Development Chef

Associ8 Solutions; Ellesmere; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Associ8 Solutions is seeking a Development Chef to join its innovation team in the UK. You will shape product ranges for major retailers, turning trends into viable concepts and ensuring alignment with brand standards and commercial targets.

You’ll work closely with Category, Commercial, Technical and Operations teams to translate insights into concepts, develop recipes, and lead presentations with retailers. A dynamic, fast‑paced environment offers growth in NPD and culinary leadership.

Qualifications

• Proven development chef experience in food manufacturing.
• Experience with major UK retailers (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, M&S, Co‑op, Morrisons).
• Strong culinary skills with global flavours and techniques.
• Excellent presentation and stakeholder communication abilities.
• Costing, yields, feasibility and margin management experience.
• Ability to manage multiple briefs and deliver to tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Create innovative, commercially viable concepts aligned to retailer briefs and category strategy.
• Translate trends into new product ideas with market awareness.
• Develop recipes, standards and kitchen samples for presentations and reviews.
• Lead customer presentations with major retailers.
• Support factory trials, scale‑ups and recipe costing to meet quality and margin targets.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally to source ingredients and ensure feasibility.
• Conduct benchmarking and trend mapping to stay ahead.
• Maintain kitchen standards, documentation and sample management.
• Support range development across categories.

Skills

Development Chef

Retail collaboration

Culinary innovation

Costing & margins

Job description

We're looking for a highly creative and commercially minded Development Chef to join our innovation team and help shape the future of our product ranges across major UK retailers. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives on turning trends into commercially viable concepts, understands retailer expectations, and can work confidently from kitchen bench to factory scale‑up.

As part of our NPD function, you'll work closely with Category, Commercial, Technical and Operations teams to deliver outstanding food that meets brand standards, customer briefs and commercial targets.

What You'll Be Doing

• Create innovative, commercially viable concepts aligned to retailer briefs and category strategy
• Translate trends and insights into new product ideas using strong culinary innovation and market awareness
• Develop recipes, gold standards and kitchen samples for presentations and internal reviews
• Lead customer presentations with major retailers, showcasing concepts with confidence and clarity
• Support factory trials, scale‑ups and recipe costing to ensure products meet quality, yield and margin targets
• Work cross‑functionally with Procurement, Technical and Operations to source ingredients and ensure feasibility
• Conduct competitor benchmarking, food safaris and trend mapping to stay ahead of the market
• Maintain development kitchen standards, documentation and sample management
• Support seasonal, core and premium range development across multiple categories

What We're Looking For

• Strong background as a Development Chef within food manufacturing
• Proven experience working with major UK retailers (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, M&S, Co‑op, Morrisons etc.)
• Excellent culinary skills with a strong understanding of global flavours, ingredients and techniques
• Confident presenting to customers and senior stakeholders
• Strong commercial awareness — costing, yields, feasibility and margin management
• Ability to work at pace, manage multiple briefs and deliver to tight deadlines
• Collaborative, positive and solutions‑focused approach
• Experience supporting factory trials and scale‑up processes

What’s On Offer

• Competitive salary depending on experience
• Opportunities to work across multiple categories and major retailer accounts
• A creative, supportive and fast‑paced innovation environment
• Career development within a growing NPD and culinary team