Development Chef

Alexander Steele Recruitment is working in partnership with a fantastic, chilled food manufacturing business based in County Durham. They are currently looking for a Development Chef to manage the efficient running of the NPD Kitchen, communicating and coordinating throughout all stages of the new product development process, from creative concept to launch. The Development Chef will support the management of customer briefs and critical paths, ensuring quality and customer integrity compliance are adhered to. Taking an active role in shaping the product pipeline strategy, working with the Head of Product Development, based on understanding market trends and commercial awareness. This role will be a Monday – Friday position paying a competitive salary of circa £35,000 - £38,000 + additional employee benefits. The Role: • Proactively identifying and targeting opportunities, developing new and existing products, using data and insight to drive innovation across the category, delivering both newness and incremental sales, whilst ensuring customer expectation on quality, nutritional and brand standards are implemented, and complied. • Project manage the development and delivery of new products, ensuring communication of such to all relevant stakeholders across the business. • Conduct product reviews, to identify, evaluate and enhance the product offering of competitors, addressing range gaps, and highlighting how it is performing, presenting this back to the customer, to help recognise and assist achieving any objectives set out in the development briefs. • Ensuring both new and existing products are cost viable, profitable and market competitive. • Liaising with the process manager on the planning of factory trials, on new and existing products collaboratively, with the operations and technical teams, collating all product information to support the generation of customer specifications and the smooth transition process of product from kitchen to factory scale. • Conducting Internal and external customer presentations • Co-ordinate customer and internal NPD product requests. The Candidate: • Previous experience in a development or senior culinary role • Excellent craft background and skills • A good understanding of ingredient functionality and nutrition • Industry acumen and knowledge in development & innovations • Strong financial understanding and demonstrable in understanding costings. • Previous experience in product development is a MUST, within retail or manufacturing. • Previous experience in creative recipe generation, with experience in the NPD Kitchen function. • Foodie, with passion for innovation, new trends, and good commercial understanding. • Enthusiastic and highly motivated If you are interested in hearing more about it this position, please apply with your most recent version of your CV or contact Richard Steele at Alexander Steele Recruitment.