{"id":3771302,"url":"https://alion.io/job/butternut-box-product-development-manager-ftc","title":"Product Development Manager - FTC","company":{"id":172121,"name":"Butternut Box","domain":"butternutbox.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/butternut-box","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":70,"open_postings":9,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":65,"computed_at":"2026-11-05T05:54:30Z"}},"role":"Management","role_family":"Management","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"stated_countries","remote_scope_basis":"posting_text","remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":[],"countries":[],"hiring_countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries_total":1,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-04T17:45:45Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-04","last_verified_at":"2026-11-05T13:02:54Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":0},"description":"Fresh Food, Happy Dogs.\nWe believe dogs deserve the healthiest, most natural and tastiest meals - with none of the nasties. That’s why we make FRESHly prepared food, cooked just like you would at home and delivered direct to our customers in perfect portions. As a B-Corp certified company, you’re joining a sustainable business that genuinely cares about our people, our products and our impact on the planet. Our goal is simple: to help dogs live healthier, happier, and longer lives, while leaving humans smiling after every interaction.\nWe’ve come a long way since our co-founders (Kev & Dave) hand-delivered the very first Butternut Box. Today, we feed hundreds of thousands of hungry dogs across the UK and Europe - but we won’t stop until we’re feeding dogs everywhere. To get there, we need a team of brilliant people who share that ambition.\nThe job:\nThis role sits in the Product Development team, reporting to the Product Development Director. You’ll be our go-to expert in fresh dog meal development and set the direction for how we innovate and improve the range. Your first big responsibility will be leading the launch of a market-first product that needs new equipment, investment and production capability. You’ll shape the pipeline over the next 24 months, lead complex programmes across multiple sites and teams, and take the big decisions to senior leaders and our co-founders. You’ll bring together creative thinking, deep technical and nutritional know-how and commercial judgement, so that every meal earns its place in the range.\nThe nitty-gritty: This role is UK-based in our kitchen in Doncaster and is a 5-day working week, with scope to work remotely where plans allow (e.g. no trials or in-person meetings). It’s a 12-month maternity cover, with genuine potential to stay on beyond the placement if you’re successful and interested in moving into another role at a relevant level within the team or wider squad.\nA bit about the team you’ll be joining:\nWe’re a hybrid squad working across the UK, owning the product pipelines for both Butternut Box and Marro. We’re the foundation of what the business builds: great food, strong nutrition and products that genuinely improve pets’ health. We own what the physical product looks like and how it delivers real benefits for dogs and cats. We’re deliberately lean and close-knit, so everyone gets stuck in, has real ownership and plenty of opportunity to develop and progress. What brings us together is a deep belief in our products, our category and the power of fresh food to improve pets’ lives.\nA bit about the work you’ll deliver:\nSetting the Direction\nSet the strategic direction for our fresh dog meals.\nSet the quarterly and yearly goals for your area and report progress against them.\nSpot new opportunities, research the options and present a clear recommendation.\nMake confident calls on both reversible and hard-to-reverse decisions.\nLeading Innovation\nLead the launch of a market-first product, a new category for us that needs new equipment, investment and production capability. You’ll be accountable for taking it from development to a successful launch, on time and on budget.\nOwn the NPD pipeline, using customer insights, market trends, competitor activity, nutrition opportunities, and kitchen learnings to decide which ideas to pursue and which to stop.\nOwn your projects end-to-end, from first idea through stage-gate to launch and post-launch review, making the key product decisions along the way.\nSet the customer research approach, including Taste Clubs and product testing, and use the results to set development direction.\nOwn palatability testing strategy, making sure every new and improved recipe is one dogs love to eat.\nImproving Our Range\nSet the renovation plan for existing recipes, deciding where to improve quality, nutrition, taste or cost to keep the range ahead.\nTurn customer feedback, testing results and kitchen insights into a clear improvement plan, and feed what we learn back into the pipeline.\nBuild strong supplier partnerships to find new ingredients that make our products better and help us stand out.\nScale-Up & Product Quality\nOwn kitchen trials and scale-up, taking recipes from bench to full production, including on new equipment and processes, and signing them off for launch.\nSet the standard for product consistency across our kitchens, spot risks before they become problems, and lead the resolution of physical product issues with Operations and Process Specialists.\nNutrition, Compliance & Documentation\nBe the point of accountability for every recipe meeting FEDIAF guidelines and our own nutrition standards for each life stage, and lead improvements to our nutrition tools.\nOwn recipe and finished product specs and technical documentation, keeping them accurate and BRC audit-ready.\nSign off artwork, labels and technical information for accuracy and legal compliance, and push for clearer ways to explain and show our meals.\nLead the development of evidence-based product claims with our technical and legal teams.\nCosting & Commercials\nPartner with FP&A and Procurement on recipe costing and margin, identifying and leading opportunities to improve value without compromising quality.\nManage the NPD budget, including investment for new capability, making sure spend is prioritised and delivers a return.\nTrack product performance after launch using customer, sales, quality and kitchen data, and make clear recommendations on what happens next.\nWorking Across the Business\nLead complex programmes across multiple sites and many teams, including Operations, Technical, Commercial, Procurement, FP&A, Marketing and Supply Chain.\nRun steering meetings for market-first launches and new concepts, presenting progress, risks, and required decisions to senior leaders and our co-founders.\nBuild strong relationships with Operations and influence their priorities, so NPD gets the time, resources and attention it needs in the kitchens.\nRoll up your sleeves with Operations to solve problems hands-on, working through production challenges yourself rather than just handing them over.\nLead our team’s preparation for BRC audits, and make sure our NPD processes and documentation are robust, followed and always audit-ready.\nMentor and coach the people you work with, sharing your expertise and helping them build their skills.\nA bit about what we’re looking for:\n8+ years in NPD or product development in pet food, with a track record of taking products from idea to launch.\nA degree in animal science, veterinary science, food science, chemistry or a similar field.\nStrong knowledge of pet nutrition, FEDIAF guidelines, and pet food labelling and claims rules, plus experience with audits and a keen eye for detail on technical documentation.\nHands-on experience of kitchen or factory trials and scale-up, ideally including launches that needed new equipment or processes.\nCommercially minded, comfortable working with costings, margins and budgets alongside Finance and Procurement.\nA track record of leading complex projects across multiple sites and teams, juggling lots at once while keeping everyone aligned and the important things on track.\nExperience setting the direction for an NPD pipeline or product area, balancing what’s needed now with what’s needed in 2 years’ time.\nConfident presenting to senior leaders, with the ability to build a clear case and influence people who don’t report to you.\nTenacious about getting things done. You follow through, push past blockers and are happy to roll up your sleeves in the kitchen to solve problems hands-on.\nCurious about customers and what dogs love to eat, using insight and testing to guide decisions.\nThe interview process:\nInitial call with your dedicated Talent Acquisition Partner, carried out remotely. \nSkills interview, for 75 minutes, in person. This stage will include an in interview task. \nBehaviours interview, for 60 minutes carried out remotely..\nLeadership interview, for 45 minutes in person. \nWe usually expect our interview process to take 3-5 weeks, end to end. \nOur benefits:\n25 days holiday (plus 8 bank holidays) and an additional day for every year of service up to 5 years\n5 additional, paid 'paws' days off per year dedicated to your learning, development or personal wellbeing. Hit pause when you need it most\n£500 personal learning & development budget to sharpen your skills\nA significant discount on our Fresh food, to keep your own dogs as healthy as our customers\nEnhanced parental leave\nFlexible core working hours\nCycle to work scheme\nPension with NEST\nPrivate Medical Insurance with Vitality\nPrivate Dental Insurance with Bupa\nPaid time off for fertility treatments and pregnancy loss\nDiscounted gym access through MyGymDiscounts\nLots of office dogs (Ajax, Peggy, Chief, Louis, Hansen, Winnie and many more….)\nImportant things to note:\nWe recommend getting your application in as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close the role early. \nOur team thrives on collaboration. We spend 3 days a week in our West London office (Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday) and 2 days working from wherever you’re most productive. Because being together is a big part of our culture, we’re looking for someone within a comfortable commutable distance to London.\nWe’re a small (but mighty!) recruitment team. We aim to respond to everyone personally, but if we’re flooded with brilliant applications, we may need to close the role early. We appreciate your patience while we review applications. \nFor this specific role, we’re unable to offer visa sponsorship, so you’ll need the right to work in the UK.\nWe believe in a seat at the table for everyone. \nButternut Box is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that to make the best food for all dogs, we need a team that represents all humans. We celebrate different nationalities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. We are specifically committed to increasing representation from underrepresented groups. We want a strong, diverse team built from different identities and lived experiences. We’re not perfect, but we are dedicated to the ongoing work of building an inclusive, supportive place where you can do the best work of your career.","description_format":"text","description_chars":10224,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Dental insurance","Health insurance","Parental leave"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United Kingdom","iso":"GB","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Pet Food, Supplies & Care"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-04T21:40:15Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":65,"reasons":["conf:3","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-11-05T05:54:30Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/butternut-box-product-development-manager-ftc","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/butternut-box-product-development-manager-ftc.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-05T15:07:04Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":19609,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-06T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":172121},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=172121"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fbutternut-box-product-development-manager-ftc"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fbutternut-box-product-development-manager-ftc"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fbutternut-box-product-development-manager-ftc"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/butternut-box-product-development-manager-ftc\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fbutternut-box-product-development-manager-ftc"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3771302}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"butternutbox.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3771302},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}