Development Chef

Job Advert Development Chef

Join Our NPD Team at The Compleat Food Group!

We’re excited to offer an excellent opportunity for Development Chef join our dedicated NPD team in Middlesbrough.

At The Compleat Food Group, we’re proud to be a food business built on purpose and passion. Formed in 2021, we’re on a mission to create Food to Feel Good - great quality, tasty and affordable food that people love to eat.

We’re home to some of the UK’s most exciting and loved food brands, including Wall’s Pastry, Pork Farms, Wrights, The Real Yorkshire Pudding Co., unearthed, Vadasz, Squeaky Bean, Palace Culture, and Harvey & Brockless. Alongside our branded portfolio, we’re a leading supplier of delicious own‑label pastry, sweet bakery, party food, olives and antipasti, added‑value egg products, continental meats, dips and sauces and plant‑based food to the UK’s major retailers, as well as across food service.

With over 6,000 talented colleagues across 17 sites, and an annual turnover of £1.3bn, we’re united by a shared ambition to shape the future of food for the better.

We are backed by European private equity firm PAI Partners.

Working Hours:

Monday – Friday: 8am-4pm

Location:

Middlesbrough

Salary: £30,000 per annum

The Development Chef works extremely closely with the wider NPD and Category teams in order to support the development and innovation plan s is done across a multiple customer base for the chilled savoury fried food category. The role involves developing products with a strong drive in innovation, making samples, 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 Compleat Food Group and its customers.

• Effective delivery of the business strategy and customer category plans as directed by the Development Chef &/or Development Controller/ 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 deliver innovative concepts that meet the customer requirements for product style / QUID / key attributes / legislation/ customer guidelines and customer brand values.
• 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.
• 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…