Meal Kit Recipe Developer

ABOUT THE ROLE The Recipe Developer is responsible for creating, testing, and perfecting innovative, high-quality recipes that align with UCOOKs brand, customer expectations, and operational capabilities. As a key member of the UCOOK Food Team, this role contributes to the development, testing, and finalisation of up to 32 Meal Kit recipes each week. The successful candidate will have a thorough understanding of the Meal Kit categories and the ability to develop recipes within these frameworks. They must work effectively as part of a team while adhering to a structured weekly schedule. This position offers a dynamic balance of creativity and administration, requiring a candidate with a passion for food, a flair for flavour, and strong attention to detail in executing supporting tasks. The Recipe Developer will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including Procurement, Operations, Marketing, and Tech/ Data. 1. Recipe Development & Innovation • Research, ideate, and develop new recipes that reflect current food trends, customer preferences, and brand positioning • Sourcing of new ingredients and ingredients. • Internal development of products to be used in Mealkits, made in our own production kitchen. • Adapt global flavors, seasonal ingredients, dietary requirements, and category standards into accessible, exciting recipes that are delicious, easy to follow and innovative • Ensure recipes are balanced with creativity, taste, and category requirements • Cost recipes accurately • Write recipes clearly adhering to standard methods • Review customer feedback to continuously enhance dish quality and overall menu appeal on a weekly basis 2. Cooking • Conduct testing and approve dish flavour, texture, methods, cooking times, and portion sizes • Record testing feedback, update documentation, and ensuring all feedback is actioned • Maintain quality control standards within the test kitchen • Maintain a clean and organised kitchen environment • Demonstrate respect for ingredients — minimising waste, storing items correctly, and handling ingredients with care • Conduct quality assessments of ingredients before and during recipe testing to ensure freshness, consistency, and compliance with specifications 3. Administration • Conducting a variety of internal Food Team documentation adhering to weekly schedules • Work on UCOOK software platforms (i.e Power BI, server-side software, Acumatica) • Manage ingredient substitutions in collaboration with Procurement and Operations teams • Complete and manage documentation and processes for external brand partnerships and collaborations (e.g., wine pairings with local farms, Discovery campaigns) • Management of dish uploading on UCOOK backend - ensuring recipe data, ingredient lists, methods, and images are correct • Manage the creation, proofing, and delivery of recipe cards, reviewing for accuracy, clarity, and brand consistency • Mitigate recipe card errors proactively through systematic checking and close collaboration • Provide support to Customer Service in investigating and responding to customer complaints • Support photoshoots and marketing initiatives — including assisted planning, cooking, and demonstrating cooking activities • Bi-annual nutritional document and specification review and update 4. Continuous Improvement • Review performance data and customer feedback to continuously enhance existing recipes • Maintain high quality control standards in all recipe development activities • Uphold food safety standards within the test kitchen • Recipe card improvements with meticulous attention to detail and detail-oriented culinary proofreader EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: • Tertiary qualification in Culinary • Diploma or degree in Food technology advantageous • Recipe development experience is advantageous • Experience in developing recipes across multiple categories (i.e. vegan, vegetarian, low carb) • Understanding of an operational food facility, packing, etc is advantageous • Understanding of Food safety • Strong Excel/Google sheet skills Functional skills: • Good cook with a passion for food and an understanding of food and flavours • Time management • Strong oral and written communication • Attention to detail • Proficient in cross-functional team work • Creative and innovative • Understanding of global flavours, specific cuisines and precise dish formats Soft skills: • Collaborative team player • Dynamic and flexible • Strong problem solver • Builds strong relationships • Passionate about food and customer experience • Ability to motivate self and others • Proactive, shows initiative, and driven • Finger on the pulse of current trends within the Food Industry • Accountability BENEFITS • Discounts across the Silvertree portfolio group