Development Account Manager

Development Account Manager - Bakery

South Wales

Are you an experienced food development professional who enjoys taking products from an initial idea all the way through to a successful launch?

I’m recruiting for a Development Account Manager to join an established gluten-free bakery manufacturer in South Wales.

This is a customer-facing NPD role with responsibility for managing both NPD and EPD projects from concept through to launch , combining product development, commercial awareness, project management and retailer relationships.

The role:

• Manage NPD and EPD projects from concept through to launch
• Own critical paths and ensure projects are delivered on time
• Develop innovative gluten-free bakery products in line with customer briefs and market trends
• Work closely with Commercial, Technical, Process, Operations, Purchasing and Planning
• Build strong working relationships with retail customers
• Attend customer presentations, product reviews and meetings
• Manage benchmarking, tasting panels and development documentation
• Work with suppliers to identify new ingredients, raw materials and packaging
• Support factory trials, pre-production and product launches
• Identify opportunities for cost reduction, margin improvement and process optimisation
• Support Blue Sky innovation and future product development
• Ensure products meet customer standards, food safety requirements and commercial expectations

What we’re looking for:

• Minimum 5 years' experience within food manufacturing
• Strong NPD/product development experience
• Bakery experience would be highly advantageous
• Experience managing products through the full concept-to-launch process
• Strong customer-facing and presentation skills
• Commercial awareness and understanding of product feasibility and profitability
• Ability to manage multiple projects and critical paths in a fast-paced environment
• Confident working cross-functionally with Technical, Commercial and Operations
• M&S systems knowledge would be advantageous

This could be a strong opportunity for an experienced Product Developer, Senior Product Developer, Development Technologist or NPD professional ready to take greater ownership of customer accounts and development projects.