NPD

Innovation and Concept Design Lead (NPD Front-End Focus)Are you a visionary thinker with a passion for pets, nutrition, and cutting-edge product design? We''re looking for an Innovation and Concept Design Lead (NPD) in pet food and treats - translating insights and trends into the next generation of products for dogs, cats, and small animals.This is a unique opportunity to combine creativity, science, and strategy - shaping a pipeline of concepts that keep us at the forefront of pet health and wellbeing.What You''ll DoFront-End Innovation: Spot market gaps, consumer needs, and whitespace opportunities through research, trend analysis, and competitor scanning.Concept Development: Design and present compelling product concepts (briefs, prototypes, samples) that are nutritionally aligned and market-ready.Ingredient and Format Innovation: Explore and validate novel ingredients (functional, sustainable, alternative proteins) and formats (extruded, baked, semi-moist, artisanal).Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Marketing, NPD, Commercial, and Technical teams to bring ideas to life - from ideation through to scale-up.Supplier Engagement: Build relationships with ingredient suppliers and technology partners to source innovative solutions.Governance and Process: Own the stage-gate process from idea generation to handover, ensuring projects are feasible, compliant, and aligned with strategic goals.Future Technology: Identify and champion emerging technologies that keep us ..... full job details .....