Development Chef
Hybrid · London, England, United Kingdom or Sheffield, England, United Kingdom
Job Summary
Development Chef at McCain Foods focused on delivering culinary innovation and scalable menu solutions through chef-to-chef collaboration and strong customer partnerships. Responsibilities include leading chef-to-chef engagements, conducting demonstrations and cook-ups, providing hands-on culinary and technical guidance, creating and maintaining technical documentation (specifications, SOPs, trial reports), staying ahead of foodservice and consumer trends, translating customer insights into actionable recommendations for product optimisation and operational improvements, and shaping compelling commercial stories through product benchmarking and competitive analysis. The role combines hands-on product formulation with strategic customer engagement, aiming to strengthen partnerships, drive customer retention and growth, and ensure alignment with McCain’s foodservice strategy.
Required Qualifications
- Proven expertise in product formulation and recipe development, particularly within frozen potato-based products
- Strong understanding of ingredient functionality (potatoes, oils, stabilisers, anti-caking agents, functional additives)
- In-depth knowledge of appetite-style product systems (doughs, batters, coatings, breading)
- Advanced understanding of food safety and quality systems (HACCP, FDA, EFSA)
- Knowledge of compliance requirements (HFSS, allergen management)
- Experience optimising manufacturing processes across freezing, packaging, storage, and distribution
- Strong technical capability in industrial cooking methods (blanching, frying, freezing)
- Hands-on experience with operator cooking equipment (Rational ovens, impingement ovens, frying systems)
- Knowledge of potato processing equipment (peelers, slicers, fryers, freezing systems, refrigeration)
- Customer-facing culinary expertise with ability to translate operations constraints into practical menu/product solutions
- Experience delivering culinary demonstrations, cook-ups, and technical presentations
- Commercial acumen linking culinary/technical expertise to yield, margin, and labor efficiency
- Willingness to travel; homebased role with hybrid collaboration style
Apply with one swipe on Sorce. We auto-fill applications and apply on your behalf — no cover letters, no 40-minute forms.
Hiring someone like this?
Get your role in front of qualified candidates on Sorce.