Head of Food Production & Development

Location: London & UK Wide (Multi-Site)
Salary: Competitive + Executive Benefits Package

An Opportunity to Shape the Future of a Premium, Scaling Hospitality Brand

We are seeking an exceptional, innovative and commercially astute Head of Food Production & Development to join a premium hospitality business undergoing a significant upscale and ambitious growth journey.

This is a pivotal leadership role for an individual with extensive large-scale food and beverage production experience, who can seamlessly bridge strategy and execution. You will lead the development of our food proposition, driving innovation, scalability and operational excellence across a growing multi-site estate.

We are looking for someone who thrives in a highly competitive and commercial environment and has a proven track record of taking ideas from vision to execution—transforming concepts into profitable, scalable and market-leading propositions.

Reporting into the senior leadership team, you will work cross-functionally across the business, partnering with Operations, Commercial, Procurement, Marketing, Finance and two Heads of Department to deliver an integrated and future-focused food strategy.

The Role

You will be responsible for:

• Leading and evolving the Group’s food production and product development strategy across a current estate of 15–20 sites, with further expansion planned.
• Designing and scaling food and beverage concepts that are commercially viable, operationally deliverable and aligned with long-term business growth.
• Driving innovation from concept, development and testing through to implementation and execution.
• Using data, technology, market intelligence and consumer insights to identify opportunities, improve performance and anticipate future trends.
• Developing food propositions that meet changing consumer expectations whilst maintaining exceptional quality, consistency and profitability.
• Creating scalable production processes and systems that support operational efficiency and growth.
• Working collaboratively across multiple departments to ensure alignment between product development, operational capability and commercial objectives.
• Leading continuous improvement initiatives and embedding a culture of innovation and excellence throughout the business.

About You

You will be an experienced Head of Food Production, Group Development Chef, Executive Chef or Senior Food Innovation Leader with a proven track record within large-scale food production, manufacturing, multi-site hospitality or premium food-led businesses.

You will possess:

• Extensive experience managing and delivering large-scale food and beverage production within a competitive and commercially driven environment.
• A proven ability to take concepts from vision to execution, delivering innovation at pace and scale.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with a clear understanding of margins, profitability and operational efficiencies.
• Experience using data, technology and consumer analytics to inform decision-making and shape future food strategies.
• A deep understanding of emerging food trends, market dynamics and evolving consumer expectations.
• Outstanding project management and stakeholder management skills.
• The ability to work effectively across departments, influencing and collaborating with senior leaders and cross-functional teams.
• A strategic, forward-thinking mindset combined with hands-on delivery capability.
• A passion for creating market-leading food experiences that drive both customer engagement and commercial performance.

Why Join Us?

This is a rare opportunity to become a key member of the leadership team at a business entering an exciting new phase of growth and transformation.

You will have the autonomy and influence to shape the future food proposition of the brand, lead innovation at scale and build a food production strategy that sets new standards within the sector.

If you are an ambitious and forward-thinking food leader who combines commercial acumen, operational excellence and a passion for innovation—and can turn vision into reality—we would love to hear from you.

Kellan Group (including all of our brands, Berkeley Scott and Xpress Recruitment) are committed to promoting equal opportunities to people regardless of age, gender, religion, belief, race, sexuality or disability. We operate as an employment agency and employment business. You'll find a wide selection of vacancies on our websites