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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Food Development Manager - **Company:** Dobbies Garden Centres Ltd. - **Location:** Lasswade, UK (Remote available) - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Data Governance, Data Analytics - **Published:** May 29, 2026 - **Apply:** https://uk.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=980200e702ae24d8 ## About the Role Do you have experience in Financial acumen?, * Credible Food Craft Product Expert - Strong hands-on capability across culinary and bakery, developing high-quality, scalable, and commercially viable recipes that translate consistently across the estate * Commercial Data-Led - Combines strong financial acumen with data-driven insight to optimise margin, control costs, and inform decision-making * Customer Market Focused - Uses deep customer understanding and market trends to shape relevant, compelling, and competitive menu offers * Strategic yet Operationally Grounded - Balances long-term food strategy with practical execution, ensuring all concepts are deliverable, consistent, and efficient in operation * Collaborative Leader Influencer - Builds strong cross-functional relationships, communicates with impact, and coaching teams to deliver results in a fast-paced, changing environment * Ability to attract, onboard, and retain high-quality suppliers ## Description We have an exciting opportunity for a Food Development Manager to join our Restaurant team in our Central Support Office. This role supports the delivery of the Dobbies restaurant proposition through the development of high-quality, customer-led menus that delight customers and drive commercial performance. You will lead the creation, development, and implementation of seasonal menus, ensuring they are innovative, on-trend, and operationally deliverable. Working closely with restaurant teams and cross-fucntional stakeholders, you will ensure consistency across the estate and smooth execution of menu transitions, while creating opportunities to enhance team capability and skill development. Role Responsibilities * Lead the development of recipes and preparation methodologies that enhance customer appeal, enable operational excellence across teams, and drive customer advocacy, while ensuring full compliance with food safety standards and company policies. * Ensure the Dobbies food offer remains on trend, competitive, and commercially relevant to our direct competitors. * Own and drive the effective use of Zonal (Menu Manager) as the central platform for menu development, ensuring all receipes, specifications, allergen data, pricing, and supplier information are accurate, up to date, and aligned with live menus. * Maintain strong data governance and integrity, ensuring all menu changes, launches and substitutions are reflected in the system ahead of implementation, while using system insights to support decision-making, compliance, and commercial performance. * Manage and drive the menu development flight path process, from concept through to launch. * Under the guidance of Head of Food Beverage, ensure all menu developments are operationally achievable and scalable. * Support and coach key team members to enable smooth and effective menu transitions across the estate. * Collaborate with the Head of Food Beverage and finance to ensure accurate menu costings and margin models, ensuring strong theoretical GP performance * Work with the Regional Restaurant Coaches and food safety team to design and deliver training materials and guides required for successful menu execution * Lead the weekly product development meeting to ensure alignment across teams * Partner with supply chain to manage product substitution, supplier changes, and cost optimisation, ensuring profitability is protected * Provide guidance on small equipment requirements to support operational efficiency and commercial performance * Act as a strong coach and mentor, providing clear, constructive, and honest feedback * Adapt quickly to change, effectively prioritising workload to meet deadlines and business needs Measures of Success * There is a clear strategy to develop the food and drink menu aligned to the Restaurant proposition * Delivery of a structured food development calendar across the business * Demonstrable margin improvement opportunities linked to menu development * Implementation of tools and processes that ensure consistent food quality and standards across all restaurants * Improvement in Restaurant NPS, with positive feedback on menu variety, quality, presentation, and taste * Strong internal feedback and engagement on menu innovation and delivery ## Related Videos - [Data Governance in the Era of AI](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1622-data-governance-in-the-era-of-ai) - [Empowering Retail Through Applied Machine Learning](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/976-empowering-retail-through-applied-machine-learning) - [PySpark - Combining Machine Learning & Big Data](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/44-pyspark-combining-machine-learning-big-data) - [Modern Data Architectures need Software Engineering](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1030-modern-data-architectures-need-software-engineering) - [How Data is Shaping our Games](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/176-how-data-is-shaping-our-games) - [AI beyond the code: Master your organisational AI implementation.](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1248-ai-beyond-the-code-master-your-organisational-ai-implementation) ## Related Articles - [UK Business Culture and Etiquette](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/326-uk-business-culture-and-etiquette) - [Data Analyst Salary in the UK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/278-data-analyst-salary-in-the-uk) - [Data Engineer Salary UK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/253-data-engineer-salary-uk) - [Best Companies to work for in London: Top 25 Companies in 2023](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/187-best-companies-to-work-for-in-london-top-25-companies-in-2023) - [The Biggest German Tech Companies](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/424-the-biggest-german-tech-companies) - [Dev Digest 191: Malware interviews, EU ❤️ Open Source and Skilled Agents](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/645-dev-digest-191-malware-interviews-eu-open-source-and-skilled-agents)