Asst. Manager Food Development📣 Job Ad

About the Role

Saudi Airlines Catering Company is seeking an Asst. Manager, Food Development to join its team in Umluj. This full-time position is integral to the company's catering operations, focusing on the strategic development and management of menus and food products. The role requires a professional with 2-5 years of experience in a relevant field, contributing to product innovation, operational excellence, and financial oversight.

Menu and Product Management

The Asst. Manager, Food Development is responsible for overseeing the entire lifecycle of food products from concept to production. This includes developing and managing menus, recipes, and cooking routings, as well as ensuring their accurate upload to the catering platform. A key aspect of this role involves collaborating with procurement and finance teams to meet specified food cost targets and monitoring recipe and routing compliance, addressing anomalies, and reporting findings to the Commercial Manager.

Product Development and Innovation

• Conduct market research on new food trends and products in coordination with the Procurement department.
• Develop and maintain product specifications, including photographic standards and step-by-step production guides as appropriate.
• Write recipes and procedures for new products or reformulate current products.
• Manage the scaling up process from kitchen trials to full-scale production in the factory.
• Develop new and innovative packaging to elevate the appearance of products.
• Work with the production and menu planning team to ensure the delivery and successful start-ups of new products, product improvements, cost reductions, ingredient, formula, specification, and process changes.

Operational Support and Training

• Train all chefs on the correct cooking methods for new products introduced into the factory.
• Attend customer staff canteens to lead the training of all third-party staff, ensuring food is reheated and prepared according to required specifications.
• Introduce relevant tools for chefs to ensure applicable attributes (*, thickness, pH levels, salt and sugar, spice level, product colouring) are set and measured according to best practice.
• Conduct sensory evaluation processes both internally and with third parties.
• Assist in streamlining raw materials to reduce wastage and improve forecasts.
• Conduct menu presentations in coordination with the sales department.

Financial Oversight and Reporting

• Support internal customers for the tender process.
• Prepare or assist in preparing various project reports and plans for the Executive Chef of Menu Planning to ensure complete communication of project status, progress, solutions, timeline, and accountability.
• Participate with the Commercial Manager for required periodic review and planning.
• Support the Commercial Manager in the compilation of statistics and figures for internal customers for the preparation of the annual turnover budget.
• Assist the Commercial Manager in preparing business plans and budget write-ups.
• Ensure that operating expenses are within the budget limit.
• Document all work processes in accordance with established procedures and guidelines.

Experience Requirements

The ideal candidate will possess 2-5 years of experience in food development, culinary management, or a related field within the catering or food manufacturing industry. A strong understanding of food cost management, product specification, and quality control is essential for success in this role.