FRENCH SELECTION (FS)

Food Quality & Private Label Development Manager
Location: London
Visa sponsorship: May be considered for the right candidate
Salary: Up to -50,000 per annum plus benefits
Ref: 724QA

To apply using our preferred format, please visit the French Selection website, go to the vacancies page and search using the job reference above.

The company:
Successful international food manufacturing group with an established presence across the UK and Europe.

The role:
An exciting opportunity to join an international food manufacturer, supporting private label product development and quality for UK retail customers. The position combines technical project management, product compliance and quality assurance, acting as the key technical interface between customers, commercial teams and manufacturing sites.

The successful candidate will take ownership of development projects, ensure product quality and regulatory compliance, and coordinate activities across multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.

Main duties:
- Lead and coordinate private label product development projects from initial concept through to industrial production.
- Act as the technical interface between UK retail customers, project management teams, marketing departments and manufacturing sites.
- Assess new product requests, evaluate feasibility and prioritise projects according to business requirements.
- Coordinate product trials, factory tests and first production runs, ensuring successful product approval and launch.
- Manage product specifications, customer requirements and packaging artwork approval.
- Monitor product quality, customer complaints, quality performance indicators and corrective action plans.
- Ensure manufacturing sites comply with customer quality standards, audit requirements and food safety regulations.
- Oversee product labelling, ingredient declarations, nutritional information, packaging specifications and regulatory compliance.
- Support quality incident management, product withdrawals and recalls, coordinating communication with relevant stakeholders.
- Work closely with quality, research and development, commercial and supply chain teams to drive continuous improvement.

The candidate:
- Higher education qualification in food science, food technology, agri-food engineering or a related discipline.
- Senior experience in quality, production or product development within the food industry, including factory experience.
- Experience working with UK retail customers and private label products would be highly advantageous.
- Strong project management skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple projects and manage competing priorities.
- Excellent organisational skills, with a proactive, dynamic and solution-oriented approach.
- Confident communicator with the ability to manage stakeholders and make decisions independently.
- Good understanding of food quality standards, hygiene, product specifications and food labelling regulations.
- Experience in change management, product approval and technical customer liaison.
- Fluent French, including technical French, would be a strong advantage, although candidates without French will also be considered.
- Willingness to travel within the UK and to France as required.
- Able to work in the office up to three days per week, depending on business requirements and customer visits.

The salary:
Up to -50,000 per annum plus benefits

French Selection, a leading UK-based consultancy specialising in the recruitment of bilingual and multilingual professionals for international businesses across a wide range of industries and services. We specialise in French, German, Italian and Spanish-speaking positions, as well as opportunities requiring Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Scandinavian languages, Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic and other languages.