CULINARY DEVELOPMENT CHEF - FMCG
Hybrid, ideally Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambs
Competitive basic, bonus, car allowance & range of benefits
The Company
Our client is a highly successful 100+ year European food group, producing market-leading ingredients sold across Grocery Retail, Foodservice and to Food Manufacturers. As a family business, they’ve grown into a global leader through continuous investment in agriculture, innovation, and a passion for delivering great-tasting products.
Recognised as a Great Place to Work™, this purpose-driven organisation is built on strong values, sustainability, and care — for people, the planet, and the food we enjoy.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a company where tradition meets innovation, and where your contribution can truly make a difference. As part of their continued investment for growth in the UK market, they are now looking to appoint a Culinary Development Chef reporting to the Channel Marketing Team, who has the potential to grow and develop within the company.
The Role
Working as part of the Channel Marketing Team, this is an exciting, extremely creative and pivotal role that will steer the future direction and sustainable growth of our client’s added-value product portfolio – driving innovation strategy to new heights.
As the company’s culinary ambassador, you will be responsible for identifying food trends on flavours and cooking occasions ahead of the curve and turning them into actionable concepts. Collaborating with internal colleagues within Development, Marketing, and Commercial teams in UK and France, you will spearhead NPD to bring new product formulations and innovation concepts to life.
You’ll translate consumer insights and competitor intelligence into inspiring culinary concepts suitable for our Industrial, Retail and Foodservice channels. Bringing viable, profitable ideas to market, you’ll develop, test and refine application recipes across multiple categories (e.g. chilled, ready meals, bakery, plant-based, etc.)
This position requires you to wear more than just your chef’s hat. ‘Front of house’ you’ll represent the business at customer meetings, trade events and with industry bodies (such as the Craft Guild of Chefs). Whilst also managing in-house activities such as tastings, presentations, market analysis and supporting marketing collateral like photoshoots.
This is a really exciting role, with the platform to make a big difference by driving profitable sales growth and implementing high standards of commercially driven, innovative food solutions.
About You
Most importantly, you are a dedicated foodie with a wide-reaching, fun, engaging and dynamic personality (show us with the first interview Q&A!)
On the food solution development front, you have at least 3 years’ experience of working at Culinary Development Chef level, within either an added value food manufacturer, grocery retailer or major food distributor ie Brakes/Bidfood, a pub group, a hotel group or one of the leading high street QSR players.
You love working with suppliers and/or customers developing food solution ideas, taking food concepts to the next level and you are never happier than being ‘in the kitchen’, making the next food magic happen – this is what we want you to bring to the table within this exciting role.
We’re keen to learn more about your success stories – especially those innovative culinary product solutions currently thriving in major grocery retail or foodservice channels.
We hope this opportunity has given you a clear picture of who we are: a global food producer with a well invested growing UK business. This is a strategically important role, and we are seeking a uniquely talented Commercial Culinary Chef to help shape its future. If this sounds like you, please forward your CV, along with your current benefits package details, quoting reference MS/2555 to mark@smithcarey.co.uk. Or simply give Mark Smith a call and kick off with the first interview Q&A on 07747 847214.
Closing Date for applications: 8th June 2025