Senior Portfolio Manager – Makes Friendly Stuff

Hybrid | Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire | Full-time, Permanent

At Ella’s Kitchen, we make food that helps little ones grow up happy, healthy and loving food. We’re now looking for a Senior Portfolio Manager to lead a key part of our range, shape our future innovation pipeline and help our products succeed with families across the UK and international markets.

This is a senior, hands-on role for an experienced FMCG portfolio or innovation leader who loves combining consumer insight, commercial thinking and creative thinking to build winning brands.

Who we are

Ella’s Kitchen was founded by Paul Lindley with one big mission:
to improve children’s lives through developing healthy relationships with food.

From our Barns near Henley-on-Thames, our team of just under 80 people has grown Ella’s into an £80m+ brand, sold across the UK, Scandinavia and the BeNeLux. We’re proud to be:

• A certified B Corp

• In the Sunday Times Best Companies Top 100 for five years running

• Part of the Hain Celestial Group

We’re entrepreneurial, purpose-led and guided by strong values — and we’re looking for someone who shares that spirit.

About the role

Reporting to the Group Portfolio Manager, you’ll take ownership of a key segment of the Ella’s portfolio, leading best-in-class range management, innovation and renovation across the UK and Around-the-World markets.

You’ll shape a 3-year EPD and NPD strategy, lead high-impact projects from concept to launch, and ensure our ranges are commercially strong, consumer-led and future-ready. You’ll also line-manage a Portfolio Manager (and potentially an Assistant Brand Manager).

This is a hybrid role, based from our beautiful Oxfordshire Barns.

What you’ll be doing

Portfolio leadership

• Own and shape a 3-year innovation and renovation strategy for your portfolio

• Use category, shopper and performance data to optimise range structure and performance

• Monitor commercial and operational metrics and make decisions on delists, investment and optimisation

• Translate consumer insight, feedback and trends into clear portfolio direction

Innovation & product development

• Lead and own projects across your sub-segment from idea to launch

• Create compelling, insight-led product and pack propositions

• Partner with the Innovation team to build strong 8P briefs

• Own the delivery of stand-out packaging and formats

• Own on-pack messaging and claims, ensuring compliance and parent appeal

• Act as a champion for Kids First thinking across all projects

• Lead and improve key operational and innovation workflows

Ready-to-sell & commercial delivery

• Build inspiring sell-in stories with the Group Portfolio Manager

• Represent Ella’s confidently in customer meetings, showcasing new product development

• Deliver performance reviews and launch evaluations using consumer, category and commercial data

Leadership & collaboration

• Line-manage and coach Portfolio Manager(s)

• Manage budgets to support the business plan

• Be an active, collaborative leader in the Friends Team

What we’re looking for

You’ll bring:

• Strong portfolio and innovation experience within FMCG

• A successful track record of developing NPD from concept to launch across markets

• Experience managing packaging design and on-pack communication

• A data-led mindset, using insight, performance and P&L to guide decisions

• A commercial, business-minded approach to innovation and portfolio management

• The ability to influence, inspire and bring people with you

And just as importantly, you’ll:

• Be a collaborative, passionate team player

• Live and breathe our values: Win Together, Own It, Be Curious, Foster Inclusion, We’re Childlike

• Care deeply about Ella’s mission to help children build healthy relationships with food

What you’ll get

• Bucket loads of training and development

• Competitive salary

• Discretionary bonus

• Box of Treats — our brilliant benefits package

• A genuinely fantastic place to work, whether in our Oxfordshire Barns or over Teams