be focused on quality, product specification, labelling, nutrition, legislation and cost. You will champion your category, participate in wider project work cross functionally and/or individually; and deliver in line with the broader business objectives.

Key responsibilities include: 

• Develop first to market products from concept stage through to launch.
• Agree and implement the Quality plans within specific product areas in line with the category/trading strategy.
• Propose individual targets and implement the plans for benchmarking, customer complaint management, and consistency within product area. Develop products and support projects that adhere to Asda's technical and nutritional, legislative policies.
• Accountable for ensuring suppliers within product category meet Asda policies and deliver products against the agreed specifications and measuring supplier performance. Responsible for actioning quality withdrawals for lines that do not meet the set standards across your specific category.
• Accountable for ensuring the legal label on product specifications are accurate and maintained on the specification system adhering to the required timings.
• Accountable for ensuring the Food Sourcing Plan for Own label is implemented and that all product managers within the team, are on board to deliver.
• Conduct reviews of the market; attend trade shows, comp shops, trends workshops where relevant.
• Engage trading/buying teams behind own brand plan delivery and ensure delivery of agreed Iconic heroes for overall product team and own area
• Support internal/External PR of own brand - through presentation to key stakeholders at events both within Asda and with external bodies
• Review post launch sales performance of activity

About You

A passion for quality and consistence and all things food related will place you on the path to success. You will have gained experience within a food manufacturing, food retailing or food technology environment and been instrumental in delivering innovative food products which exceed quality standards.

Ideally with previous experience as a Product Development Manager, Senior Development Technologist or Technical Manager, within either a retail or manufacturing food NPD department, you will have successfully developed new products from concept through to launch.

With strong people and project management skills, you will be passionate about the world of food, be a real 'foodie', and be able to influence and engage wider teams and senior stakeholders.

Your will draw on your background in Food Science, Nutrition, Food technology and/or Quality to create the right plans for delivery; which flex to the changing needs of the business and support our Market Leading

Ideally with a food/nutrition based degree or equivalent qualification, you will demonstrate strong food product development/technical skills combined with a commercial understanding and passion for the customer. You will be a pro-active team member with strong interpersonal, organisation and management skills you will be able to work independently, prioritise effectively and deliver to deadlines within specific timescales

Your Benefits

A competitive salary comes with an excellent benefits package including colleague discount, a competitive pension, company bonus and many additional rewards! Once you're here the development opportunities are as endless as your commitment to your self-development and we will support you every step of the way to help further your career.