F&B Product Development Chef

JOB PURPOSE:

Strategic and senior culinary leader responsible for ADNOC C-Store’s end-to-end food innovation, private label product development. Accountable for portfolio governance of the culinary pipeline, R&D capability building, and scale-up excellence to deliver sustainable, profitable growth while ensuring UAE regulatory, food-safety, and Halal compliance. Private label product & culinary strategy and portfolio leadership are owned by the Category Manager; the Development Chef leads product development in line with the approved strategy.

Strategic and senior culinary leader responsible for ADNOC C-Store’s end-to-end food innovation, private label product development. Accountable for portfolio governance of the culinary pipeline, R&D capability building, and scale-up excellence to deliver sustainable, profitable growth while ensuring UAE regulatory, food-safety, and Halal compliance. Private label product & culinary strategy and portfolio leadership are owned by the Category Manager; the Development Chef leads product development in line with the approved strategy.

• Lead end-to-end development of new food products through a structured Stage-Gate methodology, ensuring alignment with category briefs and operational feasibility across multiple store formats.
• Develop recipes, formulations, and product specifications that are scalable, cost-efficient, and suitable for both commissary and in-store execution environments.
• Conduct product testing, trials, and sensory validation to ensure consistency in taste, quality, and customer acceptance prior to launch.
• Define preparation standards, process flows, and product handling requirements to ensure consistent execution and ease of operations across stores.
• Identify and drive innovation opportunities based on market trends, customer preferences, and evolving retail food concepts.

• Execute private label product development in line with Category Manager-approved strategy, ensuring adherence to portfolio direction and commercial objectives.
• Translate business briefs into detailed product specifications including formulation, bill of materials, packaging, and technical requirements.
• Manage supplier collaboration for product trials, technical validation, and production readiness to ensure scalability and quality assurance.
• Oversee packaging design and labelling requirements, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards including allergens, nutrition, and local labelling requirements.
• Drive value engineering initiatives to optimise cost structures while maintaining product quality, consistency, and brand positioning.

• Manage the culinary innovation pipeline, including project prioritisation, stage progression, and tracking of development milestones.
• Translate category strategies into structured development roadmaps with clearly defined timelines and deliverables.
• Monitor project risks, dependencies, and resource allocation to ensure timely and effective delivery of product initiatives.
• Establish governance frameworks including stage-gate reviews, reporting structures, and performance tracking mechanisms.
• Maintain structured documentation and reporting to ensure visibility, accountability, and alignment across stakeholders.

• Support Category Managers in menu engineering activities, including product positioning, performance analysis, and mix optimization.
• Contribute to product costing, portion sizing, and cost optimization to support overall commercial objectives and margin considerations.
• Conduct pilot testing and market validation to assess customer acceptance, operational feasibility, and commercial viability.
• Analyze trial performance and customer feedback to recommend product improvements and refinements prior to full launch.
• Align product development outcomes with category performance targets while balancing quality, cost, and customer expectations.

• Establish and manage the R&D Kitchen as a centre of excellence for culinary…