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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead food innovation and develop exciting delivery-first brands.
- Company: Join Dish’d, the UK’s fastest growing virtual restaurant franchisor.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a dynamic, data-driven culinary environment.
- Qualifications: 3+ years in culinary innovation or food operations with strong menu design skills.
- Other info: Fast-paced role with a focus on creativity and commercial success.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
This range is provided by Dish’d. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.
LOCATION: Uxbridge HQ (4 days onsite, 1-day WFH)
REPORTS TO: Co-Founder and Head of Product
ABOUT DISH’D
Dish’d is the UK’s fastest growing franchisor of virtual restaurant brands. Operating across more than 70 partner kitchens, we create delivery-first food brands and provide operators with the products, systems and training required to grow incremental revenue through delivery platforms. Everything sits under one roof: development kitchen, manufacturing kitchen, testing kitchen and HQ.
We are now hiring a Head of Food to take full ownership of our food innovation pipeline, seasonal refreshes, product quality and menu execution. This role brings discipline, speed and structure to an area that has outgrown its current processes. This is not a creative-only chef role. It is a commercial food innovation position in a scaling, data-led virtual brand company.
THE ROLE
This is a high-impact, hands-on, commercially led culinary leadership role. You will be responsible for:
- Innovating and building multiple delivery-first brands
- Refreshing and upgrading existing menus
- Owning the development kitchen, testing kitchen and liaison with the CPU
- Working closely with data, operations and onboarding teams
- Ensuring every new product is commercially viable, scalable and consistent
- Bringing pace, structure and ownership to the entire food development cycle
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Menu Innovation and Brand Development
- Own the entire process from ideation to development to testing to production readiness to rollout
- Deliver two seasonal menu refreshes per brand each year
- Create one new brand or food category per quarter, understanding not all will scale
- Use market trends, competitor analysis and performance data to guide innovation
- Ensure menus suit non-specialist kitchens and are optimised for delivery reliability
- Food Engineering and Development Kitchen Ownership
- Lead all activity in the development kitchen including recipe testing, costing and consistency
- Convert chef-led dishes into replicable, CPU-friendly, scalable products
- Document all recipes with accurate specs, yields, allergens and costings
- Engineer products to meet margin, preparation and operational constraints
- CPU and Production Collaboration
- Work closely with the Production Kitchen Manager and CPU team
- Ensure manufacturing can execute all products efficiently and consistently
- Coordinate pilot runs of new items and approve production readiness
- Identify opportunities to centralise more components to improve consistency and reduce costs
- Commercial, Costing and Menu Engineering
- Own the commercial viability of every product
- Collaborate with the data team to analyse profitability, speed, errors and menu mix
- Drive cost efficiencies through ingredient standardisation and process improvements
- Recommend delists, menu consolidation, price adjustments and rebuilds where necessary
- Cross-Functional Leadership
- Partner with Marketing on brand positioning and launch plans
- Work with Operations to create simple training materials and rollout processes
- Collaborate with Onboarding to ensure smooth site adoption of new menus
- Provide clear, complete specifications and documentation to all teams
- Governance, Standards and Execution
- Introduce structure into a currently inconsistent development process
- Remove ambiguity by ensuring every spec and process is exact and complete
- Become the subject-matter expert and reduce dependency on the founder
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING
- Minimum 3 years in Development Chef, Culinary Innovation, NPD or Food Operations roles
- Experience designing menus for delivery or scalable QSR formats
- Strong understanding of commercial kitchens, food manufacturing and workflow
- Ability to balance creativity with discipline, consistency and structure
- Exceptional organisational skills with strong attention to detail
- Commercial and data literacy with comfort using performance metrics and costings
- Ability to collaborate closely with founders
- Comfortable working at pace with multiple concurrent projects
- Clear and concise communication style with no ambiguity
Head of Food Innovation in Uxbridge employer: Dish'd
Contact Detail:
Dish'd Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Food Innovation in Uxbridge
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to industry contacts, attend food innovation events, and connect with people on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your previous work in menu innovation and food development. This will give potential employers a taste of what you can bring to the table.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by researching Dish’d and understanding their brand ethos. Be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their goals, especially in terms of commercial viability and scalability.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining the Dish’d team.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Food Innovation in Uxbridge
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experience that align with the Head of Food Innovation role. Highlight your experience in menu innovation and food operations, and don’t forget to mention any data-driven projects you've worked on!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to tell us why you're passionate about food innovation and how your background makes you the perfect fit for Dish’d. Be sure to mention specific examples of your past successes.
Showcase Your Commercial Acumen: Since this role is all about balancing creativity with commercial viability, make sure to include examples of how you've successfully managed costs and improved profitability in previous roles. We love numbers!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, it shows us you’re keen on joining the Dish’d team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Dish'd
✨Know Your Numbers
Make sure you’re familiar with key performance metrics related to food innovation and delivery. Brush up on your understanding of costings, profitability, and how to analyse data effectively. This will show that you can balance creativity with commercial viability.
✨Showcase Your Process
Prepare to discuss your approach to menu innovation and product development. Be ready to explain how you take a dish from ideation to rollout, including any challenges you've faced and how you overcame them. This will demonstrate your structured thinking and hands-on experience.
✨Collaborate Like a Pro
Highlight your experience working cross-functionally with teams like marketing, operations, and production. Share specific examples of how you’ve partnered with others to ensure successful launches or menu updates. This will illustrate your ability to lead and communicate effectively.
✨Stay Ahead of Trends
Research current food trends and competitor offerings before the interview. Be prepared to discuss how these insights could influence Dish’d’s menu innovation. Showing that you’re proactive about market analysis will set you apart as a candidate who can drive growth.
