Development Chef

Development Chef 

Are you a passionate, creative chef with a flair for innovation and a sharp commercial mindset? Ready to take your culinary skills beyond the kitchen and shape products enjoyed by millions?

We’re looking for a Development Chef – Tesco Lead to join our dynamic team and play a pivotal role in delivering exciting, high-quality food products for one of the UK’s biggest retailers—a multi-site role with regular collaboration at Tesco Head Office and across our business.

Who We Are:

At The Compleat Food Group we’re not just serving up great food, we’re creating an environment where our people can thrive. As one of the leading chilled prepared food manufacturers in the UK food industry, we believe that our employees are the secret ingredient to our success. We’re passionate about fostering a culture where quality, innovation, collaboration, and personal growth are at the forefront.

Location: The Compleat food Group, Crossgate Drive, Nottingham, NG2 1LW

Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 – 17:00 (some flexibility required)

Salary:  £35,000 – £40,000

Contract: Permanent, full time

Purpose:

As our Development Chef, you’ll bring food ideas to life — from concept to launch. Working at the heart of innovation, you’ll translate customer briefs into standout products that are delicious, commercially viable, and perfectly aligned with Tesco’s category vision.

This is a fast-paced, collaborative role where creativity meets strategy. You’ll work closely with cross-functional teams and build strong relationships with Tesco, ensuring every product hits the mark. You will spend 20% of your time at Tesco Head Office

Your Duties Will Include:

• To interpret varying customer briefs from retailers to create and deliver innovative food concepts that meet customer and market requirements.
• To gather information required and confidently present products to customers and internal site teams
• Recipe build and interpret theoretical nutritional results against guidelines
• To understand and drive proactive development initiatives which push factory production and Technical boundaries to maximise cost savings and efficiency. 
• To identify new trends and maintain current products to deliver newness to the category by understanding the market.
• Communicate with teams including NPD, purchasing and finance to interpret briefs, source new ingredients and carry out costings
• Promote health and safety culture across the site and follow health and safety requirements during kitchen and process development work
• Work alongside development technologists and chefs through travel to other sites when required

Requirements:

• Experienced chef or similar role in the food industry
• Previous Development Chef experience desirable but not essential
• Experience of working successfully in a Michelin or Rosette level kitchen (desirable) 
• Food or catering college qualification (desirable)
• Valid driving licence due to expectations to travel to our other sites across the UK (essential)
• Understanding of food safety and HACCP principles

Key Skills: 

• Strong cookery skills with flare for innovation and creativity
• Organisation and planning
• Communicating at different levels of seniority
• Presentation skills
• Basic computing skills 
• Team player but can work independently

Qualities:

• Passion for food
• Enthusiasm to learn and grow
• Hard working and driven

Benefits to include:

• Dynamic Environment: You will be working in a fast-paced, future-thinking agile company where your contributions make a real difference.
• Culture: Be part of a fantastic team that values diversity, innovation, collaboration and excellence.
• 33 days annual leave 
• 2 Employee Volunteering Days per year
• Online and High-street retailer discount scheme
• Employee well-being and community support groups
• Charity Initiatives and Team events
• 24/7 Access to Grocery Aid (Free Financial, Emotional and Practical Support)

The Compleat Food Group fosters an inclusive, respectful culture where everyone feels safe, supported, and valued. We welcome diverse talent, knowing it drives exceptional results and a better workplace.

We are committed to Fairness, Equity, Inclusivity, and Respect, we ensure all colleagues can thrive by bringing their whole selves to work. As an equal opportunity’s employer, we provide all the support you need to succeed.

Contact us with any questions about Diversity & Inclusion or accessibility during the application process.

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  and should we have any roles we need additional support with we will reach out to you.