At an exciting time to join the Bakels team, the company has strong plans for expansion over the coming years and looking for a new member of the New Product Development (NPD) team.
Company Benefits
- 10% company pension contributions.
- 25 days annual leave + bank holidays.
- A complimentary extra day holiday for your birthday.
- Company sick pay scheme.
- Enhanced family friendly policies.
- Annual bonus and pay review (non-contractual).
- Free access to Employee Assistance Programme, Financial Advisor, yearly health checks.
- FREE onsite parking, hot drinks, bakery items, canteen facilities.
Position Summary
Working cross-functionally with the Technical application, Sales, Quality, Process, Production and Supply chain teams on development projects to exceed customer expectations in a timely manner. Technologists should strive to continually improve the service which NPD provides to internal and external customers by driving product, process, and efficiency improvements which ultimately increases sales through new and improved product development.
Department
NPD: reporting to Product Development Manager.
Key Areas of Responsibility
- Experience with product development, across confectionery (icings, glazes, sweet fillings etc), oils and fat blends including release agents.
- To increase technical expertise that can be used to deliver solutions to customer requests.
- Following the Bakels stage gate process to deliver development projects in a thorough and controlled manner. Ensuring accurate data is used and working closely with all departments to ensure product launches are ‘right first time’.
- Prioritising projects such that the most valuable and strategically beneficial projects are delivered.
- Working as part of the NPD team as well as cross functional teams to use the best business resources to achieve successful results. Including the investigation of customer complaints or product issues.
- Representing Bakels NPD in front of key customers and suppliers.
- Supporting the Team Manager in driving change and continuous improvement through the team.
- Continually researching markets and technologies to develop new product concepts and processes.
- Ensuring that accurate data is used at launch including QA checks and expected product yields. Working closely with the Quality and Production teams to ensure that products are right at launch and then maintained through all ongoing productions.
- Submitting product costings, using accurate data, to ensure viable costs are given to the Sales team
- To work collaboratively with the wider H&S team and to strive to improve the level of focus on H&S in the business.
Person Specification
- Experience with product development, across confectionery (icings, glazes, sweet fillings etc), oils and fat blends including release agents.
- Experience of working with suppliers and customers.
- Ideally suited to working with fast-paced development projects and achieving tight deadlines agreed to fulfil business needs.
- Strong IT skills using Microsoft products.
- Strong interpersonal skills to enable cross-functional working with other functions within the business.
- Uses own initiative – proactively looks for and take opportunities to do things differently
- Ability to absorb complex data and implement successful resolutions.
- An effective communicator demonstrating the ability to adapt communication style to different situations.
- An individual that role models our key values: Respect, Integrity and Dedication.
