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Baked Product Development Manager

Billingham (Home of McCoy's, Wheat Crunchies, pombear and more...)

Hybrid (minimum of 2 days per week on site)

Join our snack-loving team! We're looking for a Baked Product Development Manager to join our team at KP Snacks. Fancy being part of a group where your ideas matter and your growth is celebrated? Keep reading - this might just be your next adventure!

This role reflects an exciting shift in our innovation strategy, as we focus on expanding our baked snacks portfolio as part of KP Snacks' long-term growth ambitions.

You'll bring specialist knowledge of baked goods and lead the development and improvement of products from concept through to commercialisation. Alongside this technical focus, you'll play a key role in upskilling the wider R&D team, helping to strengthen our foundational practices in experimental design, reporting, and product development thinking.

Reporting directly into our Head of R&D, you'll collaborate with cross-functional teams across KP and the wider Intersnack Group, including flavour specialists, suppliers, commercial teams, and other R&D experts. You'll also support long-term succession planning, with the opportunity to grow into a senior leadership role over time.

This is an ideal opportunity for someone with both hands-on baked expertise and a desire to develop and influence wider R&D capability.

What's in it for you?

We believe in giving back and making sure you're happy and thriving. Here's a taste of what we offer:

• Annual bonus scheme, with an excellent track record of over achievement.
• £6000 car cash allowance
• Comprehensive Healthcare Support - Access to a Medicash Health Cash Plan or Private Healthcare, including a Digital GP service, Best Doctors (Second Medical Opinion Service), and specialist Cancer Care for peace of mind when you need it most.
• KP Pension Plan - contribution matching up to 7% of your salary
• 25 days holiday + holiday buy scheme
• KP4ME - online benefits, discounts, prizes, competitions and information platform with access to mental, physical and financial wellbeing information and tools

What will you be doing?

• Lead the development of baked snacks
  You'll be responsible for delivering both new and existing product development (NPD and EPD) for baked snacks across our UK brands. This will include recipe formulation, benchtop development, scale-up planning, and overseeing trials at factory level, ensuring every product meets our quality, safety, and brand standards.
• Drive technical trial execution and capability building
  You'll design and lead robust experimental trials, from lab to line, with strong focus on data-led decision-making. Alongside this, you'll help strengthen core R&D skills in the team, such as writing effective experimental plans and technical reports-closing capability gaps and embedding best practice.
• Collaborate across KP and the wider Intersnack network
  Working closely with colleagues in manufacturing, marketing, procurement, and the ISN flavour team, you'll ensure projects are technically sound and commercially viable. You'll also be an active contributor to the Baked Community of Practice, sharing insights and championing technical innovation.
• Influence the UK baked strategy and site readiness
  You'll play a key role in shaping and delivering the baked innovation strategy for the UK business-feeding into both brand development and operational capability building at our Teesside and Tanfield sites. You'll ensure product concepts are factory-ready and transitioned smoothly into production using our P2M and MoPD processes.
• Develop yourself and others
  As a senior member of the team, you'll mentor and coach more junior colleagues, and support talent development across the R&D function. You'll also have the opportunity to grow into a Level 7 leadership role over time, gaining exposure to strategic decision-making and succession planning.

Who are we?

Glad you asked! We're KP Snacks, proud to be part of the Intersnack family. Picture this: over 15,000 of us, spread across more than 30 countries, all working together to create the snacks you love. From Hula Hoops to McCoy's, we're the team behind your favourite munchies.

Here in the UK, we're about 2,400 strong, spread across seven factories and our Slough HQ. But don't let our size fool you - we're as close-knit as they come. We believe in speaking our minds, celebrating our differences, and pushing boundaries together.

Diversity isn't just a buzzword for us. We're on a mission to create a workplace where everyone belongs. So, even if you don't tick every box, we want to hear from you! Your unique perspective could be just what we need. Also, if there's anything we can do to make this process easier for you, just give us a shout.

We'd love to hear from you if you can demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and experience:

• Baked expertise: Experience developing baked goods (e.g. crackers, biscuits) with a strong understanding of ingredients, processes, and functionality.
• Strong technical skills: Confident designing and running experiments, analysing data, and writing reports to support R&D decision-making.
• Project delivery in FMCG: Proven track record of delivering NPD projects in food manufacturing, ideally from concept to launch.
• STEM qualification: A degree in Food Science, Bakery, Engineering, or another STEM discipline; relevant certifications or project management training are a plus.
• Collaborative mindset: Enthusiastic about coaching others, sharing best practice, and contributing to a positive, continuous improvement culture.

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