Head of Food Innovation

COREcruitment; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A fast-scaling food brand incubator based in Greater London is seeking a Head of Food to lead food innovation and strategy. This role requires a balance of creativity and discipline, with the responsibility of developing scalable, delivery-ready menus. Candidates should have over three years of experience in food development and a strong understanding of commercial kitchens. The position is primarily onsite with some remote work, offering competitive compensation and the chance to shape future food brands.

Benefits

Real ownership of food strategy

Speed and impact in innovation

Direct influence on the business

Growth opportunities in building brands

Qualifications

• 3+ years in food development, NPD, culinary innovation or food operations.
• Strong experience with delivery, QSR or scalable food formats.
• Solid understanding of commercial kitchens and food production.

Responsibilities

• Building and evolving multiple delivery first food brands.
• Leading menu innovation and seasonal refreshes.
• Owning the development and testing kitchens.

Skills

Food development

Culinary innovation

Commercial mindset

Organised communication

Delivery formats understanding

Job description

Head of Food

North West London (4 days onsite, 1 day WFH)
£60,000 – £70,000 DOE + bonus

The business

They are a fast scaling food brand incubator building restaurant quality, delivery first food brands across the UK. Operating through a growing network of partner kitchens on platforms such as Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat, everything is designed for scale with smart menus, tight systems and food that travels well.

All food innovation happens under one roof with a development kitchen, testing kitchen, central production and HQ, allowing ideas to move quickly from concept to launch.

As the business continues to grow, they are now looking for a Head of Food to bring ownership, structure and pace to the food pipeline. This is not a purely creative chef role, but a commercial food innovation leadership position within a data led, high growth business.

Why join?

• Real ownership – this role shapes the food strategy
• Speed and impact – ideas turn into live menus fast
• Founder exposure – direct influence on the business
• Growth journey – help build the next generation of food brands

The role

This is a senior, hands on position with real influence.

You will own the full food journey from early ideas through to scalable, production ready menus rolled out across multiple kitchens.

You will work closely with operations, production, data and onboarding to make sure every dish is:

• Commercially viable
• Easy to execute
• Consistent at scale
• Built for delivery

You will owe decisions, processes and standards.

What you will be responsible for

• Building and evolving multiple delivery first food brands
• Leading menu innovation and seasonal refreshes
• Owning the development and testing kitchens
• Turning chef-led ideas into scalable, CPU-friendly products
• Ensuring strong margins, consistency and operational fit
• Working closely with production to ensure smooth execution
• Using data to guide decisions: what to build, fix, improve or stop
• Creating clear specs, recipes, costings and documentation
• Bringing structure, clarity and pace to food development

What they are looking for

• 3+ years in food development, NPD, culinary innovation or food operations
• Strong experience with delivery, QSR or scalable food formats
• Solid understanding of commercial kitchens and food production
• A balance of creativity and discipline
• Commercial mindset – you care about margins, waste and performance
• Comfortable working closely with founders
• Organised, decisive and clear in your communication
• Happy working at pace with multiple projects live at once

Working pattern

• 4 days per week onsite (kitchens are key)
• 1 day per week working from home