Development Chef
Location: London
Salary: 45-48k DOE
Hours: Monday–Friday
Are you an experienced Development Chef who loves creating exceptional food but also understands the realities of delivering it at scale?
We’re looking for a commercially minded and highly organised Development Chef to join our growing food development team. This is a fantastic opportunity to play a key role in shaping seasonal menus, client concepts and innovative food offerings within a premium workplace catering business.
Working closely with our Head of Food Development, you'll take ownership of projects from initial concept through to testing, costing and operational roll‑out. You'll combine creativity with practicality, developing dishes that are exciting, consistent and commercially successful.
What You'll Be Doing
* Creating, testing and refining recipes for seasonal menus, client briefs and food concepts.
* Translating food trends and global flavours into scalable menu solutions.
* Developing recipes suitable for volume production, transport, finishing and service.
* Costing recipes and managing yields, portions and GP targets.
* Producing detailed specifications, allergen information and operational guides.
* Supporting tastings, presentations and menu launches.
* Working closely with chefs, operations, procurement and site teams to ensure successful implementation.
* Managing multiple projects and deadlines in a fast‑paced environment.
What We're Looking For
* Previous experience in food development, menu development, recipe testing or menu roll‑outs.
* Senior Sous Chef level experience or above.
* Strong culinary expertise with excellent flavour awareness and presentation standards.
* A solid understanding of global cuisines, ingredients and current food trends.
* Commercial awareness, including costing, margins and operational efficiency.
* Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
* Confidence using spreadsheets, recipe systems and digital documentation.
* A proactive, self-sufficient approach and the ability to work independently.
Desirable Experience
* Workplace catering, contract catering, events, central production or multi‑site operations.
* Supporting client tastings, food photography and menu presentations.
* Interest in sustainability, provenance, nutrition and modern dining trends.
Why Join Us?
This is an opportunity to influence menus across a fast-growing premium catering business while remaining hands‑on with food. You'll enjoy a varied role, creative freedom, genuine ownership of projects and the chance to see your ideas come to life at scale.
If you're an experienced Development Chef looking for your next challenge, we'd love to hear from you. Apply today and help shape the future of workplace dining.
We ensure you're rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:
* Contributory pension scheme
* Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
* Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
* Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
* Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
* Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
* Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
* Unwind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
* You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families
Equal Opportunities
Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive – because diversity is our strength.
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