Trainee NPD Baker

A fantastic opportunity has arisen within Jacksons for a Trainee NPD Baker to join our team. This is a full time apprenticeship role working Monday to Friday.

Job Summary:

This could be just the beginning of a fabulous career journey within food manufacturing, an incredibly dynamic and rewarding sector to work within.

Working with the Development Bakery team, you will be involved with developing and launching successful new bakery products that are commercially viable and meet the needs of both the customer and the business. You will also work on adapting and changing the recipes of existing products to improve quality and/or value whilst developing effective working relationships across the business.

As this is a development role, you will build the core knowledge and skills of plant bakery and develop an understanding of the factory processes and how NPD can be scaled up into bakery manufacturing. You will have the support and guidance of in-house bakery experts.

You will be required to dedicate an appropriate amount of time to the Bakery training program (Bakery Level 3). In addition to the in-house experience and training, you will be allocated an external tutor and assessor and will complete the modular course to a high standard of learning, over the period of 12-18 months.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

• Support the New Product Development team in the development of new products.
• Liaise with customers and colleagues on sample requirements.
• Assist with sample production and packing off of samples.
• “Blue sky” innovation, creative bakery.
• Bring new ideas to the team.
• Keep up to date and show an interest in with what is going on within bakery and food-to-go.
• Cost saving initiative, recipe adjustment, trial bakes.
• Supporting and attending scale up factory trials and feasibility trials of new products.
• Support the day-to-day operation of the NPD department, not limited to job role.
• Product reviews– new, existing and competitor.
• Maintain the tidiness and cleanliness of the Test Bakery.
• Monitor ingredient stock levels in the Test Bakery.
• Liaise with the Procurement Department on new raw materials.
• Seek to increase your bakery knowledge and expertise, proactive personal development.
• Any other duties relevant to the role.

Job Commitments:

• Monday – Friday working 37.5 hours per week

About you, you will:

• Meet our cultural values: Expert, Care, Passion, Ambition & Grounded.
• Be a great team player, happy to ‘muck in’.
• Have an interest in bakery and bread making.
• Have strong communication and organisation skills.
• Be dynamic, pro-active, a self-starter.

Qualifications & Experience:

• A-levels, Level 3 Diplomas or equivalent
• Computer literate
• Experience of working in a food environment is desirable, but not essential
• Full, clean driving license is desirable, but not essential

A little bit about us and our history

Jacksons is part of William Jackson Food Group, a sixth generation family business founded by William Jackson when he opened his first shop in Hull in September 1851. Today we have a portfolio of five food businesses in distinct, yet complimentary market areas, employing over 2,000 people.

We have occupied the current site in Hull since 1907 and we now have 3 bread plants in our main bakery. We recently developed a second bakery, also at our site in Hull, which specialises in premium quality roll production.

We specialise in the supply of bread and other carriers to the sandwich manufacturers, foodservice and export channels, and in 2012 we launched our consumer facing brand “Jackson’s of Yorkshire”.

In 2018 we opened a brand-new site in Corby, Northamptonshire – one of the largest investments our Group has ever made – and this will allow us to realise our ambition of being the best at what we do.

2023 is an exciting time to join us – make this year a toast to you and apply now!

Business Values

You will live and breathe our 5 business values in everything that you do. You will inspire our colleagues to demonstrate our values in their every day working lives, and you will challenge any behaviors that you feel contravene our values.

• Passion - Since 1851, we’ve been passionate about ensuring that every loaf we make is baked to perfection. We’re passionate about our bread and about Jacksons, and we take responsibility and try our hardest every day.

• Ambition - We never lose sight of our history but understand we need to be bold and ambitious to be successful in the future. We’re not afraid of trying new things, and we quickly learn from our mistakes.

• Care - We look after each other. We’re friendly and welcoming - everyone feels a part of the team. Together with our shareholders, we care about our business and our future, we are frugal and spend wisely. Our local communities matter too, and we play our part in making them a better place to live.

• Grounded - We create the best bread, deliver great service and celebrate our team’s success. We are exceptionally proud of what we do but never arrogant. Down to earth is how you’ll find us.

• Expert - We strive to be the best at what we do, from baking great bread, to delivering great service. We use our expertise every day, and play our part in improving our business. We know our stuff but we’re always learning and we make sure we learn together!

Why Jacksons?

In return for your commitment as a Jacksons employee you will receive:

• Competitive salary paid every 4 weeks.
• 6.6 weeks holiday, increasing to 7 weeks’ with 5 years’ continuous service.
• Stakeholder pension with generous employer contributions.
• Free bread allowance.
• Employee assistance programme.
• Online benefits portal providing exclusive discounts with over 900 retailers.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Support grants available for colleagues’ children attending University.

Please note that we reserve the right to close this recruitment campaign before the advertised closing date. As such, we advise you to submit your application at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment.

Thanks for reading our job advert. We do our very best to bring to life what it's like working as part of our team. Diverse teams really are the best teams. We want everyone to feel they can be themselves at work and develop their talents to the full. All colleagues are expected to take personal responsibility for keeping our workplace free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying - a place where everyone is treated fairly and respectfully. We also know that sometimes some candidates may be put off applying for a job unless they think they can tick every box. If you are really excited about working with us and think you can do much of what we are looking for but aren't sure if you are 100% there yet... go on... why not give it a whirl? Good luck!

Contact information

Linzi Cole