Development Project Manager

Are you experienced in project management within food manufacturing, FMCG or product development, and enjoy being the person who brings different teams together to get projects delivered?

We are recruiting a Development Project Manager to join an established and successful food manufacturer in central Scotland. This is an excellent opportunity to take ownership of a busy portfolio of NPD and EPD projects, coordinating activity from development through to successful product launch.

Working at the centre of the development process, you'll collaborate with teams across NPD, Operations, Technical, Supply Chain, Procurement and Commercial, ensuring projects remain on track and key milestones, approvals and launch dates are achieved.

This would particularly suit someone who enjoys creating structure, managing multiple priorities and keeping people focused on delivery. You don't necessarily need to be a hands-on food developer; strong project management, stakeholder coordination and manufacturing experience are at the heart of the role.

The Role

You'll take ownership of the project management and governance of development projects across the site. Your responsibilities will include:

• Managing multiple NPD and EPD projects from development through to launch.
• Creating and maintaining critical paths, project plans and key milestones.
• Coordinating cross-functional teams and ensuring actions are completed within agreed timescales.
• Managing project governance, stage gates, documentation, approvals and signoffs.
• Identifying potential risks, delays and dependencies before they impact delivery.
• Challenging and influencing stakeholders where required to maintain project momentum.
• Leading project reviews and providing clear progress updates across the business.
• Maintaining accurate information within product and project management systems.
• Working closely with Operations and Technical teams to support successful factory implementation and product launches.
• Managing competing priorities across a high-volume innovation and development pipeline.

What We're Looking For

We're interested in speaking with candidates who can demonstrate:

• Strong project management and critical path management experience.
• Experience managing several projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Confidence coordinating cross-functional teams and engaging stakeholders at different levels.
• Experience of project governance, stage-gate processes, approvals or structured project delivery.
• Strong organisation, communication and problem-solving skills.
• The confidence to challenge, influence and drive accountability.
• An understanding of manufacturing, supply chain and commercial processes gained within food, FMCG or a comparable manufacturing environment.
• A track record of delivering projects against agreed deadlines and objectives.

Experience within NPD, EPD, innovation or product launches would be particularly advantageous, although candidates with strong project management experience from a relevant FMCG/manufacturing environment are also encouraged to apply.

Knowledge of product lifecycle management systems, ERP/project planning systems, Lean, Six Sigma or Continuous Improvement methodologies would also be beneficial.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This is a role with significant visibility across the business, giving you the opportunity to work with multiple functions and play an important part in bringing new and improved products to market.

You'll be joining an established food manufacturer supplying the UK retail market, with a substantial development pipeline and an environment where effective project management has a direct impact on successful product launches.

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