Head of Food

Position: Head of Food

Location: London Area

This is an exciting opportunity for a senior food professional to take ownership of the quality and NPD function of an established and innovative food business. You will be responsible for bringing new products to market overseeing the whole process from concept through to launch. You will also be responsible for ensuring the highest level of food safety standards.

Head of Food Responsibilities:

• Managing existing 3rd party manufacturers
• Sitting on the senior leadership team and being the representative of all things food across the business
• Monitoring and maintaining the technical compliance of ingredients
• Working with existing technical and factory teams to take NPD from sample through to production run
• Pushing product quality and shelf life through both ingredients and manufacturing processes
• Maintaining relationships with key customers and suppliers, through regular communication and development activities ensuring customer requirements are fully met
• Ensuring our existing products are the highest quality and constantly improving
• Managing customer complaints and feedback and taking relevant steps to resolve issues
• Managing and developing the food team

Product Development:

• Developing the next generation of innovation ensuring our client remains one of the most innovative food companies in the UK
• Improving taste, texture and refreshing existing products
• Researching international markets and understanding different consumer tastes and trends and developing new concepts accordingly
• Managing multiple NPD projects from concept through to launch

To be Successful:

• A high level of understanding of international food trends and of customer expectations
• Ideally you will come from a technical and NPD background with extensive experience in the food industry
• Excellent communication and influencing skills to build relationships with key customers and stakeholders
• Highly innovative with a passion for food
• Highly commercial
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects at the same time
• The agility to work in a fast-paced and dynamic start-up environment