Product Development Manager Fresh (Cooked Meats, Bacon & Sausage, Meat Free) 12 months FTCHead Office

Product Development Manager - NPD – Food - Own Brand

Own label (Own brand) new product development is key to our business strategy, driving quality, innovation and newness for our Asda customer to enjoy. You’ll see yourself leading from the front, driving category development and taking responsibility for implementing the Trading and Brand strategy.

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 along with the necessary legal requirements in terms of labelling are met. You will also make sure that your suppliers comply with the Asda policies throughout the product development process.

  • Job Description

Job Description

As a Product Development Manager you be responsible for maintaining product Quality for our customers, drive innovation and product development across Own Label to deliver both newness and incremental sales. You will ensure adherence to the product launch critical path, drive category product reviews and customer focused briefs alongside our trading teams.

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:

  • 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.
  • Conduct reviews of the market; attend trade shows, comp shops, trends workshops.
  • 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 through the 4,8,12 week review.

What you’ll need:

Ideally with previous experience as a Senior Development Technologist or Product Development 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 Value Proposition and Every Day Low Cost initiatives.

Everything you'll love

To ensure we balance moments where we know we need to collaborate together and the need for flexibility, Asda has a hybrid way of working with a minimum 3 days a week in one of our Home Offices. Over and above this, each area of Asda may have additional requirements which may require spending more days in the office, visiting suppliers, stores or depots.

You will also get an excellent benefits package including:

  • Discretionary company bonus

  • Company pension up to 7% matched

  • Company Car allowance of £5,700

  • 15% colleague discount in store and online

  • Free access to wellbeing services such as Stream, 24/7 virtual GP, counselling, health and dental cash plans and a 24/7 employee assistance helpline, alongside discounts across a range of services and activities, from airport parking, enhanced to theme parks and cinemas.

  • Asda Allies Inclusion Networks – helping colleagues to make sure everybody is included and that our differences are recognised and celebrated

  • Excellent parental leave policies, including maternity & adoption leave, paternity leave, shared parental leave, neonatal care leave, and support for those doing fertility treatments.

We want all colleagues to be able to bring their best and true selves to work, every day. Simply put, we want our colleagues to be Proud to be Asda and proud to be themselves

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Rewards and Recognition

Benefits you’ll only find here

10% off Asda pet insurance

10% off selected Asda Pharmacy services

10% off Asda Tyres

10% off Asda Travel insurance

20% off Asda Mobile bundles

Free remote GP service

Available to you, your partner and your children, 24/7, year round.

Pension

Save for retirement with contributions paid into your pension account by you and Asda.

Free physiotherapy consultations

Helping you and your partner take care of yourselves with 8 free sessions per year.

Colleague discounts

15% off at our stores - get discounts on groceries and George all year round.

Car cash allowance

Eligible colleagues will receive a cash allowance as part of their benefits package. In addition, all salaried colleagues can choose to register for the Salary Sacrifice Electric Car scheme*.

(*Conditions apply)

Mortgage advice

Whether you’re a first-time buyer, renewing your mortgage, looking at buy to lets, or simply after some advice in getting a mortgage, get free* unbiased advice through the Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB), one the UKs largest mortgage brokers.

Confidential support helpline

Find free emotional, practical, and financial support that’s fully confidential, through a helpline that’s available 24/7, year round.

Cycle to work

Buy a bike through this scheme and save on tax and national insurance.

Financial support

Find financial wellbeing tools and support, including the ability to stream your pay.

Free eye tests

Head to our in store opticians for a free checkup and take care of your vision.

Bonus

Sharing our success with a discretionary bonus scheme for salaried colleagues that really rewards your contributions.

Cancer support

Guidance and support for you and your family, from before diagnosis, to treatment and beyond.

Paid time off

From holiday to sick leave and other types of leave, such as parental leave.

Mental health support

Access free mental health support for you and your family.

Support and advice with care

If you’re supporting older family or friends with care and support, find free, confidential information, expert support, and guidance about later life care for your loved ones through the Legal & General Care Concierge service.

Hybrid working

To ensure we balance moments where we know we need to collaborate together and the need for flexibility, Asda has a hybrid way of working with a minimum 3 days a week in one of our Home Offices. Each area of Asda may have additional requirements which may require spending more days in the office, visiting suppliers, stores or depots

Save money on every day spends

Access to hundreds of high-street discounted Vouchers, discounts on days out, gym memberships, airport parking, and more

Setting your loved ones up for the future

As part of the team, you’ll get life assurance.

Guaranteed contracted hours

All colleagues are guaranteed weekly contracted hours / guaranteed weekly shifts via their contract of employment which is agreed with the hiring manager.

Holiday buying

Once a year our salaried colleagues are able to buy up to 5 additional days holiday via salary sacrifice (subject to eligibility).

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Here at Asda, we’re dedicated to helping the Armed Forces rediscover their everything after service. We guarantee interviews for people who have left service and meet the minimum criteria for a role, provide leave for reservists’ training, support for cadet training, and employment opportunities for their partners. And that’s why we have over a thousand new colleagues from the Armed Forces Service Leaver Community join us every year.

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Thinking bigger, looking forwards, and always asking what’s next, Our Head Office teams aren’t afraid to challenge how we think, and embrace fresh perspectives, experiences, and change – all to keep us growing.

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Work where it works

Here at Asda, we think that the best way to work is to do it where it works best. That’s why all of our teams who are able to work from home, work with each other to figure out a pattern that works for you all, and the business needs. So you can get the most out of work, whether that’s at home, the office, or both.

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