Junior NPD Technician (12M FTC) | THG Manufacturing - #2161539

About THG

We are THG, a global ecommerce group on a mission to be the global online leader in beauty and sports nutrition.

Our portfolio of leading retailers and brands such as LOOKFANTASTIC, Myprotein, ESPA, Perricone MD, and Cult Beauty form our two core businesses: THG Beauty and THG Nutrition.

From Manchester to New York, we’re powered by a team of over 2500 people who work together, lead by example, and think BIG.

With us, you’ll go further, faster. What are you waiting for?

Location: Omega, WA5 3TP (4 days) / Icon 1, WA15 0AF (1 day)

About THG Manufacturing

THG Manufacturing is the dedicated, high-growth contract manufacturing and co-manufacturing division of THG PLC. Operating from state-of-the-art, BRCGS-accredited manufacturing facilities globally, we partner with prestigious household names and global powerhouse brands who trust us to formulate, produce, and scale their product ranges.

Our specialised manufacturing capabilities include:

• Powder Blending (sports nutrition, lifestyle powders, functional health formulations)
• Tablets & Capsules (vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements)
• Protein Bar Manufacturing (extruded, layered, and premium enrobed formats)
• Fruit Preparations & Concentrates (aseptic processing and clean-label infusions)
  
  

An Unrivaled Growth Trajectory

This is an exceptional time to join our division. THG Manufacturing achieved 300% growth this year, is forecast to deliver another 100% growth next year, and is firmly on track to expand into a £100 million division within 5 years purely in co-manufacturing. Global powerhouse brands trust us under multi-year co-manufacturing agreements, validating our industry credibility, technical excellence, and manufacturing reliability.

About The Role

We are looking for an ambitious, hands-on Junior NPD Technician to join our fast-growing New Product Development team, reporting directly into the Senior NPD Project Manager.

In this dynamic, high-exposure role, you will sit at the intersection of technical formulation, laboratory bench work, cross-functional project delivery, and direct customer interaction. You will work closely with external brand partners from initial concept briefs through to pilot trials and commercial production scale-up across our powder, bar, tablet, and fruit preparation facilities. This role is ideal for an aspiring food scientist or product developer looking to accelerate their technical career in a high-speed, multi-format contract manufacturing environment.

As a Junior NPD Technician you will:

Product Formulation & Hands-On Laboratory Bench Work

• Bench Work at THG Omega: Conduct hands-on bench formulation, recipe development, and prototype sampling in our modern laboratory at the Warrington Omega facility.
• Gold Standard Development: Create and refine physical "Gold Standard" samples that match client sensory profiles, nutritional parameters, and target shelf-life requirements.
• Costing Formulations: Develop recipe iterations and preliminary formulations to support commercial teams in costing new customer business opportunities accurately.
• Supplier Flavour & Ingredient Work: Liaise directly with flavour houses and raw material suppliers, evaluating novel flavour systems, functional actives, and alternative ingredients through sensory evaluation and bench screening.
  
  

Customer Interaction & Commercial Engagement

• Client Briefing & Scoping: Participate in initial customer meets and discovery calls to capture technical briefs, nutritional targets, dietary constraints, and target cost-of-goods (COGs).
• Site Visits & Tours: Host and support customer visits across our production facilities, showcasing THG Manufacturing's technical and operational capabilities.
• Site Engagement: Act as an early-stage bridge between new customers and our manufacturing site teams, ensuring clear alignment on operational feasibility and batch run expectations.
• Packaging & Samples Approval: Coordinate sample dispatch to customers, collate technical feedback, and ensure final primary and secondary packaging specifications are aligned and approved.
  
  

Factory Scale-Up & Technical Governance

• First Production Hosting: Lead and host "first production" plant runs on the factory floor, monitoring critical control parameters, line performance, and product consistency against laboratory bench benchmarks.
• Technical Requirements Alignment: Ensure customer-specific technical, processing, and microbiological standards are fully understood and agreed upon with site Quality, Hygiene, and Operations teams.
• Raw Material Onboarding via SQA: Collaborate with the Supplier Quality Assurance (SQA) department to onboard and validate new raw materials, ensuring full regulatory and allergen compliance.
• Bill of Materials (BOM) Management: Accurately configure and manage product BOMs, including switching and adapting formulations between UK and US site manufacturing requirements.
  
  

Systems, Data Management & Project Coordination

• Project Setup & Monday.com: Set up new NPD projects and track stage-gate milestones through Monday.com, maintaining real-time visibility on progress and deliverables.
• Internal NPD Systems (ANDI & Opal): Keep proprietary product lifecycle and recipe management systems (ANDI and Opal) updated with approved formulations, ingredient specs, and test data.
• ERP Setup (Sage): Create and configure finished product records, SKU codes, and recipe masters in Sage to enable commercial ordering and production planning.
• Cross-Functional Communication: Attend and actively contribute to weekly cross-functional project meetings and internal stakeholder alignment sessions with Commercial, Quality, Operations, and Planning.
  
  

What skills and experience do I need for this role?

Essential Requirements

• Educational Background: Degree or HND/equivalent in Food Science, Food Technology, Nutrition, Chemical Sciences, or a closely related discipline (or equivalent practical experience).
• Bench & Lab Competence: Hands-on experience or academic training in recipe formulation, kitchen/bench prototyping, sensory evaluation, and laboratory hygiene standards.
• Project & Organization Skills: Strong organizational skills with experience managing multiple development briefs simultaneously and meeting tight deadlines.
• Systems & IT Fluency: Proficiency in Microsoft Office (particularly Excel); willingness and aptitude to master project management tools (Monday.com) and recipe/ERP systems (ANDI, Opal, Sage).
• Communication & Confidence: Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the confidence to speak with clients, present prototypes, and liaise with site production teams.
  
  

Desirable Attributes

• Prior experience or placement year within an FMCG food, beverage, sports nutrition, or supplement manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with contract manufacturing (co-man) or private-label product launches.
• Understanding of BRCGS standards, HACCP, allergen segregation, and UK/US nutritional labeling differences.
  
  

Working Pattern & Office Locations

Collaboration and close proximity to our manufacturing plants are essential to our operational velocity. This role follows an on-site model:

• 4 Days per week: THG Omega Campus, Warrington (flagship operational & manufacturing campus)
• 1 Day per week: Icon 1, Manchester Airport (THG Global Headquarters)
  
  

What's in it for me?

Career Development

• Access bespoke development programmes that have been designed and developed by our in-house L&D team.
• Continued development through our upskilling programme that is delivered in partnership with an industry-leading training provider.
  
  

Enhanced Leave

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Don’t want to work on your birthday? We don’t either! Enjoy your day off on us!
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay, depending on length of service.
• Up to 10 days compassionate leave.
• Buy back up to 3 days each year.
• Unlock 2 days volunteer leave after 12-months.
  
  

Wellbeing Support

• Access face-to-face and virtual appointments with our in-house GP (Icon).
• Access our 247 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which is provided by Bupa.
• State-of-the-art on-site gym (Icon).
• Access to our on-site physio (Icon).
  
  

Other Perks

• Save up to 12% on the cost of personal tech through our salary sacrifice scheme.
• Subsidised bus pass from Manchester City Centre to our ICON office.
• Up to 50% staff discount on THG brands.
• On-site staff shop.
• Know someone who would be perfect for THG? Refer them and get up to £1000 when they pass their probation.
• Anniversary gifts when you hit 5 and 10 years of service.
  
  

THG is proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer. If you are invited to interview, please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to the recruitment process that will enable you to perform to the best of your ability.

THG is committed to creating a diverse & inclusive environment and hence welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

Because of the high volumes of applications our opportunities attract, it sometimes takes us time to review and consider them all. We endeavour to respond to every application we receive within 14 days. If you haven't heard from us within that time frame or should you have any specific questions about this or other applications for positions at THG please contact one of our Talent team to discuss further.