Executive Chef: Menu Innovation & NPD

Pedros; Durban; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Pedro’s Chicken is seeking an Executive Chef — New Product Development to lead the creation, testing, and commercialisation of innovative menu items across all franchise locations.

You will guide concept ideation, taste profiling, and standardisation, while partnering with marketing, supply chain, and training teams to deliver scalable, profitable offerings that meet brand standards and South African food safety regulations.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of professional culinary experience with at least 3 years in a senior or executive chef role.
• Experience in new product development within QSR, FMCG, or multi-unit hospitality environments.
• Strong understanding of food costing, yield analysis and menu engineering.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end development of new menu items from concept to rollout.
• Drive seasonal and limited-time menu innovations aligned to brand and customer insights.
• Translate concepts into scalable SOPs and recipe cards for franchise kitchens.
• Collaborate with supply chain and procurement to source ingredients meeting quality and cost targets.
• Conduct cost-per-serving analyses to ensure profitability and maintain margins.
• Oversee pilot testing, sensory evaluation, and consumer testing prior to launch.
• Ensure compliance with South African food safety and labelling regulations and HACCP principles.
• Provide culinary leadership and training support to franchise owners and kitchen staff.

Skills

Culinary expertise

Costing & margin

Food safety & HACCP

SOP development

Sensory testing

Supply chain sourcing

Menu engineering

Leadership & mentoring

Communication & collaboration

Travel readiness

Education

Culinary diploma or degree

Job description

Pedro’s Chicken is seeking an Executive Chef — New Product Development to lead the creation, testing, and commercialisation of innovative menu items across all franchise locations.

You will guide concept ideation, taste profiling, and standardisation, while partnering with marketing, supply chain, and training teams to deliver scalable, profitable offerings that meet brand standards and South African food safety regulations.