Senior npd technologist - Tattenhall, Cheshire

Senior NPD Technologist

Job description

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About the Company:

Since 1989 Beechdean Dairies Ltd have been producing high quality Ice Cream for the retail and Out of Home market. It has grown into one of the UK leading Ice Cream manufacturers.

Our purpose is to be a serious challenger in the world of ice cream and use our voice to shout about the things that matter to us, and our promise is to bring attitude without apology and indulgence without compromise. It’s people that makes us a quality producer making quality products.

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Job Purpose:

 

The Senior NPD Technologist is responsible for leading the development and delivery of new ice cream products from concept through to launch across retail and food service channels. This is a hands-on role requiring both technical expertise and strong organisational capability, combining product development, customer sample creation, and full ownership of the NPD stage-and-gate process.

The role ensures that all products are developed to meet quality, safety, commercial, and customer expectations, while maintaining accurate and compliant documentation throughout the development lifecycle.

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Product Development & Innovation

· Lead the end-to-end development of new ice cream products, from concept through to launch.

· Formulate and refine recipes, balancing quality, cost, and scalability.

· Work alongside the Product Technologist to create high-quality customer samples to meet briefs and timelines.

· Continuously explore new ingredients, flavours, formats, and technologies.

· Present samples and concepts internally and, where required, support the Client Service and Sales Team with customer presentations.

· Ensure all required documentation is completed accurately at each stage of development.

· Own and maintain all NPD documentation, including: development records, recipe sheets, product database, factory documentation, HACCP documentation and risk assessments, ensuring NPD project folders are kept up to date.

· Ensure all products meet food safety, legal, and customer-specific requirements.

· Plan, coordinate, and attend factory trials and / or new product launches to ensure successful scale-up from kitchen to production.

· Provide guidance and direction to the NPD Administrator.

· Delegate and oversee administrative and research tasks where appropriate.

· Stay informed on market trends, competitor activity, and industry developments.

· Use insights to drive innovation and continuous improvement within the product range.

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Essential:

· Proven experience in a food manufacturing NPD role, ideally within ice cream or frozen desserts.

· Strong hands-on product development and formulation experience.

· Experience managing multiple projects through a stage-and-gate process.

· Solid understanding of food safety, HACCP, and regulatory requirements.

· Strong organisational skills with excellent attention to detail.

· Ability to manage documentation and technical records accurately.

· Exposure to factory trials and product scale-up processes.

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Desirable:

· Experience working with retail and/or food service customers.

· Food science or related qualification.

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Personal Attributes

· Highly organised and methodical, with the ability to manage complexity.

· Creative yet practical, able to turn ideas into commercially viable products.

· Proactive and solution-oriented.

· Strong sense of ownership and accountability

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Why work for Beechdean?

As an employee of Beechdean you will be entitled to the following:

· There are varied opportunities for career progression for those who are eager to learn!

· A supportive and friendly working environment in which culture is at the heart of what we do.

· Family run company with a long history of sustainable success and developing people inhouse

· We provide a long service reward to show our appreciation to loyalty at Beechdean and a birthday bonus which is paid in the payroll of your birthday month. This also increases every year you work for us!

· A ‘refer a friend’ programme to ensure we are recruiting the best people we can to help drive our business forward.

· Free, onsite parking located in the picturesque village of Tattenhall, Cheshire.​

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To apply please email your CV to HRBDN@Beechdean.co.uk