Head of Technical Nutrition – Pet Food

Head of Technical Nutrition – Pet Food

Lancashire (on‑site, Monday‑Friday)

£70,000 (DOE) + profit‑share bonus (eligible after 2 years)

If you’re the kind of nutrition leader who loves building teams, challenging “how it’s always been done,” and turning brilliant ideas into products pets thrive on… this one will grab you.

We’re exclusively partnering with a premium pet food manufacturer known for exceptional quality, bold innovation, and a fresh‑ingredient approach to dry food that’s genuinely different. The business is investing heavily in facilities, people, and the next generation of pet nutrition and they’re hiring a Head of Technical Nutrition to lead it.

This is a strategic, hands‑on leadership role where you’ll own the nutrition strategy, lead Nutrition + NPD, and act as the technical service partner across the wider business. You’ll simplify and strengthen the recipe portfolio (without compromising quality), drive NPD from concept to launch, and ensure formulations are nutritionally superior, commercially sound, supply‑chain resilient, and operationally smooth.

It’s a role for someone with thick skin, big influence, and real credibility — the person who can confidently align Production, Quality, Procurement and “Partner Success” (commercial teams) around the right decisions.

• Lead & elevate a high‑impact Nutrition + NPD team, developing capability, raising standards, and creating a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
• Own the nutrition strategy and raise the bar, ensuring products meet/exceed regulatory, quality and premium nutrition standards.
• Optimize and simplify formulations (keep what matters, remove what doesn’t) and build recipe flexibility to handle ingredient availability and supply disruption.
• Drive innovation and new product development; lead NPD projects end‑to‑end from concept → trial → scale‑up → launch.
• Explore new ingredients, technologies, and processes that create differentiation and keep an eye on trends, turning insight into action.
• Balance excellence with commercial reality, making smart calls that protect quality while improving margins and reducing complexity—aligning nutrition, cost, process efficiency, and long‑term sustainability.
• Make manufacturing work better (not harder): ensure recipes run smoothly through production with minimal waste/downtime, troubleshoot issues, lead trials, and support scale‑up.
• Partner tightly with Production and Procurement to keep operations resilient.
• Be the technical voice across the business: influence senior stakeholders, challenge constructively, and help teams make faster, better decisions—especially around formulation choices, supplier conversations, and regulatory considerations.

• A clearer, stronger, more marketable nutrition story behind the portfolio (science that sells).
• Recipes that are simpler, more robust, and more profitable.
• An NPD pipeline that moves with pace and launches that drive repeat purchase.
• A team that’s developed, aligned, and performing at a higher level.

• Degree (or equivalent) in Animal Nutrition, Food Science, Veterinary Science or similar.
• Significant experience in pet food / food manufacturing / feed or another regulated manufacturing sector.
• Proven leadership experience managing technical and/or NPD teams.
• Strong formulation, nutrition, and product development capability.
• Confident balancing quality + nutrition + cost + manufacturing efficiency.
• Excellent cross‑functional working and project leadership skills.

• Premium or super‑premium product background.
• Strong grasp of ingredient flexibility and supply‑chain risk.
• Portfolio optimisation / commercial margin experience.

• Strategic but practical (you roll your sleeves up).
• Confident, assertive, and able to handle strong characters.
• Decisive— a calculated risk‑taker who doesn’t sit on the fence.
• Organised, resilient, and comfortable in a fast‑moving manufacturing environment.
• Passionate about nutrition and continuous improvement.

This is a family‑owned, high‑standards, quality‑led manufacturing business with a “work together” mindset and the freedom to challenge and improve. It’s not a fluffy pet brand— it’s scientific, technical, and proud of doing things properly.

It’s also important to be transparent: this role is on‑site at the manufacturing location every day. That’s non‑negotiable.

Because this role is confidential, we’ll share full company details once we’ve spoken.

If you’re not actively looking but this sounds like your kind of challenge, still get in touch—we’re happy to have a confidential conversation. Please call us on .