R&D Chef

Role Overview

R&D Chef

Key Responsibilities

• Develop innovative meal concepts, seasonal menus, and new product lines.
• Conduct recipe development, kitchen trials, product testing, and recipe refinement.
• Standardize recipes with accurate ingredient specifications, yields, cooking methods, and portion sizes.
• Validate recipes for large-scale production while maintaining consistency, quality, and food safety.
• Collaborate with Procurement and Finance to optimize recipe costs and achieve target margins.
• Ensure compliance with SFDA regulations, HACCP principles, and company food safety standards.
• Evaluate product packaging, shelf life, transportation, and customer experience.
• Analyze market trends, customer preferences, and competitor products to drive innovation.
• Work closely with Operations, Production, Quality Assurance, Marketing, and Supply Chain teams to support successful product launches.
• Continuously improve existing products based on performance, customer feedback, and operational needs.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or professional qualification in Culinary Arts, Food Science, Nutrition, or a related field.
• Minimum
• 3–5 years
• of experience in Product Development or R&D within the food industry.
• Experience in Central Kitchens, Meal Subscription, Cloud Kitchens, Catering, or Food Manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of recipe standardization, food costing, nutrition, and commercial food production.
• Good understanding of HACCP, SFDA regulations, and food safety systems.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and project management skills.
• Fluent in English; Arabic is an advantage.

Technical Skills

• Recipe development and standardization.
• Food costing and yield management.
• Product lifecycle management.
• Nutritional analysis and labeling.
• Shelf-life and packaging validation.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets; experience with ERP or recipe management software is a plus.