Brand Manager – NPD Focus (Japanese Food Brand)

We are a leading Japanese food brand bringing authentic, high-quality products to B2B and B2C markets in the UK. We are looking for a Brand Manager to lead end-to-end new product development (NPD), and manage cross-functional projects while supporting marketing activities when needed. This is a hands-on role, requiring independence, organisation, collaboration, and a passion for Japanese food. Japanese language skills are a plus.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the full NPD process from concept to launch, coordinating with suppliers abroad, packaging design teams, technical and purchasing team
• Coordinate packaging design for new products and existing products
• Actively seek market insights, identify opportunities, generate NPD ideas, and make them happen through coordinating with other teams
• Communicate effectively with suppliers, agencies, and internal stakeholders to ensure smooth project delivery
• Manage administrative tasks of the team such as product audits, websites, samples, filing and other organisation tasks with accuracy and attention to detail
• Support other marketing activities when required

Who You Are

• Experience in brand management, project management, product management, or NPD (food sector preferred), with exposure to end-to-end project management and supplier coordination
• Passionate about Japanese food, cooking, and its quality & authenticity
• Comfortable in Japanese corporate culture, respectful, detail-oriented, and collaborative
• Independent, proactive, collaborative, organised, and commercially smart
• Positive, self-driven, flexible, and able to work across teams including virtual colleagues and external partners
• Japanese language skills are a plus

Success Measures

• End-to-end delivery of NPD projects on time, on budget, and to quality standards
• Product performance, market acceptance, and commercial impact
• Quality of collaboration across internal teams and with suppliers/agencies
• Accuracy, organisation, and effectiveness in administrative and project support