PRODUCT DEVELOPER: SWEETS & GIFTING
Listing reference: woolw_000334
Listing status: Under Review
Apply by: 18 July 2022
Position summary
Industry: FMCG & Supply Management
Job category: FMCG, Retail, Wholesale and Supply Chain
Location: Cape Town
Contract: Permanent
Remuneration: Market Related
EE position: No
Introduction
To interpret customer needs and lifestyle trends to deliver a product development plan that delivers leading innovation, maximises core growth, ensures consistent high quality, value for money and exceeds our customer’s expectations, whilst contributing to the respective category’s overall profitability
Job description
- Develop and implement category and supplier strategies
- Identify, analyse and interpret lifestyle, retail and food trends to ensure that the category continues to deliver strategic leading edge innovation and profitable sales growth
- Using lessons learnt to analyse catalogue and identify product eliminations, upgrades and new opportunities to maximize the category
- Plan , project manage and implement the product innovation 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 CPA
- 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 product strategy
- 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 brand values of product
- Adopt a customer- facing way of working and gain an intimate understanding of the various segments through research and customer focus groups
Minimum requirements
- BSc Consumer Science or Culinary qualification is mandatory
- 5 years foods product development or related foods experience
- Strong culinary and food preparation skills
- A superior palate and sensor evaluation skills
- A superior eye for detail and product flair is essential
- Ability to analyse data, interpret and drive innovation strategy across category
- Understanding of retail, foods & lifestyle trends and target market & range segmentation
- Customer centric , Customer knowledge & understanding
- Passion for food with ability to transfer passion into commercially viable product
- Strong planning and project management skills
- Results driven
- Innovative / continuous improvement mind-set
- Team player with appreciation of diversity
- Computer literate
- Strong communication skills (both written and verbal)
- 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 within in a matrix and lead / drive cross group projects
- Strong presentation, communication and negotiation skills
