Product Developer Job – Meat Specialist – Top National Retailer

Meat Product Developer Job – Cape Town – National Retailer

Our client is a renowned national retailer and they are currently recruiting for a meat product developer job located in Cape Town.

To interpret customer needs and lifestyle trends to create and deliver a world class smoked and cured range from Christmas to basic bacon. It’s all about Pork.

The product development plan that delivers leading innovation, maximises core growth, ensures consistent high quality, value for money and exceeds our customers’ expectations, whilst contributing to the category’s overall profitability. • Give input to and implement category and supplier strategies • Identify, analyze and interpret lifestyle, retail and food trends to ensure that the Global Meals category continues to deliver strategic leading edge innovation and profitable sales growth • Manage and implement the product development process within this selected category to ensure that product ranges are delivered in line with agreed product direction whilst adhering to brand values, within a set CTP • Using lessons learnt to analyze catalogue and identify product eliminations, upgrades and new opportunities to maximize the category • Integrate with cross functional team in commercial, technology and planning wrt the launching of competitive, profitable ranges • Integrate with marketing and sales management teams to ensure maximum product exposure and implementation of initiatives • Implement a product development program to support customer needs and to deliver to the foods directional framework • Develop and maintain sustainable, mutually beneficial long term relationships with suppliers • In conjunction with technical team, set and continuously improve the quality standards of the product ranges, through local and international benchmarking. • Initiate and manage design brief and packaging development for the range, ensuring briefs communicate customer facing messages and tier of product • Adopt a customer- facing way of working and gain an intimate understanding of the various customer segments through research and customer focus groups • Relevant culinary qualification • 3-5 yrs foods product development or related foods experience • Knowledge of meat and experience in the meat industry would be advantageous • Ability to work with and taste all meat products, including pork • Ability to interpret trends, innovation and drive strategies • Superior palate and sensory evaluation skills • Sound understanding of foods, lifestyle trends and our target market • Passion for food/ high level of culinary skills with ability to transfer passion into commercially viable product • Customer orientation • Planning / project management skills • Results driven • Innovative / continuous improvement mindset • Team player with appreciation of diversity • Computer literate • Strong communication, presentation and negotiation skills • Proven commercial aptitude – ability to understand and use financial indicators • Ability to incorporate product strategy into supplier base • Proven ability to work with design team to ensure appropriate visual imagery is developed within the corporate brand identity • Strong integrator – proven ability to work constructively within a matrix structure and drive cross group projects. • Quality mindset with ability to set and improve quality standards within a complex supplier base

To apply for the Meat Product Developer job please send your CV and a photo