About The Role
Are you passionate about food innovation and bringing exciting new products to market? We are looking for a Product Development Technologist to join our dynamic Product Development team.
In this role, you will work closely with site teams, customers, chefs, and cross-functional stakeholders to support the end-to-end development of new and existing food products, from initial concept through to successful launch. You will play a vital role in delivering customer-focused development and innovation, supporting business growth, and helping to shape the future food agenda at Pilgrim’s Europe.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a passion for food, strong organisational skills, and a desire to develop a career in New Product Development (NPD).
Location: Craigavon
Product Development Technologist
Key Responsibilities
Product Development & Innovation
- Support the delivery of customer-focused and commercially viable NPD and EPD projects.
- Assist in transforming customer briefs and innovation ideas into successful product launches.
- Ensure products meet customer codes of practice, legislative requirements, allergen standards, sustainability objectives, and welfare standards.
- Contribute to innovation sessions, customer presentations, and product ideation activities.
- Help identify opportunities for product improvement, value creation, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
- Flexibility to travel for training and business requirements such as customer submissions and supplier visits. Full UK driving license is essential.
Project Management
- Support projects through the development gate process, ensuring all information is accurately maintained within recipe management systems.
- Build recipes and products to generate accurate submissions forms and costings.
- Assist and delegate the preparation of customer product submission samples.
- Assist with project planning, critical path management, and cross-functional communication.
- Support artwork approval processes to ensure compliance with legal and customer requirements.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with Commercial, Operations, Procurement, Technical, NPI, and Customer teams to deliver projects successfully.
- Support feasibility assessments for new products, ingredients, processes, and packaging solutions.
- Participate in customer visits and presentations.
- Maintain documentation to support internal and external audit requirements.
Market & Consumer Insight
- Stay informed about food, consumer, restaurant, and market trends.
- Monitor competitor activity and emerging food innovations.
- Support the development of customer roadmaps aligned with market trends and site capabilities.
- Bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm to future innovation and NPD projects.
About You
We’re looking for someone who is enthusiastic about food, highly organised, and enjoys working in a collaborative environment.
Skills & Experience
- Experience within a Product Development or food manufacturing environment is advantageous but not essential.
- Understanding of product costing, ingredient sourcing, packaging, or supply chain processes would be beneficial.
- Strong project management and organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects at once.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
- Analytical mindset with exceptional attention to detail.
- Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
- Experience working with cross-functional or geographically diverse teams would be advantageous.
Qualifications
- Relevant food industry qualification and/or practical experience.
- Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Marketing, Business, or equivalent qualification is desirable.
Why Join Pilgrim’s Europe?
At Pilgrim’s Europe, Our Values Drive Everything We Do
- Availability – We are open, responsive, and ready to embrace new challenges.
- Humility – We listen, collaborate, and value the views of others.
- Discipline – We consistently deliver on our commitments.
- Sincerity – We act with honesty, respect, and integrity.
- Ownership – We take responsibility and make things happen.
- Determination – We strive for excellence and continuous improvement.
- Simplicity – We focus on what matters most to achieve success.
If you’re passionate about food innovation and want to be part of a business that is shaping the future of the industry, we’d love to hear from you.
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