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- Tasks: Lead food quality and development for itsu's innovative menu offerings.
- Company: Join itsu, a top Asian-inspired quick-service brand with a mission for healthy eating.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career growth, and a chance to shape the future of fast food.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on food innovation while promoting healthier eating choices.
- Qualifications: Degree in food science or related field and experience in food quality control.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities to collaborate across teams and drive sustainability initiatives.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 72000 £ per year.
We are the leading Asian-inspired quick-service retail and grocery brand with over 80 restaurants across the UK and Belgium, and a growing wholesale business across Europe and beyond. Our renowned delicious food made fresh in every restaurant, every day, has made itsu a top choice for healthy eating. In addition to our restaurants, itsu offers a range of high-quality Asian-inspired foods available online and in supermarkets. We are excited to be one of the leading brands in this specific group and have ambitious plans for continued growth both domestically and globally. With its best-in-class food, latest technology, innovation, and talented workforce, itsu is the future of fast food.
As the Head of Food at itsu, you will report to the Food Director and will be responsible for overseeing and supporting all aspects of food quality and development including cold & hot menu, drinks, snacks. You will play a pivotal role in maintaining itsu's high standards of food excellence, ensuring that our products meet our customers' expectations, commercial aspirations, and our mission to make healthy, affordable food accessible to everyone. You will be responsible for delivering and implementing our new food ideas, developing control processes, benchmarking itsu against its competitors and current trends. You will collaborate closely with the Procurement, Safety/Technical, Marketing, Finance and Operational teams.
Skill and Responsibility Overview:
- Guardian of our product gate process: Fully accountable for the New or Existing Product Gate process, ensuring quality, standards and resilience before any launch.
- Cross functional launch management: Manage a controlled and accurate product launch process, ensuring a shop-led approach and cross functional engagement.
- Quality control & consistency: Oversee food quality control processes, supplier standards, and validation procedures while working with operations to maintain consistency across all locations.
- Menu management & commercial performance: Structure and maintain the food development calendar, conduct competitor analysis, and ensure menu offerings align with commercial requirements and brand standards.
- Food Development: Assist with the food development, aware of trends and competitors and influence senior stakeholders in new products.
Focus of Role:
- Innovation through NPD & EPD across all food and drink ranges.
- Quality consistency through Quality management.
- Process & simplicity improvement.
- Skills & knowledge enhancement.
- Delivering our healthier strategy.
- Clean ingredients declarations and UPI removal.
- Nutritional reporting.
- Delivering against agreed nutritional targets.
Core Responsibilities:
- Organise & structure the itsu food development meetings. Ensure all food development is aligned to deliver customer, marketing and commercial requirements.
- Maintain an annual food development calendar to feed into commercial and planning calendar.
- Implement structured reviews of current menus & offer, considering competitors to identify areas for improvement and ensure adherence to quality standards (taste, texture, presentation).
- Ensure all products are validated to allow consistent delivery across all shop formats.
- Building routes to operational simplicity that will drive simplicity and quality standards. Continually working to simplicity KPIs.
- Work within the planning cycles to ensure all projects are delivered on time and on brand.
- Maintain all recipe information is accurate with Starchef.
- Validate all food service equipment to be fit for purpose to maintain itsu's high quality food standards.
- Delivering against our Healthier philosophy.
- Work with marketing and supply chain to define and deliver standards, working to ensure all ingredients meet itsu sustainable sourcing and clean labelling requirements as agreed.
- Define & deliver nutritional improvements across all food products to meet nutritional goals.
- Contribute actively to itsu's sustainability commitments by promoting and including ethical use of ingredients and driving initiatives to reduce the environmental impact within the food development process.
- Manage the nutritional data for the business allowing up to date reporting.
Food Quality & Safety:
- Collaborate with the supply chain/technical department to ensure the sourcing of high-quality ingredients and their consistency.
- Oversee the development and implementation of validation, including product testing, sensory evaluation, and shelf-life.
- Work with Ops to develop and implement food quality control processes across all itsu locations. Building knowledge and empowerment through monthly quality focuses.
- Work with L&D to embed key quality training within the development pathways for each role.
- Engage with the safety team to ensure compliance with all relevant regulations.
- Stay up-to-date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices related to food safety and quality.
- Work with technical & supply/procurement teams to ensure an up-to-date risk assessed ingredient review plan is in place.
- Ensure products are reviewed against the risk assessment alongside technical to ensure supplier quality standards are met.
- Track all complaints and utilise this to drive quality improvement at suppliers and via restaurants.
This is you:
- A bachelor's degree or higher in food science, nutrition, culinary arts, or a related field preferred.
- Proven experience in a similar role within the food industry, preferably in a retail or restaurant setting.
- In-depth knowledge of food quality control processes, regulations, and industry standards.
- Familiarity with cold and hot menu development, drinks, snacks, and desserts.
- Experience in managing and collaborating with cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders.
Skills:
- Strong leadership and management abilities to lead a food & quality team.
- Excellent organisational and planning skills to implement control processes and improvements.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with various departments.
- Attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining high-quality standards.
- Ability to stay updated with industry trends and emerging technologies.
Behaviours:
- Passion for Asian & healthy food.
- Commitment to delivering exceptional quality to customers.
- Proactive, innovative, and commercial approach to generating new ideas and implementing improvements.
- Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong problem-solving skills to address any issues related to food quality.
- Adaptable and flexible mindset to adjust to changing business needs.
You put people at the heart of everything you do by displaying the 4 itsu qualities:
- I take pride in what I do.
- I genuinely care for people.
- I want to grow myself & others.
- I build trust around me.
Head of Food - London employer: itsu
Contact Detail:
itsu Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Food - London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the food industry. Attend events, join online forums, or even hit up local meetups. 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 passion for food! When you get the chance to chat with potential employers, let your enthusiasm for Asian-inspired cuisine shine through. Share your ideas on food innovation and quality control – it’ll make you stand out from the crowd.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by researching itsu’s menu and recent trends in the food industry. Be ready to discuss how you can contribute to their mission of making healthy food accessible. Tailor your answers to show you’re the perfect fit for their team.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search. So, go ahead and submit your application today!
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Food - London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Food: When writing your application, let your love for food shine through! Talk about your experiences with Asian cuisine and how they align with itsu's mission to provide healthy, delicious options. We want to see your enthusiasm!
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Head of Food role. Highlight relevant experience in food quality control and development, and mention any cross-functional collaboration you've done. This helps us see how you fit into our team!
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to read. We appreciate clarity, especially when it comes to your skills and achievements in the food industry.
Apply Through Our Website: Don't forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you're keen on joining the itsu family!
How to prepare for a job interview at itsu
✨Know Your Food Inside Out
As the Head of Food, you'll need to demonstrate a deep understanding of food quality and development. Brush up on itsu's menu offerings, including cold and hot items, drinks, and snacks. Be ready to discuss how you can maintain high standards and innovate within these categories.
✨Showcase Your Cross-Functional Skills
This role requires collaboration with various teams like Procurement, Marketing, and Operations. Prepare examples of past experiences where you've successfully managed cross-functional projects. Highlight your ability to engage different departments to achieve a common goal.
✨Stay Ahead of Trends
itsu is all about innovation and staying current with food trends. Research the latest in healthy eating and Asian cuisine. Bring ideas to the table during your interview about how you can incorporate these trends into itsu's offerings and enhance customer satisfaction.
✨Demonstrate Your Leadership Style
As a leader, it's crucial to convey your management style and how you empower your team. Think of specific instances where you've led a team to success, especially in food quality or product development. Show that you take pride in your work and genuinely care for your team's growth.
