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Product Innovation Manager - R&D

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Date: 20-Jan-2023

Location: Hemel Hempstead, GB, HP2 4TZ

Company: Britvic

 

 

Hybrid role - working from home and our offices in Hemel Hempstead and London. 
 
At Britvic we’re on a journey to become the most dynamic soft drinks company. As one of the UK’s leading players in the FMCG market we pride ourselves on setting high standards, being courageous and pushing ourselves to think outside the bottle. 
We offer consumers a range of family favourite and global premium brands such as Robinsons, Tango, J20, R Whites & London Essence. We exist to help people enjoy life’s everyday moments.
 
Our R&D team is uniquely positioned to shape the future of soft drinks by bringing breakthrough innovation to life. We’re people-centred and deeply collaborative to unlock innovation and growth against our four strategic priorities:
  • Build local favourites and global premium brands
  • Flavour billions of water occasions
  • Healthier People, Healthier Planet
  • Access new growth spaces
 
Our R&D team consists of highly trained scientists and professionals who work collaboratively with internal and external expert partners. Our team use science and technology to transform the future of soft drinks, creating products and packaging that help our consumers to ‘enjoy life’s everyday moments’ with a positive impact on environment and society.
 
This role will be responsible for the delivery of R&D projects, in Innovation, Beyond the Bottle and Transformation. Most projects will be run in an incubator model, supporting, and identifying new growth opportunities for Britvic. Working as part of a dynamic, cross functional team, you will own the recipe and process creation for liquid, support live testing and pack technical design.
You will maximise business benefits for global projects, ensuring thorough, robust technical liquid and format expertise is applied with rigor to gain competitive advantage.
 
Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities:
  • Deliver the liquid development required for R&D projects in Innovation, Beyond the Bottle & transformational workstreams, working closely with a cross functional team to ensure appropriate planning, timings and delivery of liquids that delight consumers.
  • Work in an agile, entrepreneurial way delivering short and long-term science programme, creating prototypes to bring new technologies to life from opportunity to solutions. Plan, execute and report trials and market tests to support the innovation projects.
  • Utilise technical skills to successfully translate consumer needs into robust innovation approaches.
  • Create effective partnerships with Digital, Marketing, Supply Chain and Suppliers to enable project delivery of key business objectives.
  • Ensure projects are delivered with appropriate governance and risk management. Ensuring confidentiality and intellectual property rights are appropriately managed; actively managing the mitigation actions, with appropriate engagement with stakeholders.
  • Use strong technical knowledge across liquid and pack, leadership, and influence to provide technical direction, options and solutions which support the delivery of new products and technology, executed against strategy with pace.
  • Establish external relationships to ensure access to latest technology, appropriate support and maximise competitive advantage.
  • Maintain an excellent knowledge of liquid & pack, production processes and techniques, trends & competitors, and new technologies.
  • Maintain and develop capability with new ways of delivering innovation projects, such as Test & Learn, MVP, Design Thinking, LEAN and agile innovation.
 
Knowledge & Skills
  • Advanced skills and understanding of ingredients, processes, nutrition, innovation, and sustainability across beverage categories.
  • Understanding of consumer research and insights, marketing, and commercial functions to support effective cross functional team work on innovation projects, using trend and competitor awareness to inform project briefs.
  • A strategic innovative mindset, comfortable in fast-paced environments with the ability to engage and excel technical detail while considering the bigger picture and “outside in” perspectives.
  • Robust understanding of marketing, legal and technical considerations to be considered for successful product development. Strong knowledge of GMP and local regulations (EFSA/FDA/Reach/HACCP).
  • Broad supply chain knowledge and understanding to support implementation of new products in internal and external production facilities.
  • Familiar of working in an innovation / incubator framework (i.e. Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver).
  • Strong teamwork and leadership skills within cross functional team is essential.
  • Strong Stakeholder Management skills; influencing, communication and engagement.
  • Strong analytical skills; both quantitative and qualitative.
  • Strong project management experience.
  • Working knowledge of IT systems such as MS Office is essential.
 
Qualifications & Experience
  • A-levels essential, degree preferred in a Science discipline (Biology, Chemistry, Food, Nutrition)
  • Experience working within FMCG technical departments, managing delivery of technical projects as part of a cross functional team within a governance or formal process is essential.
  • Proven track record in R&D, specifically product development in food and drink, across multiple categories.
  • Experience of successfully managing multiple projects from concept to implementation.
  • Experience of managing test and learn projects into market (incl. monitoring, evaluation, and benchmarking).
  • Experience of working with manufacturing departments, good understanding of GMP, food safety (HACCP).
  • Experience of managing long term research projects and good scientific research skills.

 

We believe we are stronger together and that’s why we’re committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees. We know that by building a truly inclusive environment where everyone feels celebrated, safe and respected - diversity and wellbeing will naturally thrive