Spinneys, the leading premium food retailer, is looking for a creative and commercially minded PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST to join us.
In this role, you will create, test, and refine innovative food products across our retail ranges, fresh counters, and Spinneys Kitchen Café, helping us deliver exciting, high-quality own-label products for our customers.
This is an opportunity for a chef and non-chef who is passionate about food innovation, ingredients, and culinary trends to help shape the future of Spinneys food offering and support the development of new products from concept through to launch.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop, test, and refine recipes for retail products, fresh counters, and café offerings.
- Support the development of new food products from initial concept through to product launch, including trials, tastings, and refinements.
- Create innovative product concepts aligned with category strategies and customer demand.
- Ensure recipes can be scaled for retail or production environments while maintaining quality and consistency.
- Monitor and analyze food trends, ingredients, and lifestyle changes to identify product development opportunities.
- Benchmark Spinneys products against competitor offerings and industry standards to maintain a leading market position.
- Work closely with Category Managers and Commercial teams to ensure products align with product strategies and range tiering.
- Collaborate with internal production teams, factories, and suppliers to deliver successful product launches.
- Assist with implementation and training, ensuring teams are properly guided on preparation methods and standards.
- Strong awareness and understanding of food safety and quality standards in the UAE, ensuring all recipes, preparation methods, and handling practices comply with local regulations and company policies.
- Conduct product trials and tastings to ensure quality, consistency, and commercial viability.
- Maintain clear recipe documentation and product specifications to support production.
REQUIRED experience and QUALIFICATIONS
- Diploma or Degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science, or a related field.
- Minimum 3–5 years of experience in product development within retail, food manufacturing, or hospitality.
- Experience developing recipes that can be scaled for production or retail environments while maintaining quality and consistency.
- Strong knowledge of food ingredients, culinary techniques, and emerging food trends.
- Ability to translate culinary ideas into commercially viable products.
- Strong collaboration skills and ability to work with cross-functional teams.
- Creative mindset with strong problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, agile environment.
