Join Our Team as a Development Chef in our New Product Development Team! Due to continued business growth, we have an exciting opportunity for a Development Chef to join our New Product Development team based in Bodmin. This is a hands on, creative role at the heart of our food innovation, ideal for someone passionate about product development, quality food, and working collaboratively in a fast paced FMCG environment. Working closely with the NPD Manager, NPD Assistant Manager and wider cross functional teams, you will be involved in developing and launching new products, as well as enhancing our existing range, ensuring everything we produce meets our quality, safety, and customer expectations. Hours of Work 08:00 until 16:00 Days of work: Monday to Friday Salary - TBC depending on qualifications and experience Closing Date 08 May 2026. Please note that this vacancy may close early if we receive a high number of applications, so early submission is encouraged. Why Join Us? By joining our growing NPD team, you will play a key role in shaping products enjoyed by customers across the UK. We are a values led business built on Quality, Friendliness, Customer Focus, Honesty, and Passion, and we are proud of our heritage and our people. We offer a supportive working environment where ideas are encouraged, development is supported, and careers can grow alongside the business. If you're a creative and driven Development Chef looking for your next opportunity in a growing food business, we'd love to hear from you. Key Responsibilities Product Development: Manage new and existing product development projects from concept through to launch. Develop, refine, and trial recipes to deliver high quality, innovative products. Ensure products align with company strategy, customer briefs, and market trends. Trials and Scale Up: Plan and lead kitchen trials, factory trials, and first productions as required. Support product scale up, ensuring smooth transition from development to production. Work closely with Operations and Technical teams to ensure manufacturability and consistency. Quality, Food Safety and Compliance: Ensure all products comply with food safety, legal, customer and internal quality standards. Maintain accurate NPD documentation, specifications, and trial records. Follow the NPD Quality Assurance system and support audit activity where required. Collaboration and Customer Focus: Work cross functionally with Technical, Commercial, Operations, Procurement and Supply Chain teams. Support customer presentations, tastings and product reviews when required. Build strong working relationships with customers and suppliers. Continuous Improvement: Contribute to improving NPD processes, ways of working and product performance. Support cost control, value engineering and margin awareness throughout development. Travel: Willingness and flexibility to travel within the UK and, where required, internationally to support customer visits, supplier meetings, product trials and site based project activity. Essential Requirements Proven experience delivering end to end product development, from concept through to launch. Strong food development capability, including recipe formulation and hands on culinary skills. Sound knowledge of food manufacturing processes, food safety standards, allergens and HACCP principles. Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with strong organisational skills and attention to detail. Full Drivers UK Licence. Confidence working cross functionally with Technical, Operations and Commercial teams. Strong written and verbal communication skills with a proactive, solutions focused approach. A genuine passion for food, quality and product excellence. Desirable Requirements Experience developing products within chilled, frozen, bakery, ready meals or protein based categories. Experience working within an FMCG or food manufacturing environment. Experience working with major UK retailers or foodservice customers. Practical experience of factory trials, scale up or pilot plant activity. Formal culinary or food related qualifications, with additional food safety training. Even Better Bits! (PROPER PERKS) Free pasties and pastries every day. Weekly free fruit. Subsidised staff canteen. Monthly colleague treats. Regular staff BBQs. Christmas celebrations and goodies. Free use of spa & golf facilities in St Austell. Birthday meal in the canteen. Mental Health First Aiders. Company funded Health Cash Plan. Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 helpline). Death in Service plan. Employment anniversary cash awards. £500 colleague referral bonuses. Huge discounts on pasties, pastries, cakes and tarts. Local business discounts. Excellent career development opportunities. Strong internal communication, newsletters, suggestion boxes and more. Apply Today! If you're a team player with a positive can do attitude and want to be part of our friendly and rapidly growing company, apply today!
Apr 24, 2026
Full time
Join Our Team as a Development Chef in our New Product Development Team! Due to continued business growth, we have an exciting opportunity for a Development Chef to join our New Product Development team based in Bodmin. This is a hands on, creative role at the heart of our food innovation, ideal for someone passionate about product development, quality food, and working collaboratively in a fast paced FMCG environment. Working closely with the NPD Manager, NPD Assistant Manager and wider cross functional teams, you will be involved in developing and launching new products, as well as enhancing our existing range, ensuring everything we produce meets our quality, safety, and customer expectations. Hours of Work 08:00 until 16:00 Days of work: Monday to Friday Salary - TBC depending on qualifications and experience Closing Date 08 May 2026. Please note that this vacancy may close early if we receive a high number of applications, so early submission is encouraged. Why Join Us? By joining our growing NPD team, you will play a key role in shaping products enjoyed by customers across the UK. We are a values led business built on Quality, Friendliness, Customer Focus, Honesty, and Passion, and we are proud of our heritage and our people. We offer a supportive working environment where ideas are encouraged, development is supported, and careers can grow alongside the business. If you're a creative and driven Development Chef looking for your next opportunity in a growing food business, we'd love to hear from you. Key Responsibilities Product Development: Manage new and existing product development projects from concept through to launch. Develop, refine, and trial recipes to deliver high quality, innovative products. Ensure products align with company strategy, customer briefs, and market trends. Trials and Scale Up: Plan and lead kitchen trials, factory trials, and first productions as required. Support product scale up, ensuring smooth transition from development to production. Work closely with Operations and Technical teams to ensure manufacturability and consistency. Quality, Food Safety and Compliance: Ensure all products comply with food safety, legal, customer and internal quality standards. Maintain accurate NPD documentation, specifications, and trial records. Follow the NPD Quality Assurance system and support audit activity where required. Collaboration and Customer Focus: Work cross functionally with Technical, Commercial, Operations, Procurement and Supply Chain teams. Support customer presentations, tastings and product reviews when required. Build strong working relationships with customers and suppliers. Continuous Improvement: Contribute to improving NPD processes, ways of working and product performance. Support cost control, value engineering and margin awareness throughout development. Travel: Willingness and flexibility to travel within the UK and, where required, internationally to support customer visits, supplier meetings, product trials and site based project activity. Essential Requirements Proven experience delivering end to end product development, from concept through to launch. Strong food development capability, including recipe formulation and hands on culinary skills. Sound knowledge of food manufacturing processes, food safety standards, allergens and HACCP principles. Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with strong organisational skills and attention to detail. Full Drivers UK Licence. Confidence working cross functionally with Technical, Operations and Commercial teams. Strong written and verbal communication skills with a proactive, solutions focused approach. A genuine passion for food, quality and product excellence. Desirable Requirements Experience developing products within chilled, frozen, bakery, ready meals or protein based categories. Experience working within an FMCG or food manufacturing environment. Experience working with major UK retailers or foodservice customers. Practical experience of factory trials, scale up or pilot plant activity. Formal culinary or food related qualifications, with additional food safety training. Even Better Bits! (PROPER PERKS) Free pasties and pastries every day. Weekly free fruit. Subsidised staff canteen. Monthly colleague treats. Regular staff BBQs. Christmas celebrations and goodies. Free use of spa & golf facilities in St Austell. Birthday meal in the canteen. Mental Health First Aiders. Company funded Health Cash Plan. Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 helpline). Death in Service plan. Employment anniversary cash awards. £500 colleague referral bonuses. Huge discounts on pasties, pastries, cakes and tarts. Local business discounts. Excellent career development opportunities. Strong internal communication, newsletters, suggestion boxes and more. Apply Today! If you're a team player with a positive can do attitude and want to be part of our friendly and rapidly growing company, apply today!
About us: The Bread Factory is London's leading Artisan Bakery, known for award-winning breads, pastries, and cakes, supplying top-quality products across e-commerce, grocery, food services, and retailers such as our GAIL's Bakeries nationwide. As our teams grow, we are seeking our next Assistant Manager to join our team. Every day is different at The Bread Factory, but here are some of the things you will be doing: Support the Unit Manager in forecasting production volumes and developing efficient production plans to meet daily and weekly requirements. Help adjust plans as needed to ensure on-time delivery while maintaining quality standards. Assist in ensuring all production meets world-class quality standards by supporting new product development (NPD) initiatives. Work collaboratively with R&D and the wider team to help align new products with company expectations and consumer preferences. Support the implementation of organisational and operational changes in line with company policies and standards, ensuring smooth transitions with minimal disruption. Work closely with operations, technical, and maintenance teams to identify and resolve issues promptly. Contribute to troubleshooting and continuous improvement initiatives across production processes. Build and maintain effective working relationships with Customer Care, Sales, and People Teams to ensure clear communication and a joined-up approach to achieving business goals. Assist in coordinating and contributing to production meetings, helping review performance, address challenges, and support the delivery of team objectives. Support the monitoring of product quality through regular checks, client feedback, and complaint handling. Help ensure quality metrics are met and escalate issues where necessary. Assist with Employee Relations matters within the unit, including supporting investigations, disciplinary processes, and conflict resolution in line with company policies and legal requirements. Help ensure Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards are maintained and support the achievement of Food Safety Accreditation (BRC grade). Promote food safety best practices within the team. Support rota planning, labour cost control, and staffing optimisation to meet production demands efficiently while staying within budget. Ensure awareness and adherence to company policies and procedures across the team, particularly regarding employee management and compliance. Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance productivity, streamline operations, and improve processes. Promote and uphold food safety, health, and safety standards, leading by example and encouraging a safe and compliant working environment. Our team tells us you will be a great addition if you have: A strong team player with leadership potential, able to support and motivate others to achieve high performance. Passionate about baking, with good knowledge of techniques, processes, and product quality. Strong interpersonal and people management skills, with the ability to support training and development of team members. Computer literate, with a working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and the ability to support operational reporting. Proactive and solution-focused, with a willingness to suggest improvements and support operational efficiency. A positive role model with a professional attitude and strong work ethic. Able to prioritise tasks and support team performance effectively in a fast-paced environment. What's in it for you: Fresh bread daily to take home to enjoy with family and friends. 50% discount at GAIL's and 40% off at The Bread Factory & The Flour Station Markets. 33 days holiday Discounts and Savings from high-street retailers and restaurants 24-hour GP service Cycle to work scheme Our Values: We care about Job Well Done: Since 1993, we have been champions in traditional baking with the finest ingredients and techniques. We always do things the right way, not the easy way. We care about Baking: At The Bread Factory all our teams take pride in crafting beautiful, freshly baked loaves, pastries, and cakes. We are all passionate about our products and share knowledge among us all. We care about each other: We always act with respect, empathy, and support to our employees, neighbours and customers. We care about community: We believe in minimising unsustainable practices and reducing waste. Whilst ensuring we continue to provide everyone with nutritious, high-quality food. We care about nature: We're committed to sustainability across our supply chain-from reducing waste and reusing surplus to supporting regenerative farming that helps restore the planet.
Apr 23, 2026
Full time
About us: The Bread Factory is London's leading Artisan Bakery, known for award-winning breads, pastries, and cakes, supplying top-quality products across e-commerce, grocery, food services, and retailers such as our GAIL's Bakeries nationwide. As our teams grow, we are seeking our next Assistant Manager to join our team. Every day is different at The Bread Factory, but here are some of the things you will be doing: Support the Unit Manager in forecasting production volumes and developing efficient production plans to meet daily and weekly requirements. Help adjust plans as needed to ensure on-time delivery while maintaining quality standards. Assist in ensuring all production meets world-class quality standards by supporting new product development (NPD) initiatives. Work collaboratively with R&D and the wider team to help align new products with company expectations and consumer preferences. Support the implementation of organisational and operational changes in line with company policies and standards, ensuring smooth transitions with minimal disruption. Work closely with operations, technical, and maintenance teams to identify and resolve issues promptly. Contribute to troubleshooting and continuous improvement initiatives across production processes. Build and maintain effective working relationships with Customer Care, Sales, and People Teams to ensure clear communication and a joined-up approach to achieving business goals. Assist in coordinating and contributing to production meetings, helping review performance, address challenges, and support the delivery of team objectives. Support the monitoring of product quality through regular checks, client feedback, and complaint handling. Help ensure quality metrics are met and escalate issues where necessary. Assist with Employee Relations matters within the unit, including supporting investigations, disciplinary processes, and conflict resolution in line with company policies and legal requirements. Help ensure Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards are maintained and support the achievement of Food Safety Accreditation (BRC grade). Promote food safety best practices within the team. Support rota planning, labour cost control, and staffing optimisation to meet production demands efficiently while staying within budget. Ensure awareness and adherence to company policies and procedures across the team, particularly regarding employee management and compliance. Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance productivity, streamline operations, and improve processes. Promote and uphold food safety, health, and safety standards, leading by example and encouraging a safe and compliant working environment. Our team tells us you will be a great addition if you have: A strong team player with leadership potential, able to support and motivate others to achieve high performance. Passionate about baking, with good knowledge of techniques, processes, and product quality. Strong interpersonal and people management skills, with the ability to support training and development of team members. Computer literate, with a working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and the ability to support operational reporting. Proactive and solution-focused, with a willingness to suggest improvements and support operational efficiency. A positive role model with a professional attitude and strong work ethic. Able to prioritise tasks and support team performance effectively in a fast-paced environment. What's in it for you: Fresh bread daily to take home to enjoy with family and friends. 50% discount at GAIL's and 40% off at The Bread Factory & The Flour Station Markets. 33 days holiday Discounts and Savings from high-street retailers and restaurants 24-hour GP service Cycle to work scheme Our Values: We care about Job Well Done: Since 1993, we have been champions in traditional baking with the finest ingredients and techniques. We always do things the right way, not the easy way. We care about Baking: At The Bread Factory all our teams take pride in crafting beautiful, freshly baked loaves, pastries, and cakes. We are all passionate about our products and share knowledge among us all. We care about each other: We always act with respect, empathy, and support to our employees, neighbours and customers. We care about community: We believe in minimising unsustainable practices and reducing waste. Whilst ensuring we continue to provide everyone with nutritious, high-quality food. We care about nature: We're committed to sustainability across our supply chain-from reducing waste and reusing surplus to supporting regenerative farming that helps restore the planet.
Technical Assistant - Oldham Park Cakes is a c 250 million business which supplies cake and desserts to service the own brands of major retailers, there are three sites based in the North West at Heywood, Oldham and Bolton. Our products include, high end celebration cake products, slab cakes and mainstream desserts, we mostly supply Marks & Spencer's although we also supply other major retailers. An exciting but challenging position has arisen, which would be ideal for someone looking for career progression. This is a Hands on, Systems & factory facing role which you will be accountable for working towards achieving technical KPI's and objectives, day to day managament of the Food Safety and QMS plan whilst developing longer term continuous improvement plans that will deliver results. The successful candidate will be the Technical assistant reporting to the QMS & HACCP manager whilst working closely alongside your technical colleagues such as area QAs, Operations, NPD, Hygiene & Engineering functions to succeed and deliver a safe and fantastic quality product. Example of Duties: Updating Procedures in line with Customer COPs, Legislation & Audit NCs Closing out Internal Audit NCs and including multi-functional departments where required- ensuring effective close out is completed and challenged where reoccurring Creating & Maintaining HACCP Flows for all finished products & ensuring these are verified annually Creating & Maintaining HACCP Steps considering all risks including helping to Verify & Validate CCP steps Creating and Maintaining Risk Assessments Assisting with continuous improvement projects onsite where required Maintaining Group & Site documents Performing Gap Analysis on customer standards and planning implementation across site with the QMS & HACCP Manager Reviewing existing documentation periodically via internal audit Ensuring understanding of new procedures are challenged and understood i.e. QA's, FTM's Identifying where site is not complying and develop a robust plan to ensure compliance in conjunction with necessary team/site members Helping arrange and write up store reports Ensuring maintenance and communication of auto-coding systems is fully implemented Ideally you will have: Candidate to be qualified either in a Food related science or Environmental related science degree or equivalent, or be able to demonstrate extensive experience within the food industry of 6+ years in a manufacturing environment producing own label products into retail Bakery experienced preferred but not essential if other areas of expertise are strong Experience with interpreting technical standards such as BRC, M&S & JS Experience of unannounced visits with auditor facing communication and presenting Skills required to investigate and create robust reports that determines Root cause and preventative action which is openly challenged by the customer. Time management skills and prioritisation to enable workload to be completed and KPI's strictly adhered to Positive outlook and willing to bounce ideas off your colleagues including other Factory Technical Managers and QMS & HACCP Manager within your office Ability to manage and effectively communicate across all levels of seniority within the business Full, clean driving license required as occasional travel will be necessary Hours: 39 hours per week, Monday-Thursday 8am-4:30pm and Friday 8:00am till 3:30pm, some flexibility is required. Package: Salary up to 32,500 per annum, 25 days holiday a year and 8 statutory holiday, Money purchase pension scheme with statutory contribution of salary , Discount scheme operating across several online and high street retailers, Please note we are unable to provide Visa Sponsorship for this role. To Apply: Please press the 'apply' button and shortlisted candidates will be contacted by Park Cakes within 28 days. Thank you for your interest in the role. This may be of interest to people looking for the following: NPD Assistant, Technical Assistant, Graduate, Food Science, NPD Technologist New Product Development Technologist Quality Assistant, Quality Control QC Technician FMCG Food Drinks Beverages Manufacturing Manchester Oldham Bolton Lancashire Warrington Wigan
Apr 23, 2026
Full time
Technical Assistant - Oldham Park Cakes is a c 250 million business which supplies cake and desserts to service the own brands of major retailers, there are three sites based in the North West at Heywood, Oldham and Bolton. Our products include, high end celebration cake products, slab cakes and mainstream desserts, we mostly supply Marks & Spencer's although we also supply other major retailers. An exciting but challenging position has arisen, which would be ideal for someone looking for career progression. This is a Hands on, Systems & factory facing role which you will be accountable for working towards achieving technical KPI's and objectives, day to day managament of the Food Safety and QMS plan whilst developing longer term continuous improvement plans that will deliver results. The successful candidate will be the Technical assistant reporting to the QMS & HACCP manager whilst working closely alongside your technical colleagues such as area QAs, Operations, NPD, Hygiene & Engineering functions to succeed and deliver a safe and fantastic quality product. Example of Duties: Updating Procedures in line with Customer COPs, Legislation & Audit NCs Closing out Internal Audit NCs and including multi-functional departments where required- ensuring effective close out is completed and challenged where reoccurring Creating & Maintaining HACCP Flows for all finished products & ensuring these are verified annually Creating & Maintaining HACCP Steps considering all risks including helping to Verify & Validate CCP steps Creating and Maintaining Risk Assessments Assisting with continuous improvement projects onsite where required Maintaining Group & Site documents Performing Gap Analysis on customer standards and planning implementation across site with the QMS & HACCP Manager Reviewing existing documentation periodically via internal audit Ensuring understanding of new procedures are challenged and understood i.e. QA's, FTM's Identifying where site is not complying and develop a robust plan to ensure compliance in conjunction with necessary team/site members Helping arrange and write up store reports Ensuring maintenance and communication of auto-coding systems is fully implemented Ideally you will have: Candidate to be qualified either in a Food related science or Environmental related science degree or equivalent, or be able to demonstrate extensive experience within the food industry of 6+ years in a manufacturing environment producing own label products into retail Bakery experienced preferred but not essential if other areas of expertise are strong Experience with interpreting technical standards such as BRC, M&S & JS Experience of unannounced visits with auditor facing communication and presenting Skills required to investigate and create robust reports that determines Root cause and preventative action which is openly challenged by the customer. Time management skills and prioritisation to enable workload to be completed and KPI's strictly adhered to Positive outlook and willing to bounce ideas off your colleagues including other Factory Technical Managers and QMS & HACCP Manager within your office Ability to manage and effectively communicate across all levels of seniority within the business Full, clean driving license required as occasional travel will be necessary Hours: 39 hours per week, Monday-Thursday 8am-4:30pm and Friday 8:00am till 3:30pm, some flexibility is required. Package: Salary up to 32,500 per annum, 25 days holiday a year and 8 statutory holiday, Money purchase pension scheme with statutory contribution of salary , Discount scheme operating across several online and high street retailers, Please note we are unable to provide Visa Sponsorship for this role. To Apply: Please press the 'apply' button and shortlisted candidates will be contacted by Park Cakes within 28 days. Thank you for your interest in the role. This may be of interest to people looking for the following: NPD Assistant, Technical Assistant, Graduate, Food Science, NPD Technologist New Product Development Technologist Quality Assistant, Quality Control QC Technician FMCG Food Drinks Beverages Manufacturing Manchester Oldham Bolton Lancashire Warrington Wigan
