Marro is a fresh cat food brand, part of the Butternut Box family. The Head of Food will be the business's go-to expert on feline nutrition, formulation, palatability and sensory science, owning product development strategy end-to-end and working in the kitchen to deliver it. The role focuses on two key outcomes: customer retention (fewer customers pausing because of the food) and palatability (cats choosing Marro). The role is hybrid: 3 days per week in the West London office (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday) and 2 days remote. The interview process includes an initial call, a 90-minute in-person skills interview with a task, a 60-minute remote behaviours interview, and a 45-minute in-person leadership interview. Visa sponsorship is not offered and recruitment agency support is not sought.
Responsibilities
Act as go-to expert on feline nutrition, formulation, palatability and sensory science; Own Marro product development strategy end-to-end, including long-term vision and range architecture; Turn strategy into a prioritised multi-year roadmap grounded in customer insights, scientific evidence and commercial goals; Own palatability performance and reduce customers pausing because of the food; Make trade-off decisions between nutrition, palatability, quality, cost and manufacturability; Own the Marro budget for trials, sensory testing, external specialists and research; Build business cases for product changes covering recipe cost, margin, savings and customer benefit; Set quality benchmarks and work with Operations to fix quality issues at the root; Decide research priorities and work with external specialists; Sign off product quality and claims, working with Brand and Marketing; Report to the Product Development Director in partnership, not under day-to-day direction
Requirements
Deep expertise in feline nutrition, ingredients, formulation, processing, sensory and palatability; Proven product judgment balancing nutrition, palatability, quality, customer expectations, manufacturing realities and cost; Experience shaping product strategy, not just delivering against a roadmap; Ability to lead cross-functional work and influence senior stakeholders; Hands-on with food, running kitchen trials and product evaluation; Scientific curiosity and ability to turn evidence into practical change; Comfort with ambiguity, fast pace and ownership; Ideally a degree or postgraduate qualification in animal nutrition, food science, sensory science or a related field (hands-on pet food experience considered as an alternative); Within comfortable commutable distance of London
Nice to have
Hands-on pet food experience can substitute for a formal degree
Benefits
Equity option package; 25 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays, 5 paws days and an additional day every year of service; £500 personal learning and development budget; Butternut Box / Marro employee discount; Subsidised private medical insurance with Vitality; Cycle to work scheme; Flexible working with hybrid remote working; Team socials plus company-wide summer and winter parties
Wielka Brytania · Blyth
