Product Innovation Manager

FP Ability

FP Ability brings together two leading specialist meal preparation and delivery businesses, Able Foods and Tender Loving Cuisine-backed by For Purpose Investment Partners (FPIP), one of Australia's most respected impact investment firms. Together, Able Foods and TLC deliver more than 24,000 meals each week to customers across Aged Care, NDIS and broader care economy markets. With a dynamic new phase of growth underway, Able Foods and TLC are poised for further market expansion

We believe that everyone deserves the right to a life of independence and joy, and we know how important food is in delivering that.

This means that older Australians, Australians with disabilities, and the care network that supports them have a food partner who always keeps their needs front of mind in every decision.

Our dedicated team understands what it means to create meals that cater to our client's unique needs. Through years of experience, we also know how to best manage both NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) and HCP (Home Care Package) processes.

Our menu is specially designed with nutrition guidelines that don't sacrifice great taste, and our services are delivered with genuine care from a team who are experts in the NDIS and aged care landscape.

It's our mission to enable healthier, happier and more independent lives for each and every ability.

Our culture is the heart and soul of who we are and what we do. We pride ourselves in fostering a positive, supportive, and inclusive environment where every team member is valued.

The Role

Able Foods and Tender Loving Cuisine (TLC) Meals are two purpose-driven brands making a difference through food. 

• Able Foods

empowers Australians living with disability to live healthier, happier, and more independent lives through nutritious, flavour-filled meals.
- TLC Meals

delivers compassion and comfort to older Australians through home-style cooking made with kindness.

As Product Innovation Manager, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering our meal ranges and innovation pipeline across both brands. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, you'll connect brand strategy with product reality, ensuring every product launched not only meets commercial and nutritional goals, but also delivers measurable health and wellbeing outcomes for our customers. 

You'll oversee the end-to-end product lifecycle, manage manufacturer relationships, align with marketing campaigns, and use consumer insights to drive product and service improvements that deepen trust and satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Brand Alignment

• Translate the Able Foods and TLC brand strategies into tangible product roadmaps that reinforce each brand's positioning and purpose.
• Work closely with the Head of Marketing to ensure all products, packaging, and communications align with campaign plans and audience needs.
• Identify growth opportunities within the care sector
• Contribute to the annual marketing plan with product-led insights, innovation opportunities, and promotional timing recommendations.

New Product Development (NPD) & Innovation

• Own every stage of the food product development process, including customer insight discovery, concept development, project management, briefing, quality assurance, delivery and success evaluation.
• Collaborate with external stakeholders, including dietitians, chefs, and manufacturers, to design meals that are nutritionally balanced, operationally viable, and customer-led.
• Evaluate new concepts using trend analysis, consumer feedback, and competitor benchmarking.
• Ensure products and menus meet the needs of people living with disability and older Australians, relevant NDIS/HCP nutritional standards and deliver measurable health and wellbeing outcomes.

Manufacturer & Supply Chain Management

• Manage relationships with external manufacturers, ensuring product quality, cost efficiency, and reliability of supply.
• Work collaboratively with the Supply Chain Team on cost optimisation, supplier performance reviews. forecast demand, manage lead times, and resolve supply chain challenges.

Commercial & Promotional Lifecycle Management

• Manage the product portfolio to ensure it aligns with the COGS budget, making strategic decisions on product development, menu, pricing, and promotions to optimise profitability.
• Own the end-to-end product lifecycle from concept to removal, including pricing, promotions, and performance review.
• Build commercial cases for new launches, range extensions, and promotional initiatives.
• Align promotional cycles and menu refreshes with marketing activity and seasonal opportunities.
• Track and report on post-launch performance, identifying learnings to improve ROI and consumer uptake.
• Optimise product strategies to drive business KPIs, including client orders, basket size, retention, acquisition, churn and satisfaction.

Consumer Insights & Satisfaction

• Partner with Marketing and Client Experience to gather and interpret client insights from NDIS participants, aged care clients, carers, and referrers.
• Analyse sales, retention, and feedback data to understand what drives loyalty, satisfaction, and repurchase.
• Translate insights into actionable improvements in meal design, packaging, or service.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement through consumer empathy and data-driven decision-making.

Compliance

• Management, compliance, execution and quality assurance across channels (e-commerce, packaging, print/digital content) for all technical nutrition information in line with FSANZ and other relevant regulatory standards.
• Review and sign off on all Nutrition Information Panels (NIPs), specification sheets, and product claims prior to launch.
• Stay across regulatory and policy changes within NDIS and aged care, adapting the range accordingly.
• Maintain a proactive understanding of changes to legislation, food standards, and industry codes of practice, and update internal documentation and products accordingly.
• Lead the management of product-related complaints, ensuring thorough investigation, corrective actions, and communication within established timeframes.

About You

Essential skills & attributes

• Experience in food manufacturing, FMCG, or ready-meal product management, ideally with exposure to health or nutrition sectors.
• Proven experience in food product development and innovation, ideally in a large-scale or contract manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience leading cross-functional projects from concept through to launch.
• Strong commercial mindset, with demonstrated ability to optimise product portfolios for both performance and profitability.
• Demonstrated ability to manage supplier/manufacturer relationships and ensure operational excellence.
• Experience in product commercialisation, lifecycle management, and promotional planning.
• Commercial acumen with comfort managing P&L impacts, cost structures, and product profitability.
• Skilled in using consumer insights and performance data to drive decision-making.
• Knowledge of FSANZ and food labelling regulations, including nutrition panels, ingredient declarations, and health claim compliance.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Passion for food, health and wellbeing, and purpose-led business growth.

Desirable skills & attributes

• Understanding of NDIS and HCP frameworks, and how funding models shape product choice and customer behaviour.
• Experience working with Salesforce
• Tertiary qualification in Nutrition, Food Science or similar

Qualifications and Certifications

• This is considered a 'risk assessed' role and requires an NDIS Worker Screening Checks (NDISWSC). (insert link) outlines the screening requirements for the state or territory in which this role operates.