Food Product Developer

📍Location : Herne Hill, London

🕓 Working Pattern: Monday to Friday, 8:30am – 5:30pm (1-hour lunch break)

📃 Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent

About us:

At Rondanini, we are passionate about creating exceptional food. While our roots are proudly Italian, our reach now goes far beyond – offering a diverse and innovative range of products tailored to today’s ever-evolving tastes. As part of the wider Vita Food Group, we develop, produce and deliver high-quality food to retailers, restaurants and foodservice customers across the UK and beyond.

Behind every great product is a talented team. We are now looking for a creative, detail-focused Product Developer to help us keep our ranges fresh, relevant and ahead of the curve.

About the Role:

This is a hands-on and fast-paced role for someone who’s passionate about food and enjoys turning great ideas into real-world products. You’ll be responsible for developing both branded and own-label products across a variety of categories, working closely with our own manufacturing sites and trusted third-party suppliers.

You’ll report to the NPD Manager and collaborate daily with colleagues across technical, commercial, supply chain and sales teams, as well as directly with customers and manufacturers.

What You’ll Be Doing:

Trend & Insight Gathering

• Research food trends through store visits, social media, restaurants and trade shows
• Benchmark competitor products and identify opportunities for improvement or innovation
• Share trend reports and insights with internal teams and suppliers

Product Development

• Write clear, commercially focused briefs for suppliers and manufacturers
• Develop new recipes in line with customer requirements, technical standards and costing targets
• Ensure all products meet safety, nutritional, quality and legal standards
• Present product concepts and final proposals to customers, including rationale, tiering and packaging

Project Management

• Manage projects from concept to launch, maintaining project trackers and critical paths
• Coordinate and attend factory trials and product launches
• Handle ad hoc sample requests for photography, PR and merchandising
• Maintain accurate records and documentation throughout the development process

What You’ll Bring:

This role is ideal for someone with hands-on experience in food product development and a strong grasp of retail requirements. You’ll be a confident communicator, able to manage multiple projects and collaborate across functions.

You’ll Need:

• Previous experience in a food product development or NPD role, ideally with retail-facing exposure
• A genuine passion for food and cooking, with strong sensory evaluation skills and awareness of food trends
• Retail understanding – either from working directly for a retailer or confidently meeting retailer needs and expectations
• Strong project management and organisational skills – able to keep multiple projects on track in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent attention to detail and a practical, problem-solving mindset
• Confidence presenting ideas, concepts and finished products to customers
• A collaborative approach and the ability to build strong relationships internally and externally
• Flexibility to travel across the UK and Europe
• A full UK driving licence

What Will Help You Thrive:

· You love food and stay curious about trends, ingredients and what’s next

· You’re a self-starter – proactive, practical and happy to take the lead when needed

· You’re confident in front of customers and take pride in delivering great work

· You’re flexible, resilient and enjoy working at pace – food and FMCG can move fast, so being calm under pressure and able to adapt is essential

· You work well with others, share knowledge openly and build strong relationships

· You respond well to feedback and are always looking to improve

· You enjoy working with others to deliver great products and great results

What We Offer:

• Career Development: We provide opportunities for growth and learning.
• Annual Leave: 23 Days + Bank Holidays (rising to 25 days with length of service)
• Wellness day: Take 1 wellness day every year on us
• Onsite Gym: Enjoy our free to use head office gym
• Discounts: Get 15% off trade prices at our sister company, Salvo 1968, and access to exclusive offers on companyshopgroup.co.uk.
• Health & Wellbeing Support: Access to mental health, legal, and financial advice via our Employee Assistance Programme.
• Cycle to Work Scheme: Save on your commute with our green initiative.
• Product Tasting: Regular opportunities to sample our delicious products!
• Team Socials: Join us for annual Christmas and summer parties, plus quarterly team gatherings.
• Enhanced Family Leave: up to 6 months fully paid maternity / adoption leave and up to 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave, paid leave for fertility treatment for both partners. (based on length of service)