Development Chef
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 15, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 13, 2026.
Development Chef
Remote based ideally located within Bicester / Oxfordshire area
39 hours per week
Competitive Salary and Company car or car allowance, a home-based contract, additional holiday purchase options to top up your annual leave and our award-winning food at significant discounts.
Fresh Direct is the UK's leading supplier of Fresh produce, fresh fish and seafood, speciality ingredients and meal solutions. Incorporating Fresh Direct, M&J seafood, Wild Harvest and Fresh Kitchen. we have an enviable product portfolio, impressive customer base and national reach.
An opportunity has arisen to join the Food Development team at Fresh Direct. We are
looking for an experienced Development Chef with an unquestionable passion for fresh food. This role involves frequent travel throughout the country and will involve overnight stays on occasion.
What you will be doing:
- Develop meaningful, close working relationships with customers food development teams
- Develop relationships internally with category team, manufacturing teams, sales team, procurement team, marketing team and technical team to support in delivering innovation and support to customers menu development and grow sales and margin for Fresh Direct
- Take an active role in NPD with wider Food Development team - creating recipes, managing customer expectations, tracking progress, managing data
- Plan, prepare and present customer food days in line with brief and customer and business expectations
- Provide food and industry knowledge, support and expertise to colleagues
What we are looking for:
- Good commercial knowledge with excellent culinary skills and a proven track record in the foodservice industry at a senior level
- A passion for fresh produce and ingredients
- Ability to adapt to and adopt a number of culinary styles and cuisines in line with our varied customer base’s menu offerings and brands
- Enthusiastic with a can do attitude
- Ability to build and develop customer relationships
- Strong relationship builder & team player with excellent inter-personal skills
- Influencing and negotiation skills
- Flexible, adaptable and resourceful
- Good knowledge of Foodservice Industry (brands, operators, influencers, trends and current market)
- Previous experience of presenting to large audiences
- Good, working knowledge of PowerPoint, Excel, Word
- Full UK Drivers Licence
At Fresh Direct everyone is welcome. We don’t want you to ‘fit our culture’ we want you to help define it and we actively celebrate the unique talents of each and every colleague. We don’t just look at your CV, we’re more focused on who you are and your potential. As part of our values, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone has a voice, is appreciated and has the same opportunities. We work hard to ensure that everyone feels part of our business, as we care for one another and connect the world through food and trusted partnerships. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that everyone belongs and thrives at Fresh Direct and we recognise that Fresh Direct can only thrive when everyone feels they belong. We'll do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, speak to our resourcing team who will be happy to support you.
Fresh Direct
Built on a passion for food and feeding the nation, at Fresh Direct we are dedicated to making life as easy and efficient for the chefs, cooks and caterers we serve across the country. We are the leading specialist supplier of locally and globally sourced fresh produce and dairy across Great Britain, bringing the best of the seasons to chefs’ menus.