Part time, 22.5 hours per week.

Monday, Tuesday and 1 other day.

Innovation has been at the heart of our commercial success for the last 25 years and continues to be at the core of our strategy for growth.

Reporting to the Head of Product Innovation and working alongside another Product Innovation Manager, you will have a key role in creating a dynamic pipeline of innovation initiatives.

You will uncover insights through research, identify new opportunities, evaluate emerging technologies, and develop compelling ideas and proposals.

This hands-on role will require you to design, test, and develop innovative solutions, guiding projects through each stage of the innovation process from the exploration phase through to launch.

This role demands agility in both conceptual and practical thinking, the ability to adapt to evolving information and challenges, and the vision to transform ideas into actionable product and system opportunities.

It would suit someone with experience in the food industry delivering innovation. This could be in product development or in processes. 

You will need strong project management skills, an inquisitive mindset, and the drive to deliver impactful innovation.

apetito is the UK's leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK's largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK

• Support the development and delivery of a forward-thinking innovation programme, cultivating a robust pipeline of compelling product and system concepts.
• Lead innovation projects from initial exploration through to post-launch review.
• Identify and implement innovative new food and system opportunities that create competitive advantage and sales growth.
•  Research and identify product, ingredient, equipment and technology developments as enablers for delivering innovation.
•  Identify and evaluate emerging consumer needs , market developments and trends to uncover unmet needs and whitespace opportunities.
• Collaborate internally and externally (e.g.  academic , industry partners and start-ups) to extend the reach and impact of our innovation activities.
• Support ideation and innovation activities.
• Support on the design and development of concepts & products.
• Undertake research and concept testing and refine product or proposition.
• Build project proposals and gain stakeholder support.
• Support other projects assigned by the Head of Product Innovation.

Essential:

• Experience delivering food related innovation
• Proven track record in leading and delivering successful projects from initial idea through to launch
• An inquisitive, creative thinker with a strong entrepreneurial mindset
• The ability to derive insights from consumer data, observations and new technologies and translate them into meaningful growth opportunities
• Good commercial acumen
• An empathy with the customers and markets that apetito serves and our “making a real difference” mission
• Degree in a relevant subject

Desirable

• Experience in a product development, project management or business development role in the food industry.

• Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 4%
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary
• Subsidised canteen
• Free parking
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

As a family-owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.

We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well-being for all our customers.

We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.

We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI and we are an accredited Living Wage employer.
Learn more about apetito’s commitment to a more sustainable future.

We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff and we're on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.