Melbourne | Food Manufacturing Build products. Build customer relationships. Build the next growth platform. We are partnering with an established Australian agri-food business that is continuing to invest in its value-added manufacturing capabilities and is looking to appoint a commercially minded Technical & NPD Sales Manager .

This is a unique chance for a Food Technologist, Food Scientist or technical product development professional who enjoys being close to both the product and the customer.

This isn’t a traditional NPD role where projects are handed over to Sales once they’re developed. You’ll sit at the intersection of technical, product development, manufacturing and commercial , helping identify what customers need, developing the solution and then working alongside the sales team to take it to market.

About the Role:

The role will have an approximate 60/40 focus :60% – New Product Development & Innovation

You’ll be responsible for:

- Identifying customer, category and market opportunities and translating these into a prioritised NPD pipeline
- Managing NPD and product renovation projects from concept through to commercial launch
- Developing products that are technically viable, commercially attractive and capable of being manufactured at scale
- Leading bench, pilot and production trials
- Working closely with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Procurement and Finance to ensure products are commercially and operationally viable
- Supporting product costing, margin expectations, capacity requirements and commercial feasibility
- Managing specifications, formulations, shelf-life, allergen, nutritional and regulatory requirements
- Identifying opportunities for product optimisation, cost reduction, process improvement and new applications
- Managing stage-gate processes, project timelines and launch readiness
- Building relationships with external technical, ingredient, packaging, laboratory and research partners

40% – Technical Sales & Customer Development

Working closely with the Domestic Sales Manager,



you’ll also play a hands‑on role in bringing NPD to market .

This will include:

- Engaging with existing and prospective manufacturing customers to understand their technical and commercial requirements
- Attending customer meetings, presentations, product reviews and trials
- Providing technical expertise and application support throughout the sales process
- Translating technical product capabilities into clear commercial value propositions
- Supporting customer proposals, tenders, samples and specifications
- Identifying opportunities to introduce new products into existing customer accounts
- Helping the sales team identify new applications, customers and markets for the developing product portfolio
- Supporting customers through product trials, approvals and commercialisation
- Maintaining strong relationships with customers throughout the development and launch process

About You:

We’re looking for someone who combines genuine food technical expertise with strong commercial and customer-facing capability .

You will ideally have:

- A tertiary qualification in Food Science, Food Technology, Product Development, Chemistry, Nutrition or a related discipline
- Demonstrated experience in NPD, technical commercialisation or applications development within food manufacturing, ingredients or FMCG
- Experience taking food products from customer brief/concept through trials, scale-up and commercial launch
- A strong understanding of food safety, specifications, allergens, nutrition, shelf life, labelling and regulatory requirements
- Practical experience conducting bench, pilot or factory trials
- Experience working within a food manufacturing environment and understanding what makes a product commercially and operationally viable




- Strong customer-facing skills and the ability to confidently communicate technical information to commercial stakeholders
- An understanding of costings, margins, MOQs, capacity and investment considerations
- Strong project management and stakeholder management skills
- The ability to challenge a brief where something isn’t technically, operationally or commercially achievable
- A pragmatic, solutions-focused approach and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously

Experience across ingredients, value-added food manufacturing, bakery, confectionery, plant-based, beverages, dairy alternatives or similar categories would be highly regarded.

Why this opportunity?

This is an chance to take ownership of a genuine innovation pipeline , rather than simply managing individual NPD projects.

You’ll have the opportunity to influence what gets developed, why it gets developed and ultimately how it is commercialised , while remaining closely connected to customers and the market.

You’ll work across the full business — from Sales and customers through to Operations, Quality, Procurement, Supply Chain, Finance and manufacturing — giving you genuine exposure to the commercialisation of new food products.You will alsolead cross-functional NPD workstreams while keeping the customer need and commercial outcome central to development.

The role is based in Melbourne , with monthly travel to the company’s regional processing and manufacturing facility and customer sites. There will also be interstate travel as required but infrequent .

Interested?

If you’re a Food Technologist/Food Scientist who has developed products but also enjoys getting in front of customers and seeing those products commercialised , we’d like to hear from you.

This role would suit someone who wants to move beyond purely technical NPD and take greater ownership of the commercial journey from customer need → product development → customer approval → commercial launch .

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📌 Technical Sales/Commercial NPD Manager (Melbourne)
🏢 Blackbook Executive Pty
📍 Melbourne