Junior Development Chef — NPD & Production

Drnewitt; Leicester; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company uniform provided

Company events

Pension scheme

Free on-site parking

Job summary

Drnewitt is recruiting an Assistant Development Chef for a UK food manufacturer in East Midlands. The role blends development kitchen work with hands-on production, supporting the Development Chef through concept to factory trials and launch.

You will help create new products, source ingredients, run factory trials, and train teams while maintaining quality and consistency in a fast-paced environment. Strong computer skills, including Excel, and a practical, creative mindset are essential.

Qualifications

• Strong computer skills are essential.
• Experience in food manufacturing environments is beneficial.
• Willingness to work across development and production environments.

Responsibilities

• Support the Development Chef in creating new products in response to customer briefs and internal innovation.
• Research ingredients, global cuisines, and emerging food trends to inspire new product ideas.
• Scale recipes from kitchen development to commercial production while addressing manufacturing challenges.
• Assist with planning and conducting factory trials alongside Production and Technical teams.
• Present new products, recipes, and ingredients to colleagues and customers as required.
• Spend time on the production floor supporting cooking teams to maintain quality and consistency.
• Assist with ingredient sourcing by identifying cost-effective options and evaluating suppliers with technical and procurement teams.
• Participate in daily product tastings to help maintain quality standards.
• Maintain a clean, organised, and well-managed development kitchen.

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Drnewitt is recruiting an Assistant Development Chef for a UK food manufacturer in East Midlands. The role blends development kitchen work with hands-on production, supporting the Development Chef through concept to factory trials and launch.

You will help create new products, source ingredients, run factory trials, and train teams while maintaining quality and consistency in a fast-paced environment. Strong computer skills, including Excel, and a practical, creative mindset are essential.