Culinary Manager

Barakat; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Barakat in Dubai seeks a senior Category Management / Product/Brand leader to drive market insights, develop compelling product concepts and manage end-to-end launches. You will coordinate R&D, Procurement, Production, Packaging and Regulatory teams to ensure launch readiness and brand consistency.

You will build commercial propositions, lead internal tastings with Chefs and Sales, and analyze portfolio performance to optimize revenue, margins and SKU productivity. Experience in F&B is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Food Science, Culinary Management or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in Category Management, Product/Brand Management or related roles in F&B/FMCG.
• Strong understanding of NPD, production and food safety fundamentals.
• Proven track record taking products from concept to launch.
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.
• Strong analytical and commercial skills with Excel and presentations.

Responsibilities

• Drive Product Innovation by identifying market trends and customer needs with R&D.
• Take products from concept to launch, coordinating R&D, Production, Packaging and Regulatory.
• Build the product and brand experience with packaging, photography and digital assets.
• Create compelling sales propositions and pitches for Retail, Hospitality and Foodservice.
• Lead tastings and customer demonstrations with chefs and Sales.
• Own portfolio performance through revenue, volume, margin and SKU analysis.
• Turn customer insights into better products and new opportunities with cross‑functional teams.

Skills

Category management

NPD

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Commercial acumen

Excel

Presentation

Project tracking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Food Science, Culinary Management or related field

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

• Drive Product Innovation - Identify market trends, customer needs and category white spaces, and translate insights into commercially viable product concepts with the Chef’s Kitchen and R&D teams.
• Take Products from Concept to Launch - Own the end-to-end product journey from concept to first customer sale, coordinating R&D, Procurement, Production, Packaging and Regulatory while ensuring launch readiness.
• Build the Product & Brand Experience - Develop compelling packaging, photography and digital assets with chefs, designers and creative partners, ensuring consistency, compliance and strong brand presentation.
• Build the Commercial Story - Create compelling sales propositions and pitch materials that communicate customer value, category fit, differentiation and commercial opportunity across Retail, Hospitality and Foodservice.
• Demonstrate & Champion the Product - Lead internal tastings and customer demonstrations, partnering with chefs and Sales to showcase products effectively and build customer confidence.
• Own Category & Product Performance - Drive portfolio performance through regular analysis of revenue, volume, margin and SKU productivity, leading renovation, pricing, optimisation and delisting decisions where required.
• Build Customer Engagement - Own customer feedback and engagement processes, partnering with Sales, Customer Service, QA and Supply Chain to turn customer insights into better products, stronger relationships and new opportunities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Food Science, Culinary Management or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in Category Management, Product/Brand Management, NPD or commercial roles within F&B, FMCG or food manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of NPD, food production and food safety fundamentals.
• Proven track record of taking products from concept to development and successful commercial launch.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally with R&D, Chefs, Sales, Supply Chain and Operations.
• Strong analytical and commercial skills, with proficiency in Excel, presentations and project-tracking tools.
• Ability to translate data and insights into clear commercial actions and recommendations.
• Comfortable managing creative, design, photography and packaging outputs to bring product propositions to life.