Group Development Chef

Location: On site / Arbroath DD11, UK

Job type: Permanent / Full-time

Sector and subsector: Agriculture, Fishing, Forestry and Food Processing | General

Salary: Competitive salary

Group Development Chef

NPD Manager

On-site, requiring regular travel to Arbroath and Buckie and customer locations

Permanent

Monday to Friday, 40 hours per week with flexibility required

Associated Seafoods is the parent company of Lossie Seafoods, Moray Seafoods and LFO. We strive to source, process, and supply the finest range of seafood products to customers around the world.

We offer comprehensive benefits including competitive salary, medical and mental health support, life insurance, cycle to work scheme as well as company pension.

We are looking for a creative and passionate Group Development Chef with a flair for innovation and a proactive approach to product development
.

In this role, you will lead the culinary development of new and existing products across the business, transforming ideas into commercially successful products that delight customers and strengthen our market position. Working closely with Commercial, Technical, Operations, Procurement and our customers, you will play a key role in taking products from concept through to successful factory manufacture.

• Lead the creation and development of innovative food concepts that meet customer and business objectives.
• Translate food trends and consumer insights into commercially viable product concepts.
• Develop detailed, accurate recipes and process documentation to ensure products are feasible for efficient factory manufacture.
• Continuously review and improve existing products to enhance quality, value and consumer appeal.
• Prepare and present products confidently to customers, showcasing new concepts and innovations.
• Attend customer meetings alongside Commercial and NPD teams.
• Build strong relationships with customers, suppliers and culinary partners to support successful product development.
• Manage the day-to-day operation of the development kitchen, ensuring it remains organised, fully equipped and audit ready.
• Coordinate the preparation and dispatch of customer samples, ensuring quality and timely delivery.
• Lead kitchen trials and support factory trials to ensure products transfer successfully into production.

• Work closely with Commercial, Technical, Procurement, Planning and Operations throughout the development process.
• Support the successful launch of new products by ensuring effective communication across departments.
• Collaborate with suppliers to identify new ingredients, technologies and opportunities for innovation.
• Drive improvements within the product development process to enhance efficiency and consistency.
• Identify opportunities to improve kitchen operations, sample management and development workflows.
• Support cost-effective decision-making through ingredient selection and process optimisation.

• Passionate about food, innovation and culinary excellence.
• Creative with the ability to turn ideas into commercially successful products.
• A confident communicator who enjoys presenting products and engaging with customers.
• Highly organised with excellent planning and time management skills.
• Collaborative and able to build strong relationships across departments and with external partners.
• Adaptable and comfortable managing multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexible and willing to travel regularly between company sites and customer locations.

• A strong culinary background with experience in recipe development within a food manufacturing or multi-site environment.
• Experience translating food trends into commercially viable product concepts.
• Good understanding of food safety, HACCP, allergen management and compliance requirements.
• Experience working with suppliers and knowledge of ingredient sourcing and cost optimisation.
• Exposure to customer-facing product development roles.
• Experience with in seafood or chilled food manufacturing (desirable).
• Knowledge of factory processes and large-scale manufacturing (desirable).