about us

itsu is the Asian-inspired quick service & grocery brand with a compelling vision and global opportunity.

Founded in 1997, itsu is the result of 20 years of innovation across 70+ busy sites.

itsu [grocery] offers exciting and enticing high-quality Asian-inspired foods [online and in supermarkets] and has quickly become one of the leading brands in that specific group. Yet, it is still the beginning and the business has huge global ambitions.

itsu [grocery] is committed to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation. We encourage applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply for all of our opportunities.

When applying for a role with us, please remove your: full name, name of University/School, address, email address and any photos of you on your CV and covering letter. non-anonymised CVs may not be reviewed.

scope of the role

itsu [grocery] is looking for a Product Developer to join our product development team, reporting into the NPD Manager. The primary objective of the role is to manage the development of new products from concept to launch, as well as the renovation of existing products.  The successful candidate will demonstrate a broad set of skills and experience, in particular outstanding project management skills, a passion for food with the foresight and the analytical skills to identify opportunities for future product launches and ideally a good grasp of commercials & negotiations.

responsibilities

• Directly manages their given NPD projects from concept to launch, including kitchen work to trial concepts. Agrees direction internally and has the ability to forsee and resolve challenges.
• Ensures all projects follow the gate process and are delivered:
  • On time
  • On brand
  • On budget
• Identifies and onboards new suppliers (from the UK, Europe & Asia) up to the point of launch
• Conducts commercial negotiations and establishes accurate theoretical costings for all new concepts.
• Interacts closely with all functions and suppliers to ensure all parties keep to deadlines as outlined in your critical paths
• Keeps track of food and lifestyle trends, new product launches, analyses category performance, and identifies future product opportunities
• Ensures all stakeholders (internal and external) are adequately informed of project progress

the ideal candidate

• Passion for food with 3+ years’ experience within the food industry 
• Previous experience in chilled product development advantageous
• Strong, demonstrable project management skills with the ability to influence stakeholders and drive actions and projects forward at pace
• Resilient, open to change & being given prescriptive creative direction
• Driven and ambitious, looking to work within a rapidly growing business
• Organised with strong time management skills & high attention to detail
• Good commercial acumen, able to negotiate with suppliers with the analytical skills to define whether or not a product is commercially viable
• A flexible ‘hands-on’ approach – must be comfortable in a kitchen + proven track record of launches.

perks and benefits

• Competitive salary
• Competitive bonus scheme
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays (two bank holidays are interchangeable for other religious holidays)
• Health insurance
• Company pension scheme
• 50% employee discount in itsu shops
• Free itsu lunch 
• Discounts at major retailers