Development Chef

Job description

Role Profile: Development Chef

This role is designed for a highly creative culinary professional rather than a traditional food scientist.

The ideal candidate approaches product development with a chef’s mindset—driven by flavour, ingredients, and imagination. Technical knowledge supports the work, but creativity, curiosity and a deep understanding of food are the true priorities.

The successful candidate will have a natural grasp of:

• Ingredient origins and functionality
• Flavour creation, pairing and balance
• Culinary techniques and processes
• Global cuisines and emerging food trends

This is a role for someone who thinks like a chef first, innovator second, and scientist third.

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Innovation Focus

This position sits at the very front end of the innovation pipeline. It is about imagining the future of food, not refining what already exists.

Key responsibilities include:

• Blue‑sky thinking
• Creating completely new concepts
• Translating consumer trends into product ideas
• Developing solutions for future consumer needs
• Crafting exciting product experiences before formal development begins

This is not a recipe‑tweaking role—it is a concept‑generation role.

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Collaboration & Working Environment

The Development Chef will work closely with:

• Senior culinary leadership
• Flavour specialists
• Consumer insight teams
• Innovation leadership

The role requires strong collaboration across multiple functions to transform culinary ideas into commercially viable products.

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Candidate Background

The hiring manager is open‑minded about where candidates come from. Strong fits include:

• Development Chef
• Innovation Chef
• Pastry Chef / Senior Pastry Chef
• Sous Chef
• Head Pastry Chef
• Executive Pastry Chef
• Foodservice chefs with strong creative development experience

Candidates preferably from the FMCG sector is preferred are welcome, provided they bring exceptional creativity, culinary skill and the right mindset.

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Personality & Mindset

The ideal candidate will be:

• Naturally creative
• Passionate about food
• Curious about global cuisines and trends
• Comfortable experimenting and pushing boundaries
• Strong at communicating ideas
• Collaborative and open to cross‑functional teamwork

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Additional Details

• Based in High Wycombe
• Some travel required, including potential international travel
• Global exposure across multiple markets and cultures
• Sponsorship cannot be offered for this role
• Salary flexibility available for outstanding candidates

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Relevant Experience

The ideal background blends bakery/pastry expertise with exposure to chocolate and confectionery from food manufacturing

Experience mix:

• ~60% Bakery / Pastry
• ~40% Chocolate / Confectionery

They do not expect equal mastery across both areas, but strong bakery/pastry foundations are essential.

Relevant experience includes:

• Bakery
• Patisserie
• Chocolate
• Premium desserts
• Sweet baked goods

I suspect due to the role type and the number of applications we will not be able to contact all candidates for feedback , only those selected for the shortlist

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

High Wycombe

Type of Contract

Full Time Jobs

Published at

01-08-2026

Profession type

Manufacturing / Industrial

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English