Corporate Development Chef

Jones the Grocer is looking for a talented and commercially minded Corporate Development Chef to help shape the future of our food.

This is not a traditional kitchen role. You will be our food and taste ambassador, developing modern, flavourful, Australian-influenced menus for our company-owned and franchised stores. You will combine culinary creativity with strong commercial awareness, ensuring every product delivers on taste, presentation, consistency and profitability.

What you'll be responsible for

• Develop, test and cost recipes across our main menu, catering, specials, grab-and-go, promotions, pastry and bakery ranges, masterclasses and special projects

• Create innovative dishes that reflect the Jones the Grocer identity and evolving market trends

• Deliver recipes within food-cost targets while maintaining quality and minimising waste

• Work closely with Procurement and approved suppliers to source suitable ingredients and integrate retail products into the menu where commercially viable

• Produce clear recipe specifications, costing sheets and operational documentation

• Present new products and menu concepts to senior management for tasting and approval

• Support menu launches through training, field visits and quality assurance

• Work with company-owned stores and franchise partners to achieve consistent execution across all locations

• Monitor sales, profitability, top-selling items and slow-moving products to guide menu development decisions

• Continually improve food presentation, plating, portioning, garnishing, merchandising and visual displays

• Conduct competitor benchmarking and research emerging food and customer trends

• Support franchise partners with kitchen and preparation-area planning

• Prepare concise monthly reports and recommendations covering menu performance, trends and development priorities

• Collaborate closely with Culinary, Operations, Learning and Development, Procurement, Finance, Marketing and franchise teams

What we're looking for

• A strong all-round culinary background with a recognised culinary or catering qualification

• At least three years experience as a Head Chef, Development Chef or in a comparable food-development role

• Proven experience in recipe development, menu costing, product testing and implementation

• Strong knowledge of modern café food, with good exposure to pastry and bakery

• A creative approach balanced by strong commercial and food-cost awareness

• Excellent presentation, communication and stakeholder-management skills

• Ability to translate creative ideas into clear, scalable recipes that can be consistently executed across multiple locations

• Strong planning, organisation and attention to detail

• Confidence using Microsoft Office and recipe, retail or document-management systems

• Fluent written and spoken English

• Valid driving licence and the ability to travel regionally and internationally

• Flexibility to work extended hours when required for launches, training or special projects

The right person

You are a passionate foodie with a creative edge, strong culinary instincts and infectious enthusiasm. You understand that a successful menu must do more than taste great—it must look exceptional, perform commercially and be consistently executable across every store.

If you are excited by the opportunity to influence menus across an international food brand, we would love to hear from you.