Head of Food Innovation
£53,000 -£60,000
Uxbridge (Hybrid, 1 day WFH, 4 days on site)
Dish’d – Restaurant Quality Virtual Brands
We are an exciting start-up and the UK’s leading franchisor of virtual brands. We partner with food operators to use their kitchen capacity to increase their sales and profitability by selling our brands on delivery platforms within their area.
To support our continued growth, we are looking for a commercially-minded and innovative Head of Food Innovation and Operations to join our leadership team. This is a key strategic and hands-on role responsible for shaping the future of our food offer, managing our production operations, and mentoring the next generation of food brands.
This is a unique opportunity for a creative, operationally strong, and commercially savvy culinary leader who is excited by food trends, brand building, and high-growth environments.
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Key Responsibilities
Menu & Product Development
•Create and deliver new, on-trend delivery-first menus across multiple virtual brands
•Take product ideas from concept through to scalable, production-ready offerings
•Develop signature sauces, recipes and meal components for centralised production
•Identify cost savings and efficiencies across all menus and operations
•Lead food innovation with strong awareness of trends, cuisines and consumer behaviour
Manufacturing & Process Execution
•Manage Dish’d’s manufacturing kitchen, overseeing all food production and kitchen operations
•Execute new product launches by coordinating processes, sourcing, and logistics
•Ensure all food produced meets consistent quality and cost standards
•Implement operational best practices for scalable, efficient food manufacturing
Project Management & Collaboration
•Lead the end-to-end project management of new menu and brand development
•Find and manage new suppliers to support scaling and cost optimisation
•Collaborate with marketing, operations and leadership to align product and brand strategy
•Train internal staff and site teams on menu implementation and best practices
Mentorship & Ecosystem Leadership
•Support and mentor startup food brands within the Dish’d ecosystem
•Guide early-stage founders on refining concepts, building operations and launching brands
•Play a key role in growing Dish’d’s brand portfolio and innovation pipeline
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What are we looking for?
•3+ years in a Development Chef, Innovation or Senior Operations role in food
•Proven success developing and launching food brands or products at scale
•Strong understanding of commercial kitchen and food manufacturing operations
•Experience managing P&L and identifying cost-saving opportunities
•Excellent leadership, project management and mentoring skills
•Broad knowledge of global cuisines and food trends
•Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment
•Strong attention to detail with a hands-on, self-starter mindset
•Fluent in English – spoken and written
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Why Join Us?
Leadership Opportunity: Play a strategic role in shaping the future of a fast-scaling food business.
Innovation: Build brands and menus that define the next wave of virtual dining.
Impact: Work closely with founders and make a visible difference to our growth.
Ecosystem: Mentor and lead within an environment that supports the next generation of food entrepreneurs.