The development chef will often work for large catering or food product manufacturers and will require the ability to work with development management staff or teams, as well as clients and senior management. Work typically requires the ability to manage product development from the creation of briefs to reporting and accounting
Roles involve the development of new dishes or food products and generally require considerable skill as a chef, plus skill and experience in new product development (NPD), though some positions may consider applicants with experience limited to development of menus. Some roles will offer training for those lacking experience. Others may be combined with the responsibility to manage and/or train other staff
Creativity, initiative, communication skill, and business sense will be combined with a high-degree of skill, qualification and experience as a chef. Product development may vary from chilled dishes, packaged foods and dairy products to ready meals, pastries and restaurant dishes. Experience and/or qualification in NPD, FMCG, HACCP, City & Guilds 706/1 and 706/2 and/or similar will be assets for or conditions of positions. A median salary of £30,000 can be expected, with remuneration ranging from £20,000 to £50,000, depending on the exact role and the applicant.