Product Development Chef

hireful; St Leonards; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food production company in St Leonards is seeking a creative Product Development Chef. The successful candidate will research and test new recipes, work with cross-functional teams, and ensure compliance with food safety standards. Ideal for those with culinary expertise and a passion for food innovation. Competitive salary and benefits offered.

Benefits

Free Hot Drinks

Free Parking Onsite

On-Site Canteen Serving Hot Food

25 Days Holidays Plus Bank Holiday

Company Pension 3% Employee, 5% Employer

Life Assurance Cover

UK Healthcare Scheme, Including Gym, and Lifestyle Discounts

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Development Chef or similar senior culinary role.
• Experience in recipe creation and product launch.
• Willingness to undertake relevant training on Food Safety, HACCP, Allergens etc.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with customers to research, design, and test new recipes.
• Ensure recipes meet food safety and nutritional guidelines.
• Present products to customers and internal teams.

Skills

Development Chef experience

Knowledge of food trends

Recipe creation

Commercial awareness

Organisational skills

Communication skills

Understanding of food safety

Computer savvy

Education

Formal culinary training (NVQ, City & Guilds, or equivalent)

Experience in NPD

Job description

Product Development Chef

AAK is proud to be the world’s leading producer of specialty vegetable fats. Through our unique co‑development approach, we develop and provide value‑adding vegetable oil solutions in close collaboration with our customers, enabling them to achieve long‑lasting business results.

By doing so, we solve customer specific needs across many industries including Bakery, Chocolate & Confectionery, Dairy, Foodservice, Infant Nutrition and Personal Care.

Our pioneering spirit and passion for innovation keeps us at the cutting edge of our industry and is what sets us apart. It enables our employees to work in a safe and supportive environment in which they make a genuine impact.

AAK employ more than 3,500 employees globally and with 20 production facilities and customisation plants, and sales offices in over 25 countries spanning six continents we have one of our industries most diverse global footprints.

AAK BD Foods

BD Foods joined AAK International in 2019 as part of the Global Foodservice Group. Now AAK BD Foods, the site is a producer of tailor‑made restaurant quality meal accompaniments and boasts a portfolio of over 3,000 products. With the ethos “Chefs not machines”, quality and innovation are at the heart of what they do. With its purpose‑built manufacturing site based in St Leonards on Sea, the Company produces solution‑based chilled, ambient, and frozen products in a variety of pack formats for the food service sector.

AAK BD Foods are seeking a highly creative and experienced Product Development Chef to drive innovation within our product offering and customer base. The successful candidate will be part of a team responsible for researching, creating, and testing new recipes in line with our factory capabilities and guidelines, ensuring products meet both commercial and customer expectations as well as our technical requirements.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with customers and colleagues within a bespoke manufacturer, research, design, and test new recipes and product ranges.
• Innovate and refresh existing products to keep them the best they can be or negate cost where appropriate.
• Work closely with the operations, procurement, technical and commercial teams to ensure new dishes are viable, scalable, and cost‑effective.
• Take an active interest in food trends, competitor activity, and customer feedback to inform development decisions.
• Ensure all recipes and products comply with customer brand standards, food safety, and nutritional guidelines.
• Product presentations to customer and internal teams.
• Maintain accurate records and documents within dept and company wide.
• Work as part of a team to maintain a good standard of work environment.

Skills and Experience

• Proven experience as a Development Chef, similar senior culinary role.
• Strong knowledge of current food trends, flavour profiles, and presentation styles.
• Experience in recipe creation, and product launch.
• Commercial awareness with the ability to balance creativity with profitability.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Understanding of food safety, allergens, and nutritional regulations.
• Literate, Numerate and Computer Savvy.

Qualifications

• Formal culinary training (NVQ, City & Guilds, or equivalent).
• Experienced in NPD preferably within a relevant manufacturing environment.
• Willingness to undertake relevant training on Food Safety, HACCP, Allergens etc.
• Full Driving License.

In return AAK offer:

• Free Hot Drinks
• Free Parking Onsite
• On‑Site Canteen Serving Hot Food
• 25 Days Holidays Plus Bank Holiday
• Company Pension 3% Employee, 5% Employer
• Life Assurance Cover
• UK Healthcare Scheme, Including Gym, and Lifestyle Discounts

Diversity & Inclusion at AAK

AAK prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, religion, veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in any aspect of the access to, admission, or treatment of students in its programs and activities, or in employment.

Location: St Leonards, Hastings
Contract: Full time
Hours: 40 hours per week, 08:30‑4:45pm
Salary: Starting from £30,658.00 per annum

You may also have experience in the following: Bespoke Food Manufacturing, Food & Beverage Production, FMCG Food Sector, Food Trends & Market Insights, Competitor Analysis, Customer Feedback Analysis, Culinary Innovation, Recipe Benchmarking, Development Chef, Product Development / NPD (New Product Development), Recipe Creation & Innovation, Product Range Development, Menu Development, Food Innovation & Reformulation, Recipe Testing & Scaling.

REF-224 981