Product development

Product development manager CV: example and template

This example is for product development and new product managers at food, cosmetics, manufacturing and trading companies, and for technologists and specialists who want to run the whole process.

The employer wants to know which products you launch, how you run a project from idea to sale, who you work with and what results new products bring. We show you how to describe this on your CV.

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Example CV: product development manager

All the details in this example are fictional. Treat it as a model of layout and wording, and replace the content with your own experience.

Natalia Sikora

Product development manager

Kielce +48 123 456 789 natalia.sikora@example.com

Professional profile

Product development manager with 10 years in the food industry, the last 4 running the new products department of a snack manufacturer. I head a team of 7 technologists and run projects from the idea through recipes, consumer tests and production trials to the shelf. In the last 3 years I launched 26 products that now make up 19% of the company's sales.

Work experience

Product development manager

03.2021 - present

Snack manufacturer, Kielce

  • Heading a team of 7 technologists and new product projects.
  • 26 new products in 3 years, 19% of the company's current sales.
  • A process with stages and decision points, time from idea to shelf cut from 14 to 9 months.
  • Consumer tests, production trials and cost calculations with the finance department.
  • Work with marketing, purchasing, quality and retail chains.

Food technologist

07.2014 - 02.2021

Cereal processing plant, Krakow

  • Developing recipes and specifications.
  • Technology trials on production lines.
  • Documentation for the quality department.

Education

Master's degree, food technology and human nutrition

2009 - 2014

University of Agriculture in Krakow

Skills

  • New product development
  • Running projects from idea to sale
  • Recipes, prototypes and production trials
  • Consumer tests
  • Product cost calculations
  • Work with marketing and sales

Training

  • Project management training, 2020
  • Sensory analysis training, 2018
  • HACCP food safety system training, 2016

Languages

  • English: C1

Additional information

  • Driving licence category B

I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).

How to write a product development manager CV

Professional summary

Write in which industry you develop products, the team you have and which stages you are responsible for. Add results: the number of new products, their share of sales and time to launch. The employer is looking for someone who will turn an idea into a product that can be made and sold at a profit.

Food technologist with 6 years of experience developing recipes and running trials on production lines. I keep the documentation for new products and work with the quality department. I am looking for work as a product development manager.

Experience: duties and achievements

Describe the team, projects, stages, tests, costs and work with other departments. Show results in numbers. Add how you shorten time to launch and how you judge which ideas to take further.

Weaker: New products.

Better: 26 new products in 3 years, 19% of the company's current sales.

Weaker: Process.

Better: A process with stages and decision points, time from idea to shelf cut from 14 to 9 months.

Weaker: Tests.

Better: Consumer tests, production trials and cost calculations with the finance department.

Skills worth listing

List product development, running projects, recipes or prototypes, tests, costs and work with departments. In your soft skills show creativity, organisation and persuasion.

Professional skills

  • New products
  • Projects
  • Recipes and prototypes
  • Consumer tests
  • Product costs
  • Work with marketing

Personal skills

  • Creativity
  • Organisation
  • Persuasion
  • Communication
  • Decisiveness

Training

List training in project management, sensory analysis or consumer research and the product safety systems relevant to your industry.

How to become a product development manager

Most people move from technologist, design engineer, product marketing specialist or project manager. On your CV show the products you already work on.

Add your work with production, purchasing and sales. A product development manager connects all these departments.

Tailoring your CV to the job offer

A food company looks for recipes, tests and retail chains, a cosmetics company for formulations and safety testing, and an equipment manufacturer for design, prototypes and certification. Move to the top what the job ad is about.

The most common mistakes on a product development manager CV

Questions and answers

What should a product development manager put on a CV?

The industry, team, projects, stages, tests, costs, results of new products and training.

Which results are worth giving?

The number of products launched, their share of sales, time to launch and margin.

How does this role differ from a product owner in IT?

A product owner develops a digital product with a team of developers, and a product development manager usually launches physical products.

Is a technical education needed?

In food and manufacturing it usually is, because the manager assesses recipes and technology.

Create a product development manager CV in the builder

In the CV Majster builder you enter your details step by step and see right away what the document looks like. You can copy the wording from this page and adapt it to yourself. The finished CV as a PDF costs a one-off PLN 5, with no subscription, and you see the preview before you pay.

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See also

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