Lead Product Developer - Hospitality (Food & Drink)

· Comprehensive, relevant, and up to date understanding of food ingredients, lifestyle, retail and packaging trends that influence the customer, the market and potential product direction.

· In depth understanding of the business and competitor product categories and the products within them - covering existing range, the retail competition.

· Understanding and ability to clearly articulate good, better, best tiering where relevant with clear product values against each tier in line with the product strategy.

· Identify and write product strategies for large product areas including cross category initiatives for the total food group.

· Developing market first product ranges which create true shopping solutions for customers which are likely to involve large scale transformation of total categories.

· Lead and input into category strategy with Trading Manager, Lead Product Developer, Brand & Marketing, Technologist and Buyer

· Initiate, interpret internal and external sources of data and customer insight to create product proposition plans, demonstrating leadership in product quality, thinking and innovation.

· Clearly articulate product requirements and work in partnership with relevant supply base colleagues to deliver 'best in class' innovative products.

· Identify commercial product development opportunities within own area of responsibility as well as identifying larger business commercial opportunities for new ranges or supplier opportunities.

· Follow Stage and Gate development process, managing projects to ensure critical path targets are met, communicating with internal and external stakeholders as well as identifying more efficient ways to unlock projects/product development at pace to fulfil key business initiatives and customer needs.

· Write packaging design briefs in collaboration with key stakeholders capturing external benchmarks, relevant customer and market insight.

· Continually monitor performance of new product development in the marketplace and agree appropriate action with category team.

· Continually ensure personal behaviour reflects the vision and values of the business.

· Lead on product quality standards setting the benchmark for the industry, identifying relevant benchmarks and centres of excellence.

· Proactively uses tools, data and insight to driven actions and decisions - these can include: Internal benchmarking, Store tastings, Wirral, One Pulse/VYPR, Brand insight, Home evaluation, Customer feedback, CIU, Awards feedback.

· Identifies opportunities to bring on board new suppliers to deliver market leading innovation, ensuring protection for business development through relevant legal documents and agreements.

· Fully conversant with internal systems to ensure new products are delivered against the relevant critical paths. Additionally, can coach and mentor others and act as a superuser.

· Ensure continuous personal development and learning, coaching and mentoring product developers to further develop technical and business competency skills.

· Continue to develop a direct and positive relationship with internal and external stakeholders, working collaboratively to deliver results.

· Can represent function or head of product at internal/external meetings, presentations & events.

· Co-ordinate complex multi-source information into relevant internal documents for meetings and stakeholders.

· Support the development and coaching of other members of the product development team.

· Focused, innovative and high-quality product ranges in line with business values

· Deliver KPI's for quality and Innovation

· Sales and market share targets

· Successful new product development for the category/project

· Deliver product to meet the "Brand Values" of the category/sub brand

· Experience across multiple areas of food or drink development.

· Active interest in food, culinary trends and food development.

· Excellence in product innovation with the ability to apply culinary knowledge and skills to multiple areas of product development

· Ability to apply strategic thinking using market and customer data to develop product propositions that ensure we lead the market

· Ability to demonstrate commercial acumen and use commercial knowledge to build clear

· Ability to coach and mentor colleagues to drive a high performance culture

· Highly organised at managing multiple projects as well as being at a self-starter with problem solving mind set to unlock and over come issues

· Ability to drive and create new processes.

· Influencing and communicating

· Positive and self motivated outlook