Food & process operations developer

itsu; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Flexible working: 1 day a week from 1-

Up to 2 weeks abroad for work travel

Generous time off incl. bank holidays

Free breakfast and snacks every day

Free lunch when in office; 50% off in‑

Wellbeing benefits (physical, mental,財

Annual events and socials

Job summary

itsu is seeking a Food Operations & Process Developer to bridge food development with shop execution. You will take products from development through trial, launch, post-launch review, and continuous improvement, ensuring recipes and methods are safe, consistent, efficient and practical across shop formats.

You will assess readiness, escalate issues, and coordinate with Food, Operations, How To, Technical and Supply Chain teams.

Qualifications

• Experience in high-volume food operations or quick-service restaurants.
• Ability to run trials and translate concepts into repeatable processes.
• Organised with end-to-end product development experience.

Responsibilities

• Brings practical shop thinking into food development from the start, ensuring products can be prepared safely and efficiently across the estate.
• Leads trials, validates recipes and processes, owns the operational readiness assessment and escalates unresolved issues before rollout.
• Develops and owns clear food preparation methods and technical content for training shop teams.
• Collaborates with Quality, Operations and Food teams to investigate issues, identify root causes and implement solutions.
• Leads post-launch operational review using shop feedback and performance data.

Skills

Food operations

Food development

Trial management

Process optimization

Job description

this is itsuWe are the leading Asian-inspired quick-service retail and grocery brand with over 80 restaurants across the UK, Belgium, and a growing wholesale business across Europe and beyond. Our renowned delicious food made fresh in every restaurant, every day, has made itsu a top choice for healthy eating. In addition to our restaurants, itsu [grocery] offers a range of high-quality Asian-inspired foods available online and in supermarkets. We are excited to be one of the leading brands in this specific group and have ambitious plans for continued growth both domestically and globally. With its best-in-class-food, latest technology, innovation, and talented workforce, itsu is the future of fast food.

this is the jobThe Food Operations & Process Developer reports to the Head of Food and makes sure food ideas can work brilliantly in shops. The role takes new and existing products from development through trial, launch, post-launch review and continuous improvement, making sure recipes, preparation methods and processes are safe, consistent, efficient and practical across different shop formats. They are the link between food development and shop execution, working closely with Food, Operations, How To, Technical, Supply Chain and the Rice & Fish Quality Specialist. This is a hands-on specialist role with clear ownership for food operational readiness. The person assesses whether products and processes are ready for shops, escalates material issues and can recommend delaying rollout where significant operational problems remain unresolved. Final commercial and Technical sign-off sit with the relevant accountable teams.

Core Responsibilities

• Brings practical shop thinking into food development from the start, making sure products can be prepared consistently, safely and efficiently across the estate.
• Leads trials, validates recipes and processes, owns the operational readiness assessment and escalates unresolved issues before rollout.
• Develops and owns clear food preparation methods and technical content, working with How To to turn these into simple training and guidance for shop teams.
• Works closely with the Rice & Fish Quality Specialist and relevant teams to investigate ingredient, food quality and process issues, identify root causes and put practical solutions in place.
• Leads post-launch operational review, uses shop feedback and performance evidence

this is you

• Strong experience in high-volume food operations, quick-service restaurants, food development or food process development.
• Able to run trials and turning food concepts into repeatable operating processes, as understands the commercial impact of food processes, including labour, yield, waste, equipment requirements, ingredient cost, preparation time and shop workload.
• You will have good judgement on whether food quality issues come from the ingredient, process, equipment or execution.
• Be organised and able to take work from early development through trial, launch, post-launch review and continuous improvement, able to spot unnecessary complexity and turn it into a simpler way of working.
• Curious, practical and focused on improving how food is prepared and served every day

Perks & Benefits

• A competitive salary
• Flexible working, including 1 day a week from home, and up to 2 week a year working from abroad
• Generous time off allowances [including bank holidays]
• Free breakfast and snacks available everyday
• A free itsu lunch whenever you are in the office and 50% off in all stores, for when you are not
• We cover a variety of different benefits such as physical, mental, financial, environmental and social wellbeing
• An array of business events and socials throughout the year