Process Development Technologist

About us

Here at Natures Way, we love food!

It all started in 1994 with bagged salad and now we are a leading and award winning manufacturer of fresh convenient 'food to go' such as prepared salad and fruit, dressed salads, coleslaw and potato salad to name just a few, supplying to some of the UKs largest household name supermarkets and restaurants.

Operating from three sites on the scenic south coast, Natures Way Foods (NWF) is now one of the largest employers in the area. We're immensely proud to employ a diverse team of nearly 1200 talented, committed and high performing people, valuing their individual strengths, talents, industry knowledge and experience.

About the role

We have a fantastic opportunity to join our innovative, forward thinking and highly skilled Process team as a Process Development Technologist. This role is an excellent opportunity to be able to enhance your professional experience within a wide range of food categories such as produce, proteins, fruit, vegetables as well as dry goods and packaging.

Your primary responsibility will be to deliver against all stages of the product development process through effective ownership of each department's stage. You will work closely with the new product development team as well as engaging with stakeholders across each department in the business to successfully launch projects from concept to completion.

Here's a bit more detail:-

Project manages Concept Delivery through scale up factory validation and cross functional project organisation
Plan, lead and execute factory development trials to ensure products are manufactured consistently and are reproducible.
Responsible for documenting and communicating changes to product formulations and processing parameters during the trialing phase.
To maintain accurate records of all process trials and formulations
Attend Customer Development meetings and be a key contact during concept delivery to ensure a collaborative and transparent transition from product concept to final product.

About you

You're a confident communicator with the ability to engage and influence across all departments. You will need to be tenacious with a strong mindset and ability to work to tight deadlines and to work under pressure. Our ideal candidate will be able to work with pace but maintain attention to detail. We will also encourage you to bring forth your own ideas for practical solutions to problems and efficiency improvement.

If you have the following knowledge and experience, we want to talk to you:-

• Experience in a Process Development role within a manufacturing/ food production environment
  
• Knowledge of the stage gate/development and trial process
  
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills
  
• Strong communication skills and the ability to build and maintain effective relationships with both internal and external stakeholders
  
• A passion and enthusiasm for the food industry and our products
  
• Customer focused

These would be a bonus too:-

• HACCP/Food Hygiene/Food Safety Training
  
• Degree in Food Science or similar related
  
• Experience with retailers and their processes
  
• Lean or Six Sigma training

The Perks

We want you to love working for us and what you do, so we have put together a great package of benefits:-

• A competitive salary plus performance related bonus
  
• Company pension
  
• 25 days' holiday plus 8 bank holidays
  
• Healthcare package
  
• Life Assurance policy
  
• Employee Assistance Programme
  
• Exclusive online benefits and discounts

About the office location

Commuting here is a breeze! All three sites are located close to the bottom of the A3 and M27, surrounded by fields and serenity. Our offices are modern, bright and airy with free parking onsite.

What to do next…We really hope this has piqued your interest and would love to hear from you. Click the 'apply' button today and our expert internal recruitment team will be in touch!

If you aspire to work in a fast-paced business that is growing from strength to strength, join us. You'll not only find this a brilliant place to work but also a dynamic business you can take pride in being a part of.
We always love to hear from great people too, so don't forget to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and become a fan on Facebook. We're also proud to say we're an equal opportunities employer.

Keywords:- NPD, Product Development, Project Manager, FMCG, Development, EPD, process technologist, development technologist, process development #NWF