Product Development Manager - Maternity Cover - Greenford

Overview

We're looking for a practical, proactive, and people-focused Process Development Manager to help us bring new products to life smoothly and successfully. This is a hands-on role where you'll manage product launches from kitchen sample to production line, improve workflows, and guide a small team. If you enjoy solving problems on the factory floor and making continuous improvements, we'd love to hear from you.

About Belazu

This is a great opportunity to join a business with impressive accreditations, including B Corp status, silver standard Investors in People, and recognition as a Sunday Times Best Place to Work in 2025. We're a close-knit team with strong values, a passion for great food, and ambitious plans for the future. For over 30 years, Belazu has been delivering bold Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors across the UK. We're excited about the future and looking for talented people to help us grow.

What the role involves daily:

As our Process Development Manager, you will:

• Lead new product launches from kitchen to factory, ensuring readiness, accuracy, and timeliness.
• Participate actively in trials and production runs, resolving issues, refining processes, and ensuring quality and efficiency.
• Collaborate with teams across Technical, Innovation, Operations, and others to keep projects aligned and progressing.
• Finalize product specifications, labels, and artwork using systems like beCPG.
• Manage and support a small team, fostering a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance workflows.

This role suits you if:

• You have extensive experience in food manufacturing or a technical role, with project and team leadership skills.
• You have successfully launched new products and understand what it takes to get it right the first time.
• You enjoy being hands-on, solving problems, and making things happen on the factory floor.
• You are passionate about improving systems, processes, and ways of working.
• You excel at communicating clearly and bringing teams together.

This role might not be for you if:

• You prefer to work behind the scenes and avoid hands-on involvement in trials and production.
• You find fast-paced projects challenging or struggle to influence cross-team collaboration.
• You are not confident with technical details or process documentation.

What's in it for you?

• 33 days of annual leave (including public holidays)
• Auto-enrollment pension scheme with an option for enhanced contributions
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Opportunities for learning and development
• Life assurance from day one
• Cycle to work scheme
• Access to employee benefits portal with retail discounts, EAP, GP services, and financial support
• Volunteer days
• Free on-site parking
• Discounts on company products
• Social events and internal awards
• Subsidized canteen

Terms

• 40 hours/week, typically 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday, with flexible start/end times and hybrid working options.
• Probation period of 3 months
• Annual salary reviews, rewarding high performers

And finally

Thank you for considering our job advert. We aim to accurately reflect what it's like to work at Belazu. We believe diverse teams are the strongest teams.

We want everyone to feel they can be themselves at work and develop their talents fully. We expect all colleagues to uphold a workplace free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying, where everyone is treated fairly and with respect.

We understand that some candidates may hesitate to apply if they don't meet every requirement. If you're excited about this opportunity and believe you can contribute, we encourage you to apply despite any gaps in your experience.