Culinary Lead / Product Development Chef – QSR & Cloud Kitchen

Black Pearl; Dubai; On-site; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A rapidly growing QSR and Cloud Kitchen group in the UAE seeks a Culinary Lead / Product Development Chef to drive menu innovation and recipe creation. This role requires 5–10 years of experience in QSR or large-scale production kitchens, alongside a strong understanding of culinary standardization and commercial manufacturing practices. You'll shape the culinary identity, ensuring products meet quality and cost standards while collaborating with supply chain teams. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative food concepts across the GCC.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of experience as an R&D Chef, Culinary Lead, or similar.
• Strong background in QSR, cloud kitchens, or large-scale production kitchens.
• Ability to balance creativity with cost control.

Responsibilities

• Research and create new menu items aligned with brand positioning.
• Create detailed recipe specifications including ingredient lists and methods.
• Lead tasting panels and analyze sensory feedback for product refinement.
• Evaluate and approve raw materials and ingredients.
• Scale recipes from development to batch production.

Skills

Menu innovation

Recipe engineering

Quality assurance

Supply chain collaboration

Production integration

Commercialization of products

Job description

A newly established and rapidly expanding QSR and Cloud Kitchen group in the UAE is developing multiple innovative food concepts designed for scale across the GCC. With ambitions to become one of the region’s leading food brands, they are building a culinary team that can transform concepts into commercially successful, consistent, and scalable products. To support this growth, Black Pearl has been exclusively retained to recruit a passionate and highly skilled Culinary Lead / Product Development Chef. The Culinary Lead will be responsible for menu innovation, recipe creation, product development, and culinary standardization across multiple QSR concepts. This role combines creativity with operational execution—requiring strong technical culinary knowledge, R&D capabilities, and the ability to convert recipes into scalable central kitchen or outsourced manufacturing formats. You will play a key role in shaping the brand’s culinary identity, ensuring every product meets quality, cost, consistency, and scalability standards.

Key Responsibilities

1. Menu Innovation & Concept Development
   • Research and create new menu items aligned with brand positioning and regional trends.
   • Develop recipes across multiple cuisines (Indian, Asian, Fast-Casual, Sandwiches, Rolls, or Fusion).
   • Conduct benchmarking across Dubai’s competitive QSR and cloud-kitchen landscape.
2. Recipe Engineering & Standardization
   • Create detailed recipe specifications including ingredient lists, methods, yields, timings, and plating/packaging.
   • Ensure consistency across locations by converting complex recipes into simple, repeatable SOPs.
   • Standardize portion sizes and ensure cost-effective recipe structures.
3. Sensory Testing & Quality Assurance
   • Lead tasting panels and analyze sensory feedback for product refinement.
   • Maintain strict quality, taste, texture, and presentation standards across all kitchens.
   • Work with QA to develop and enforce food quality parameters.
4. Supply Chain Collaboration
   • Evaluate and approve raw materials, ingredients, and packaging options.
   • Work closely with procurement to ensure consistency, cost targets, and supplier compliance.
   • Assist in selecting and training vendors or co-packers for outsourced production.
5. Production & Central Kitchen Integration
   • Scale recipes from development to batch production in central kitchen environments.
   • Build SOPs for food preparation, cooking, assembly, storage, and dispatch.
   • Conduct periodic kitchen audits to monitor adherence to culinary and hygiene standards.
6. Product Commercialization
   • Design products suitable for frozen, retort, preservative-based, emulsified, or hot‑fill processes.
   • Work with operations and supply chain teams to ensure products meet shelf‑life and production constraints.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of experience as an R&D Chef, Culinary Lead, Innovation Chef, Head Chef, or similar.
• Strong background in QSR, cloud kitchens, fast‑casual brands, or large‑scale production kitchens.
• Ability to balance creativity with cost control and operational feasibility.
• Experience with commercial manufacturing technologies (retort, frozen, preservative-based products, hot‑fill).
• Strong documentation skills and the ability to train diverse culinary teams.
• Familiarity with UAE food safety standards (HACCP, Municipality guidelines) preferred.