Product Development Technologist
Premier Foods · Worksop, Nottinghamshire
Our estimate of how close this role sits to decisions about what gets sourced, specified, bought and served. How we score
Why this role matters
Where the work sits relative to real sourcing and menu decisions.
This role gives you a genuine seat in product development — writing the formulations, specifications and technical documentation that decide what goes into a well-known food brand's products, and a mandate to reformulate for "quality, performance, cost, nutrition or sustainability." The advert doesn't tell us whether animal-derived ingredients or plant-based reformulation are part of your current projects, so we can't promise this is where welfare or protein-transition decisions get made today. What it does offer is real fluency: you'll learn how a major manufacturer actually develops and launches products, work across Procurement, Quality and Supply Chain, and build the technical credibility that opens doors into more targeted reformulation or category roles later — the kind where the protein mix on a product genuinely is on the table. Treat this as a step that builds the vocabulary and trust you'll need, rather than a lever you can pull yet.
About the role
Premier Foods is recruiting a Development Technologist for its R&D team at Lifton, Devon — home of the Ambrosia brand. The role sits within R&D and works closely with Operations, Marketing, Procurement, Quality and Supply Chain to deliver innovation, renovation and continuous improvement projects from concept through to commercialisation and launch. Core responsibilities include developing new products in line with the company's innovation and growth strategies, managing multiple development projects simultaneously, and reformulating and improving existing products to enhance quality, performance, cost, nutrition or sustainability. The postholder will create product formulations, recipes, specifications and technical documentation, conduct laboratory, kitchen, pilot plant and factory trials, and evaluate ingredient functionality and processing requirements. They will support successful product launches, ensure project milestones are met, and confirm products meet quality, food safety and regulatory requirements, maintaining accurate technical documentation throughout. The role also contributes to the wider innovation pipeline and continuous improvement objectives. Candidates should ideally hold a degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Product Development, Nutrition or a related discipline, and bring experience within food manufacturing or an FMCG environment. Knowledge of food ingredients, processing technologies and product development processes is expected, along with an understanding of food safety systems, HACCP and food legislation, and experience conducting product trials and commercial production scale-ups. Strong communication skills, confidence working with a wide range of stakeholders, and a proactive, flexible approach to managing multiple priorities are also sought. The role is permanent and full time, based in Lifton, Devon. Benefits include a competitive salary, up to 7.5% pension contribution and life assurance, a Sharesave scheme, the option to purchase additional holiday, learning and development opportunities, and an employee discount scheme.
This is an extract. Read the full advert on the employer's site.
Key terms to include in your CV and cover letter
What this employer asks for, in their own words. Applications are often screened by software matching exact phrases, so where these genuinely describe your experience, use their wording rather than your own.
- new product development
- product reformulation
- product specifications
- technical documentation
- HACCP
- food safety systems
- food legislation
- laboratory trials
- pilot plant trials
- factory trials
- ingredient functionality
- cross-functional collaboration
- stakeholder communication
- food science degree
- commercial production scale-up
- project management
How to position yourself
The language that lands with hiring managers in this kind of role.
Position yourself around commercial and technical delivery: cost optimisation, quality and food safety compliance, and your ability to take a product from concept to launch on time and on spec. Build out your HACCP and food safety systems knowledge and be ready to talk about ingredient functionality and processing trade-offs, since those are the technical credentials this track rewards; if you can speak to reformulation for nutrition or sustainability, make that explicit, as it's the closest thing here to a protein-transition angle.
Applications are handled entirely by the employer — this board links you to their original posting and doesn't collect your details.