Development Chef - Healthcare

Fresh Direct Group; Hemel Hempstead; Remote; GBP 45,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a passionate Business Development Chef to innovate and create tailored menu solutions for diverse customers. This exciting role involves frequent travel across the UK, showcasing culinary creativity while building strong relationships with clients. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of the UK foodservice landscape and a passion for fresh produce. With a home-based contract, competitive salary, and opportunities for personal growth, this position offers a unique chance to thrive in a dynamic environment. Join a team that values diversity and is committed to making a difference in the food industry.

Benefits

Company Car or Car Allowance

Home-based Contract

Additional Holiday Purchase Options

Significant Discounts on Food

Qualifications

• Proven track record in multiple sectors with evidence of progress.
• Strong presentation and communication skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Organise and deliver first-class customer presentations.
• Develop strong internal relationships with Sales and Merchandising teams.
• Utilise market insight to enhance customer presentations.

Skills

Presentation Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Communication Skills

Understanding of UK Foodservice Industry

Recipe Development

Education

City & Guilds 706/1 & 2 or equivalent

Tools

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Nutritics

Job description

Job Description

Business Development Chef- Catering Team

Remote based ideally located with frequent travel across the UK and around Reading, Hemel Hempstead and London in particular.

39 hours per week.

Salary up to £45,000, company car or car allowance, a home-based contract, additional holiday purchase options to top up your annual leave, and our award-winning food at significant discounts.

We now have a fantastic opportunity for a Business Development Chef- Catering team to join us at Brakes.

The role will include developing a range of compelling menu solutions tailored to the needs of our customers across multiple sectors. The successful chef will be involved in supporting many of the care catering customers, and while experience isn’t essential, a desire to learn and succeed in this sector is essential.

Supporting our customers' growth and addressing their challenges, you will showcase Brakes’ innovation and breadth of range with the ability to meet all the customers’ needs. You will support trade shows, internal events, and customer events as required. You will influence Brakes NPD by feeding market trends and customer requests into the innovation process.

Ultimately, the role brings to life our food proposition to our customers and helps them grow and for Brakes to thrive.

Responsibilities:

• Organise, manage, and deliver first-class customer presentations to existing and prospective customers.
• Secure detailed briefs in collaboration with customers and account managers.
• Confidently present to multiple levels of customer stakeholders from MD, Owner, Buyer, Exec Chef, and team members, while ensuring a customer-first approach.
• Ensure Brakes’ objectives are met during food presentations and follow-up interactions.
• Ensure cross-Sysco selling, where appropriate, by collaborating with all elements of the business – e.g., Fresh Direct, Country Choice, and BCE.
• Develop strong internal relationships with Sales and Merchandising teams.
• Build long-term partnership relationships with key stakeholders in our customer base to help win, grow, and retain our customers over their lifecycle.
• With aligned customer accounts, respond to food and offer-related requests to support customers and account managers.
• Utilise market insight and industry trends to ensure customer presentations reflect this in terms of the concepts and products presented.
• Product match tenders and proposals to ensure all products are suitable for the customer over and above price – e.g., pack size, cooking requirements, tiering, and nutrition.
• Support the development and build Brakes’ propositions to ensure all colleagues and customers have access to the knowledge and expertise gained from and shared with contracted customers.
• Where appropriate, use our recipe development tool (currently Nutritics) to provide accurately costed recipes and menus with full nutrition, allergen, calories, and carbon footprint details.
• Support the development of Brakes’ recipe library by capturing tried and tested recipes in Nutritics that are fully completed and shared with colleagues and/or admin accounts.

The ideal candidate will possess a proven track record of working within multiple sectors with evidence of progress and experience. Hold a City & Guilds 706/1 & 2 or equivalent qualification, along with experience in building fully costed recipes and menus. We are looking for a focused individual with excellent presentation, interpersonal, and communication skills. Someone who has a deep understanding of the UK Foodservice industry and trends. It goes without saying that you must possess a deep-rooted passion for fresh produce and ingredients! The successful candidate will be competent in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint and possess a clean UK driving licence to support regular travel to client sites.

This is a home-based role; however, frequent weekly travel will be required throughout the UK to meet with colleagues and clients. Due to the nature of this role, there may be a requirement for overnight stays as part of a normal working week and frequent travel.

In return, we offer a competitive base salary, car allowance, a home-based contract, additional holiday purchase options to top up your annual leave, and our award-winning food at significant discounts.

We’re not just looking for a good fit; we want people who help to make us even better. We’re passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that celebrates and values diversity. We don’t want you to ‘fit’ our culture; we want you to define it. Bring your whole self to work.

Additional Information

At Brakes, everyone is welcome. We don’t want you to ‘fit our culture’; we want you to help define it, and we actively celebrate the unique talents of each and every colleague. We don’t just look at your CV; we’re more focused on who you are and your potential. As part of our values, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone has a voice, is appreciated, and has the same opportunities. We work hard to ensure that everyone feels part of our business, as we care for one another and connect the world through food and trusted partnerships. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that everyone belongs and thrives at Brakes, and we recognise that Brakes can only thrive when everyone feels they belong. We'll do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, speak to our resourcing team who will be happy to support you.

Brakes

Built on a passion for food and feeding the nation, we are the UK’s largest foodservice supplier. Every day, Brakes delivers the highest quality fresh and frozen food and ingredients from our nationwide network of distribution centres to some of the nation’s most famous pubs and restaurants, as well as schools, caterers, care homes, and hospitals. Our customers depend on us, and our 8,000-strong workforce is dedicated and proud to be part of this vital provision. And we’re growing!