Food Development Manager in London

Founded by former Michelin-starred chef Paul Rhodes in 2003, Paul Rhodes Bakery has built a strong reputation as the go-to supplier of quality handcrafted sourdoughs, cakes and pastries in the capital. Paul’s ambition when he started the bakery was simple: to provide London’s busy chefs with the best handcrafted bread, made from the finest ingredients possible and traditional techniques. Today, as the bakery heads towards twenty-five years in business, the goal remains the same and this ambition underpins everything we do.

We have both a wholesale business supplying some of London’s top restaurants, hotels, cafés, and entertainment venues, as well as our local retail bakery shop which is based a ten minute walk up the road, in Greenwich Market. As we continue to grow, we are looking for talented individuals to join our team and contribute to our success. At Paul Rhodes Bakery, we believe in nurturing talent. By joining our company, you’ll have the chance to work with experienced professionals, learn valuable skills, and be part of a friendly, supportive environment.

We are looking for an exceptional Head of Food to lead the development and delivery of the food agenda across Paul Rhodes Bakery. The role owns product development, range management, product quality and consistency, the Greenwich retail food range and all food-led activity across the business. This is a role for a strategic and ambitious thinker with strong industry knowledge and outstanding implementation skills. The overall food direction will be set by the Managing Director, working closely with founder Paul Rhodes. The Head of Food will bring expertise, ideas and constructive challenge, then take ownership of turning that direction into a clear, commercially sound and consistently delivered plan. The role directly manages one Product Development Coordinator.

Key Responsibilities

• Food Direction and Implementation: Translate the agreed PRB food vision into a practical, prioritised food plan across wholesale and retail, supported by a clear development and seasonal calendar. Bring relevant bakery, hospitality, retail and wider food-industry insight while keeping activity focused on PRB priorities, customer need and operational reality.
• Product Development and Range Management: Lead the full development process from brief and trial through costing, technical review, production testing, approval, launch and post-launch review. Own the structure and lifecycle of the product portfolio, improving the core range while identifying gaps, duplication, underperformance and unnecessary complexity. Ensure every development has a clear purpose, commercial case, quality standard and reliable route into seven-day production.
• Product Quality and Retail: Own the eating quality, appearance, finish and consistency expected from every Paul Rhodes Bakery product, supported by clear standards, tastings and regular quality reviews. Work with Production and Technical to resolve recurring product failures and use complaints, waste and customer feedback to drive sustained improvement. Own the Greenwich Market food range, protecting its classical character while improving freshness, availability, presentation, seasonality, sell-through and waste.
• Commercial, Sourcing and Food Leadership: Work with Sales, Finance, Procurement and the Managing Director to ensure products are relevant, profitable and operationally deliverable, with ingredient quality, provenance, cost, margin and complexity understood before launch. Support important customer meetings, tastings and tenders, and lead the food content of agreed training, launches, collaborations, supplier visits, events and external communication.
• People and Cross-Functional Delivery: Lead, manage and develop the Product Development Coordinator, setting clear priorities, standards and accountability. Create disciplined processes for briefs, trials, projects, launch documentation and handovers, working closely with Production, Technical, Procurement, Sales, Finance, Retail, Customer Experience and Marketing.

The Person We Are Looking For

This role could suit an experienced Head of Food, Head of Product Development, senior development chef or NPD leader from a high-quality bakery, food manufacturing, premium retail, hospitality or foodservice environment. Bakery experience is highly valuable, but the essential requirement is the ability to translate exceptional food into consistent, scalable and commercially successful production. A genuinely strong food person with an excellent palate, high standards and deep curiosity about ingredients, flavour, texture and presentation. Significant product development and range-management experience, with a proven record of successful launches in a structured production environment. Strategic and ambitious, while able to work confidently within an agreed company direction and deliver it brilliantly. Exceptionally strong at implementation, organisation, project management, pace and follow-through. Commercially intelligent, with a sound understanding of costing, margin, waste, complexity and production efficiency. Operationally credible and comfortable working directly with bakers, production teams, technical colleagues, suppliers, chefs and customers. A warm, clear and accountable people manager who develops others, shares knowledge and challenges thoughtfully without ego. Comfortable in an independent, entrepreneurial business where practical progress matters more than corporate theatre.

Reporting Line and Practical Details

Reports to: Managing Director. Direct report: Product Development Coordinator. Location: Greenwich, London. Predominantly on site, with occasional travel to customers, suppliers and industry events. Working pattern: Full-time, with flexibility to understand and support a seven-day bakery operating across different production shifts. Salary: Competitive and dependent on experience.

Why Join Paul Rhodes Bakery

This is an opportunity to shape and deliver the food agenda of an established independent bakery with genuine ambition and influence across the whole food journey - from growers, flour and ingredients through development and production to chefs, customers and our own retail counter. We are looking for someone who wants to protect what is special, improve what can be better and help lead Paul Rhodes Bakery confidently into its next chapter. Paul Rhodes Bakery values difference and believes our diversity makes us stronger. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds who share our commitment to excellent food, respectful leadership and responsible growth.