Culinary Development Manager

Jmm

Culinary Development Manager

Key Responsibilities

• ***Product Development***
• Develop new products and improve existing ones for quality, consistency, cost, and commercial relevance.
• Create and standardise recipes, formulations, specifications, and preparation methods.
• Lead products from trial and costing through customer approval and commercial launch.
• Identify new applications and value opportunities for existing products and inventory.
• ***Business Development***
• Develop business across foodservice, retail, distribution, export, and other channels.
• Build relationships with chefs, business owners, and senior decision-makers.
• Translate customer requirements into tailored products, menu solutions, and commercial proposals.
• Lead opportunities from product demonstration and trial through negotiation and closure.
• ***Production and Process Improvement***
• Lead production trials, scale-up, and implementation of new or improved products.
• Improve yield, reduce waste, and optimise production costs and efficiency.
• Standardise recipes and processes to ensure consistent quality and customer acceptance.
• Work with production and quality teams to meet food-safety and compliance requirements.
• ***Procurement and Portfolio Development***
• Identify new ingredients, products, and supplier capabilities aligned with market and customer needs.
• Provide clear product briefs to support sourcing and portfolio decisions.
• Evaluate supplier samples for quality, consistency, application, and commercial viability.
• Recommend the most suitable sourcing model: in-house production, local sourcing, or import.

Candidate Requirements

• Formal culinary qualification or equivalent professional experience.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience in culinary development, food manufacturing, meat processing, or foodservice.
• Strong experience in product development, recipe formulation, costing, and production trials.
• Good knowledge of meat, poultry, and value-added food products.
• Proven customer-facing and business-development experience.
• Strong understanding of food safety, quality systems, and production controls.
• Existing UAE market relationships and a valid UAE driving licence would be advantageous.

Key Competencies

• Strong culinary and commercial judgement.
• Strategic, process-driven, and detail-oriented.
• Strong communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Able to work effectively across production, sales, procurement, and quality teams.
• Hands-on, organised, and results-oriented.
• High integrity, accountability, and work ethic.