Innovation Chef – Confidential Search in Arnold

Build the Future of Chilled Food

We're partnering with one of the UK's largest and fastest-growing chilled food manufacturers to build an exciting new culinary innovation function, and we're searching for an exceptional Innovation Chef to help shape the future of food. This is a rare opportunity to join a multi-billion-pound food group that supplies many of the UK's leading retailers and owns a portfolio of highly successful consumer brands.

We're looking for chefs who are genuinely obsessed with food. People who travel to eat. Who save restaurant menus. Who follow emerging ingredients and global food trends. Who are constantly asking: "What's next?"

The Opportunity

This newly created role sits within a future-focused innovation team responsible for identifying emerging food trends, creating commercially viable concepts and developing exciting new products for the UK market. You'll work at the intersection of culinary creativity, consumer insight and commercial innovation, helping turn emerging food movements into products that can be successfully scaled and launched nationwide. You'll have the freedom to explore new cuisines, ingredients, formats and technologies while collaborating closely with marketing, insights, NPD and commercial teams to build the innovation pipeline of the future. For the right person, this is a genuine opportunity to influence what millions of consumers will be eating in the years ahead.

Who We're Looking For

We're interested in speaking with naturally curious culinary innovators who live and breathe food. Most importantly, you'll have an exceptional passion for food culture and innovation. You'll be someone who:

• Constantly explores emerging food trends and global cuisines
• Understands how to turn inspiration into commercially viable products
• Is excited by new ingredients, technologies and techniques
• Challenges category conventions and thinks differently
• Can confidently present ideas to senior stakeholders
• Thrives in collaborative, fast-paced environments
• Balances creativity with commercial awareness

Key Responsibilities

• Translate food, consumer and cultural trends into future product concepts
• Identify innovation opportunities and category white space
• Create distinctive concepts across multiple chilled food categories
• Lead ideation and innovation workshops
• Explore emerging ingredients, technologies and production methods
• Support the development of healthier and more sustainable food solutions
• Build and maintain strong relationships across marketing, NPD, technical and commercial teams
• Present compelling concepts and innovation strategies to stakeholders
• Contribute to long-term innovation roadmaps and future product pipelines

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

This is not a traditional product development role. You'll be joining a business that is investing heavily in innovation and creating a dedicated team focused on future growth. You'll have access to significant resources, large-scale manufacturing capability, leading retail relationships and the backing of an ambitious organisation committed to bringing genuinely exciting products to market. If you're the type of chef who gets inspired by restaurant trends, international food culture, ingredient innovation and consumer behaviour—and you want a bigger platform for your ideas—this could be the opportunity you've been waiting for.

Location

Ideally, you'll be based within reasonable reach of the East Midlands or South East England, with the flexibility to travel between sites and attend innovation sessions as required.

Interested?

If you're passionate about creating the next generation of chilled food products and want to be part of a business that is shaping the future of the UK food industry, we'd love to speak with you.