Innovation Chef

About the role

Job Advert Join Our New Product Development Team at The Compleat Food Group! We’re excited to offer an incredible opportunity for an Innovation Chef to join our dedicated and professional Brands and Futures team. This role is centred in our Brands and Futures teams, working with our exciting and innovative brands including Vadasz, Unearthed and more, helping to develop a pipeline of new and diverse products to bring to market. Who We Are: At The Compleat Food Group, we're on a mission to create delectable food that not only brings joy to your taste buds but also extends love to our planet. We fondly refer to it as 'Food to Feel Good' because we believe in savouring every bite whilst making a positive impact. Our team of over c6,500 remarkable individuals forms the core of all that we undertake. Their genuine passion drives the creation of delectable products for UK consumers, prominent retailers, and our thrilling market-leading brands such as Wall's Pastry, Squeaky Bean, and Unearthed. Working Hours: Monday – Thursday 8:30am – 5pm, Friday 8:30am – 4pm Type of Role: Full Time, Permanent Salary: Up to £50,000 per annum Location: Hybrid, can be based from any of our sites. Your Duties Will Include: * Translate emerging cultural and food trends into tangible, future-focused concepts for our brands. * Identify “white space” opportunities across products and formats to drive innovation. * Develop breakthrough food concepts that are distinctive, differentiated, and brand-ownable. * Support brand-led product development by partnering with the brand and futures team to bring concepts to life. * Contribute to the innovation agenda by building idea pipelines, scoping new projects, and actively participating in innovation sessions. * Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with Brand NPD, R&D, and marketing teams. * Lead engaging innovation sessions to inspire teams and bring trends to life in a meaningful way. * Challenge category norms and push beyond the status quo to unlock new opportunities. * Continuously explore new techniques, technologies, and ingredients to drive innovation across branded and own-label portfolios. * Identify and apply ingredients and methods that support the development of healthier, more sustainable products. * Deliver compelling presentations to both internal and external stakeholders. * Stay up to date with cultural shifts and emerging food trends to inform innovation strategy. * Collaborate closely with R&D teams to shape the future food pipeline and long-term innovation roadmap. * Respond to and develop concepts against briefs from brand and futures development teams. * Partner with cross-functional teams to develop products through to site feasibility stage. Your Skills and Experience: * Trained chef with experience in food manufacturing, retail, or branded innovation * Confident knowledge of new techniques and new ingredients and how to apply in new areas. * Experience in a wide range of product areas - desirable * Timely and accurate completion of tasks * Confidence in providing intelligent solutions to problem solving. * Gaining and developing knowledge to independently propose recipe development solutions. * Strong creative thinking * Strong communicator and collaborator across creative and commercial disciplines. * Ability to adapt to different product and cuisine types * Ability to self-motivate and lead new innovation areas. * Excellent PowerPoint and presentation skills. * Strong planning, organisation skills. * Continuously curious to seek out new ideas Why Join The Compleat Food Group? At The Compleat Food Group, we’re on a mission to create Food to Feel Good – delicious, high-quality food that people love to eat. With over 6,000 colleagues across 17 UK sites and £1.3bn turnover, we’re one of the UK’s most exciting and fast-growing food businesses. You’ll be joining a business that values entrepreneurial thinking, collaboration and innovation, working with some of the UK’s most loved food brands. Why Join Us? At The Compleat Food Group, we believe our people are the heart of our success. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your lifestyle, wellbeing, and career growth: Financial & Lifestyle Benefits * Salary Sacrifice Schemes - including Electric Vehicles, Home & Tech, Cycle to Work, and SMART Pension * 33 days’ annual leave (including bank holidays) with the option to purchase extra * Holiday Discounts via our online retail platform * Access to enhanced retail discounts online and in-store * Free product handouts across our sites, so you can sample and enjoy our delicious products first hand * EV charging points - available at selected sites Health & Wellbeing * Private Medical Insurance (work level dependent) * Group Life Assurance (work level dependent) * 24/7 access to GroceryAid for free financial, emotional, and practical support * Physical Wellbeing Hub - free on-demand exercise classes, gym discounts * Free diet & nutrition advice with access to thousands of healthy recipes * Online wellbeing support - from mindfulness to lifestyle resources * Financial wellbeing tools - including mortgage calculators, budgeting tools, and financial aid Career Growth & Development * Access to a personalised online learning platform (LMS) * Formal and informal training opportunities tailored to your role * Performance Development Plans and regular Career Conversations * Company Mentoring Scheme to add depth and really support your career journey * Recognition through Club Compleat rewards Community & Culture * 2 paid volunteering days per year to give back to causes that matter to you * Charity initiatives and fundraising events * Team socials to connect and celebrate together * Employee networks & support groups - including Women @ Compleat * New baby gift for new parents Recruitment Agencies: We have a small, active and trusted Preferred Supplier List to assist us if required. We do not acknowledge any speculative CVs or unsolicited candidate introductions. We only accept CV submissions for roles released to you directly by our Talent Acquisition team. If you would be interested in working with us, please send a message to recruitment@compleatfood.com [recruitment@compleatfood.com] and should we have any roles we need additional support with we will reach out to you.

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