Development Chef

The Development Chef works extremely closely with the wider NPD and Category teams to support the development and innovation plan at site. This is done across a multiple customer base for the chilled snacking food category. The role involves developing products with a strong drive in innovation, sample making, keeping the kitchen clean and tidy as well as writing and costing recipes. Working in a collaborative manner with the wider development team and other key stakeholders to deliver profitable growth to the Complete Food Group and its customers. Your Duties Will Include:

• Effective delivery of the business strategy and customer category plans as directed by the Development Manager.
• Support in the sites concept NPD/EPD agenda to required cost and within agreed timescales.
• Strong involvement in customer briefs.
• Delivering innovation that translates into concepts that are profitable and fit the market requirements.
• Driving food values for both site and wider business - visually / verbally / displays.
• Interpret varying customer briefs to create and deliver innovative concepts that meet customer and market requirements.
• Work with relevant NPD managers to interpret the brief and split the work between chef and technologist.
• Present concepts internally to site teams and lead senior management presentations when required.
• Responsible for working with purchasing to source new ingredients / prices / min order quantity and raw material
specifications.
• Working with the procurement teams responsible for providing Finance all the relevant information to carry out costings.
• Ability to interpret costings and amend products to be commercially viable.
• Recipe build and interpret theoretical nutritional results against guidelines
• Understand and drive proactive development initiatives which push factory production and Technical boundaries to maximise cost
savings and efficiency.
• Identify new trends and maintain current products to deliver newness to the category by understanding the market.
• Communicate with teams including NPD, purchasing and finance to interpret briefs, source new ingredients and carry out costings
• Promote health and safety culture across the site and follow health and safety requirements during kitchen and process
development work
• In conjunction with the NPD managers responsible for gathering all information required for customer presentations including
theoretical nutritional / photographs / benchmarks / product descriptions to internal & external customer presentations.
• Confidently present products to customers and support the NPD Managers & Development Manager at presentations/meetings.
• Able to talk confidently about current and future products. Displays product well and appropriately.
• Recipe build on Point 74 Recipe Professor system or site finance recipe build documents
• Help to lead and support site feasibility sessions with expert guidance.
• Manage workload with site kitchen planner and communicate workload to the wider business and culinary function.
• Interpret theoretical nutritional results against guidelines and respond as appropriate.
• Complete relevant benchmarking documentation
• Complete presentation for food shows/shops visited
• Support in continuous improvements and identify cost savings in reducing production costs / new ideas and ingredient potential
to maximize cost savings and efficiency to both businesses.
• Support in value engineering of ingredients / packaging / processes where required.
• Support in liaising with suppliers to provide process and ingredient improvement.
• Play a key role in driving innovation for site and wider group.
• Challenge factory processes
• Involvement in blue sky activity including customer and supplier involvement / researching for site.
• Review the competitive market / comparative shop reports and relevant documentation.
• Support benchmarking panels / conduct as and when required.
• Identifying newness through directional shopping for all sites within the group (shows, local markets, farm shops, restaurant
reviews).
• Blue sky development off the brief without definite end point relevant to the category.
• Understanding of the Market and category and keep abreast of new launches and competitors.
• Demonstrate ability to communicate with various teams as required by manager / projects
• Organize, and attend as necessary project meetings and panels.
• Appropriate communication (written and verbal) to teams and team members.
• To work as part of a team and not by customer head. Projects may be split so working on multi-customers.
• To work alongside development technologists and chefs and be flexible in roles where required across the team - This may
involve Occasionally participating at other sites.
• Follow all H&S requirements during kitchen and process development work.
• Promote safe working across site and advice immediately on unsafe work practices.
• May be required to carry out projects within the Complete Food Group which may require time spent at other sites.
• General office duties
• Support the organizing of customer visits and always promote strong business food values
• Continually keep ahead on innovation and the market - communicate with the team.
• Support benchmarking panels
• May be required to support development chefs in the kitchen as and when required.
• Due to the nature of the role, you may be required to cover weekends and night shifts.
• Work in line with the company's development processes and procedures
• Complete necessary PDRs for any reports
• Samples as required
  
  Are you passionate about food and love to innovate with flavours? Are you bursting with creative ideas and eager to learn? If so, Experience as a Development Chef or similar role in the food industry.
• Experience of working successfully in a Rosette level kitchen (desirable)
• Catering college qualification (desirable)
Key Skills:
• Strong cookery skills with flare for innovation and creativity
• Organisation and planning
• Communicating at different levels of seniority
• Presentation skills
• Basic computing skills
• Team player but can work independently
Qualities:
• Passion for food
• Enthusiasm to learn and grow
• Hard working and driven
  
  we've got a fantastic opportunity for you at The Compleat Food Group, based in Nottingham to join our brilliant Culinary
Innovation Team. At The Compleat Food Group we never just make food. We make food to feel good, taste good and do good for everyone. Our aim is to delight our customers and consumers every day, creating the best possible foods for shoppers needs and budgets. Our ability to drive category growth for our customers is through our focus on understanding our consumers and our relentless pursuit of innovation - we have the courage to think differently and challenge the status quo. We work at the correct pace to make clear decisions and deliver on our commitments on time every time. Quality is at the heart of everything we do, always. We take in pride in everything we produce. We value everybody who works in our organisation. Everyone is treated with respect and encouraged to thrive and develop. Together


• 2 Employee Volunteering Days per year
• Online and High-street retailer discount scheme and well-being portal
• Employee well-being and community support groups
• Charity Initiatives and Team events
• 24/7 Access to Grocery Aid
The Compleat Food Group are proud to have built an inclusive and respectful culture where our colleagues feel safe, supported and valued. A place where they can bring their whole selves to work to achieve exceptional results and thrive. We continue to attract diverse talent into our teams, because we know greater diversity leads to exceptional results and provides a better working life. That's why we're committed to ensuring Fairness, Equity, Inclusivity, and Respect in all that we do.