Head of Product Development & Laboratory
Location: London | Hybrid, Flexible Working
Reports to: CEO
Salary: Competitive
We’re looking for a Head of Product Development & Laboratory to lead the creation and commercialisation of the next generation of beverage products.
This is a rare opportunity to own product development end-to-end — from first concept, through lab-scale trials, to full commercial production. You’ll combine creativity with deep technical expertise. We develop innovative liquid products across multiple consumer brands and hospitality concepts, partnering with household names on innovative concepts.
This is an opportunity to join a fast-growing venture backed start-up which has seen record revenues month on month, and be central to its next stage of growth.
What You’ll Do
Own Product Development
- Lead the entire product development lifecycle, from concept to commercialisation
- Direct beverage development across all our brands
- Turn creative ideas into commercially viable formulations, balancing flavour, function, cost, shelf life and manufacturability
- Build and manage an innovation pipeline spanning multiple brands and categories
- Establish best-in-class development processes to support long-term growth
Drive Technical Excellence
- Ensure lab-developed products can be reliably replicated in commercial production
- Own formulation, ingredient selection, processing methods and product specifications
- Maintain quality, taste and stability throughout manufacturing and shelf life
- Set rigorous scientific testing, validation and quality standards
- Design every formulation for repeatability, scalability and efficiency
Lead Commercialisation & Manufacturing
- Guide products from bench-scale development to full commercial production
- Work closely with co-manufacturers to industrialise formulations across CPG and hospitality channels
- Support the build-out of in-house manufacturing capability where it makes sense
- Troubleshoot production challenges and optimise formulations for efficiency
- Maintain consistent quality across multiple production partners
Build a World-Class Team
- Lead, develop and grow the R&D and laboratory function
- Build best-in-class product development capabilities and lab processes
- Prioritise innovation projects across brands
- Foster a culture of scientific rigour, technical excellence and continuous improvement
Collaborate Across the Business
- Partner with commercial, operations, procurement and marketing throughout the development lifecycle
- Support customer presentations, innovation sessions and strategic product initiatives
- Build supplier relationships that deliver quality, scalability and commercial value
What We’re Looking For
- Significant experience leading beverage product development within FMCG, food manufacturing or ingredient businesses
- A strong background in food science, beverage technology, chemistry or a related discipline
- A track record of taking products from concept through pilot trials into full-scale commercial production
- Deep understanding of formulation, ingredient functionality, processing, shelf life and product stability
- Proven experience working with co-packers and contract manufacturers
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, quality systems and scale-up
- Experience building and leading high-performing R&D and product development teams
- Excellent project management skills, with the ability to run multiple innovation programmes at once
- A genuine passion for products that combine exceptional consumer experience with manufacturing excellence
What We Offer
- Competitive salary
- Hybrid, flexible working — a setup that works around your life
- Unlimited PTO — take the time you need to rest and recharge
- Fast career progression opportunities
…