Head of Partnerships & NPD (F&B)

Role Overview:
This role owns the organization's Food & Beverage innovation strategy, building a pipeline of new products that resonate with customers and drive sustainable growth. It combines two things: spotting food and consumer trends and turning them into winning product concepts, and forging partnerships with brands, chefs, suppliers, and other food innovators to create differentiated offerings.
Key Responsibilities:

• Set and drive the F&B innovation strategy and manage the product pipeline.
  
• Identify consumer and market trends and translate them into new product concepts.
  
• Own the full development cycle: ideation, recipe formulation, testing, and commercialization, through to post-launch review.
  
• Build and manage partnerships with external brands, chefs, suppliers, and innovators for exclusive/differentiated products.
  
• Work cross-functionally to ensure execution, quality, feasibility, and profitability.
  
• Track new product performance and continuously optimize the portfolio.
  
• Champion innovation and customer-centric thinking org-wide.
  

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Culinary Arts, Nutrition, or related field.
  
• 10–15 years' hands-on experience in food product development/innovation, within retail, food service, food manufacturing, or consumer goods.
  
• Track record of launching commercially successful food products.
  
• Solid grasp of consumer trends, formulation, ingredient functionality, food safety, and commercialization.
  
• Proven ability to build and manage external brand/supplier partnerships.
  
• Strong commercial instincts - balancing creativity, customer appeal, feasibility, and profit.