NPD & Menu Strategy Manager

COREcruitment; City Of London; Presencial; GBP 55.000 - 90.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

COREcruitment Ltd’s client, a fast-growing viral food brand, seeks a Product Development Lead to own new menu item creation and launches across a rapidly expanding estate.

You will collaborate with marketing, chefs and operations to translate trends into scalable, high-margin offerings while maintaining quality in high-volume kitchens across multiple sites.

Formación

• 3–4 years' product development experience within QSR, food service or retail.
• Proven ability to own product roadmaps and create menus for multi-site, high-volume ops.
• Degree in Food Science/Technology with HACCP Level 3 (or equivalent) is essential.
• Strong knowledge of food safety legislation and supplier quality systems.
• Commercial mindset with a focus on trends and data-driven decisions.

Responsabilidades

• Lead end-to-end development of new menu items and limited-time offers.
• Shape roadmap for core menu updates across the estate as it scales.
• Collaborate with marketing on trend analysis, benchmarking and insights.
• Partner with chefs, suppliers, operations and supply chain to ensure scalability and cost-effectiveness.
• Establish recipes, tastings, approvals and trials; track post-launch performance.

Conocimientos

Product development

Menu engineering

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decision making

Educación

Food Science / Food Technology degree

HACCP Level 3 qualification

Descripción del empleo

What happens when a viral food brand needs a menu that can scale across a growing estate?

That's exactly the challenge this role has been created to solve.

Our client is a fast-growing, venture-backed food business that partners with high-profile creator-led brands and turns them into scalable restaurant concepts.

One of its biggest UK growth opportunities is already building serious momentum, with around 20 locations live today and ambitious plans to reach approximately 100 sites by 2030, expand into international markets and keep growing through a predominantly franchise-led model.

Now they're looking for the person who can turn a much-loved product into a menu that drives repeat visits, protects margin and works in every kitchen, every time.

The opportunity:

This is a chance to take full ownership of the new product development function.

You'll lead the creation and launch of new menu items, limited-time offers and core menu upgrades across the entire estate, working closely with senior leadership and shaping how the menu evolves as the business scales.

This isn't about developing products that only work in a test kitchen.

It's about creating products that sell.

You'll use trends, customer insights and commercial data to answer questions such as:

• What should customers be excited to try next?
• How do we keep the menu fresh without slowing down operations?
• How do we improve margin without compromising on quality?
• How do we adapt the menu for new international markets?

And ultimately:

How do we turn a viral food brand into a menu customers come back for again and again?

What you will own:

• You'll lead new menu items end to end, from first concept through to launch, and build a clear product roadmap for limited-time offers and core menu updates.
• You'll work closely with marketing on trend analysis, competitor benchmarking and customer insight, turning what you learn into menu innovation.
• You'll partner with chefs, suppliers, operations and supply chain to make sure every product is scalable, cost-effective and works in a high-volume environment.
• You'll recommend ingredients, suppliers, cooking processes and equipment for consistency and quality across every location.
• You'll build structured processes for recipe development, tastings, product approvals and trials, and track how products perform during trials and after launch.
• You'll use menu engineering and recipe adjustments to optimise cost of goods and improve menu margin, and give supply chain early forecasts and target pricing four to eight months before launch.
• You'll adapt products for new international markets, working with external food safety consultants to make sure everything meets local standards.
• And because this is a scaling business, you'll have the freedom to build rather than simply inherit someone else's playbook.

Who we are looking for:

• You're likely to have around 3 to 4 years' product development experience within QSR, food service or retail.
• You'll have a proven track record of owning product roadmaps and creating menus with real autonomy, ideally for a multi-site, high-volume operation.
• You'll hold a degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Nutrition or a related discipline, along with a Food Safety and HACCP qualification (Level 3 or equivalent preferred), which is essential for this role.
• You'll have strong knowledge of food safety legislation, supplier quality systems and QSR quality standards.
• You'll be passionate about food and culinary trends, with the commercial mindset to turn creative ideas