The Role:

In your role you will report to the Assistant NPD Manager. You will be tasked with driving our “Food on the Move” Innovation development in line with DELI LITES strategy.  You will play a key role in assisting with managing all NPD and EPD projects from concept to launch, working closely with all key stakeholders, ensuring these projects are delivered on time.

As Assistant NPD Manager, you will echo the quality, legality, and authenticity of all our values at DELI LITES and give customers the opportunity to achieve their extraordinary results through the passion we have for our people and food.

As NPD Lead, you will echo the quality, legality, and authenticity of all our values at DELI LITES and give customers the opportunity to achieve their extraordinary results through the passion we have for our people and food.

Your Duties:

• Act as a deputy to the Assistant NPD when manager when they are not available, representing the department in both internal and external meetings.
• Proactively driving key actions on NPD and EPD projects, aligned with the strategic business plan.
• Creation of project plans and critical paths, allocation of project teams, tasks and responsibilities.
• Following a best practice NPD process and assisting with implementing relevant NPD systems, processes and software to ensure the business deliver more effective NPD.
• Overseeing the integration of new products into Operations to include a comprehensive, documented handover and necessary follow ups post launch.
• Lead on ensuring best practise sample submission to customers. Work closely with chefs to ensure all the relevant product information is submitted in a timely manner.
• Proactively stay in touch with the market including interpreting and monitoring consumer trends, new relevant concepts and product innovations.
• Lead the company’s benchmarking schedule, producing reports and providing feedback to key stakeholders.
• Creation and maintenance of comprehensive NPD/EPD project documentation including all required legal compliance paperwork.
• Working in collaboration with the team you will work towards data driven KPIs.
• Coordinating, facilitating and reporting on trade events, supplier visits and onsite innovation days that help to identify new and innovative ingredients and suppliers, that ensures we remain innovative and deliver better on customer briefs.
• Build and maintain relationships with business representatives and stakeholders at head office and sites and act as the primary point of contact for the project or portfolio.
• Assist in the development of consumer friendly and market leading packaging and labelling across all product categories – Chilled, Frozen and Bakery. Present new concepts, that are aligned to our sustainability programme, to the NPD, Commercial and Operations team.
• Support research projects identified by the company that feed into the strategic business plan. 

Desired Criteria:

• A passion for food and an interest in consumer & market trends
• Experience in project management & organisational skills with the ability to manage projects on time, on budget with measurable outcomes.
• Ability to deliver accurate and concise reports regarding project(s) status
• Have a can do mentality and used to problem solving
• Resilience combined with emotional intelligence to build collaborative powerful relationships
• Sound knowledge of problem solving and facilitation techniques
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Data Driven with commercial awareness
• Computer literate (MS Office, Intact, Powerpoint)

At DELI LITES IRELAND we have a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections and groups within the community. DELI LITES IRELAND is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age.