NPD Manager

Kinrise is a growing, privately owned powerhouse in Australian food manufacturing with some of Australia's most loved and innovative brands. We describe ourselves as a 'start up with scale' and have a burning ambition to grow our business. Formed in 2018 the Kinrise portfolio covers Biscuits, Breakfast, Baking, Bakery, and Snackfood categories and has 40+ years making iconic Australian food, with a rich Australian heritage that's grounded in family origins.

This roles supports our Snackfood category - home to the much loved loved Cobs and Poppin popcorn brands

About Us:

At Kinrise, we believe in creating food with passion, purpose, and a strong commitment to sustainability. As part of our Snackfoods team, we're constantly pushing boundaries to innovate delicious, high-quality snackfood products including that delight our consumers and contribute to a better world.

We're now looking for an NPD Manager to drive our product development pipeline, champion innovation, and lead technical excellence across our iconic snack brands Cobs and Poppin popcorn

About the Role:

Innovation & Product Development

• Lead the end-to-end development of new products - from concept to commercialisation - with a sustainability-first mindset.
• Collaborate across Marketing, Operations, Sales and Procurement to align products with strategic goals.
• Create and test prototypes, run feasibility studies, and manage sensory and shelf-life testing.
• Provide technical insights to guide investments in new lines, packaging processes, and technologies.
• Stay ahead of food trends and champion a culture of experimentation and innovation.
• Manage all project phases to ensure delivery on time, in full, and to brief.

Value Engineering & Continuous Improvement

• Lead annual Value Engineering (VE) cost-out initiatives and optimise existing products for margin, efficiency, and sustainability.
• Drive process improvements in collaboration with Operations and Procurement.
• Identify packaging, warehousing and logistics efficiencies while maintaining product quality and safety.

Project Management & Cross-functional Leadership

• Lead and coordinate multiple R&D projects with clear milestones, risk mitigation, and stakeholder updates.
• Build strong relationships with external suppliers and industry partners.
• Prepare detailed documentation, CAPEX proposals, and ensure Procurement engagement.

Health, Safety, Environment & Quality (HSEQ)

• Ensure compliance with food safety regulations (local & international), FSANZ, product claims, and IP.
• Support internal and external audits.
• Ensure product changes do not negatively impact CPMU or OEE.

About You:

Skills & Competencies

• Expertise in food science and processing technologies.
• Strong knowledge of FSANZ Code, sensory evaluation, and regulatory standards.
• Excellent project management and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strategic thinker with commercial acumen and a hands-on, problem-solving approach.
• Resilient, adaptable, and able to lead through ambiguity in a fast-paced, agile environment.
• Strong attention to detail, excellent communication skills, and a collaborative team player.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years' experience in R&D within food manufacturing, ideally in FMCG.
• Proven track record of successful product innovation and commercialisation.
• Experience delivering VE initiatives and driving continuous improvement programs.

Kinrise Perks

• Competitive salary + benefits + career development opportunities.
• Work with iconic products that Aussie consumers love.
• Access to retail discounts through Reward Gateway
• Access to LinkedIn Learning to support your continuous learning journey
• Additional week of annual leave program after 2 years of service
• 2 "You do You" days per year
• Company paid parental leave for Primary and Secondary caregivers

No agencies please.