Senior Product Development Technologist
- craigavon, United Kingdom
- Permanent·On-site
- Full time
Job Description
The Vacancy
Senior Product Development Technologist
Location: Craigavon
Department: Product & Innovation
Reports to: Product Development Manager
Shape the Future of Food Innovation
At Pilgrim's Europe , we're passionate about creating innovative food products that excite consumers and drive business growth. We're looking for a talented and driven Senior Product Development Technologist to join our Product & Innovation team and play a key role in bringing new products from concept through to successful market launch.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced food product developer who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys managing complex projects, and has a passion for food trends, innovation, and delivering exceptional products for customers.
The Role
As a Senior Development Technologist, you will take ownership of end-to-end New Product Development (NPD) and Existing Product Development (EPD) projects, working closely with customer teams, development chefs, site teams, and cross-functional stakeholders.
You will drive projects through our concept-to-launch process, ensuring products are commercially viable, technically feasible, and aligned to customer strategies and business growth objectives. Acting as a key link between innovation, development, NPI, and launch teams, you'll help shape the future food agenda across Pilgrim's Europe.
Key Responsibilities
Product Development & Innovation
- Deliver customer-focused and commercially successful NPD and EPD projects.
- Work alongside Development Chefs, Technologists, and Customer Teams to develop innovative food solutions.
- Ensure all developments meet customer requirements, legal standards, allergen controls, sustainability goals, and welfare standards.
- Identify opportunities for product improvement that enhance customer satisfaction and business value.
- Support innovation sessions and customer presentations, bringing market trends and consumer insights to life.
- Become a subject matter expert within your product category.
- Lead projects through the Concept-to-Launch Gate Process, ensuring milestones are met and fully documented.
- Manage project critical paths and coordinate cross-functional teams to deliver successful product launches.
- Assess product feasibility and ensure all developments are technically and commercially viable.
- Build and maintain accurate recipe and costing data within internal systems.
- Support customer relationships by delivering projects on time and managing expectations effectively.
- Ensure products presented to customers are of the highest quality and representative of manufacturing capabilities.
- Challenge and resolve quality or consistency issues quickly and effectively.
- Review and approve artwork to ensure compliance with legal and customer requirements.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives and implementation of best-practice development processes.
- Maintain all required documentation to support internal and external audits.
- Support and coach colleagues to maximise performance and development.
- Conduct regular one-to-one reviews with direct reports where applicable.
- Identify training and development needs within the team.
- Contribute to engagement initiatives and foster a positive team culture.
- Stay ahead of emerging food, consumer, and restaurant trends.
- Monitor competitor activity and identify new business opportunities.
- Support customer roadmaps and innovation strategies aligned to market trends and site capabilities.
- Bring passion, creativity, and food expertise into every project.
We're looking for someone who combines technical expertise with commercial awareness and excellent stakeholder management skills.
Essential Requirements
- Previous experience in a Product Development role within the food manufacturing industry.
- Proven experience launching food products from concept to market.
- Product costing experience.
- Understanding of budgets and commercial drivers.
- Supply chain knowledge, including sourcing ingredients and packaging.
- Strong project management skills with experience managing multiple projects simultaneously.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills.
- Strong analytical ability and attention to detail.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
- Relevant food industry qualification and/or equivalent experience.
- Degree in Food Science, Marketing, Business, or a related discipline.
- Experience within relevant product categories.
- Experience working with geographically dispersed teams.
At Pilgrim's Europe, our values drive everything we do:
- Availability - We embrace challenges and opportunities.
- Humility - We listen, learn, and respect each other.
- Discipline - We deliver on our commitments.
- Sincerity - We act with honesty and integrity.
- Simplicity, Ownership & Determination - We focus on what matters and drive results.
Apply today and help shape the future of food at Pilgrim's Europe.
Our Story
Pilgrim's Europe produces some of the best-known and most iconic brands in the UK and Ireland, including Fridge Raiders, Rollover, Denny, Richmond, Oakhouse and Moy Park, alongside a diverse range of industry leading own-label products in categories including fresh pork, lamb and chicken, working with all the major retailers and food service outlets.
Our portfolio extends to authentic chilled and frozen ready meals, snacking ranges, added value and food service products.
Across Pilgrim's Europe we combine 20,000 of the best people in the industry, united by a shared set of core values and a passion for producing the highest quality, most delicious and innovative food, which is enjoyed by millions of people in the UK, Ireland and Europe every day. Our Pilgrim's Europe team are based in our Pilgrim's UK, Moy Park, Pilgrim's Food Masters and Pilgrim's Shared Services businesses.
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