Website hoteltraveljobs Hospitality Jobs Africa
Pastry Development Chef – Food Technologist – International Group
DURBAN BASED
You will be a rare breed! a Pastry Development Chef with a Degree
MUST HAVE – A degree or equivalent in Food Technology, Nutritional sciences / Dietetics with an added advantage for Quality management with experience in Research and Development / New Product Development in a Cake/Desserts/Baking FMCG manufacturing environment.
Areas of responsibility will include but are not limited to:
Developing new products from concept to launch according to the supplied brief, including management of costings, Nutritionals, specifications, documentation and preparation for photo shoots.
Searching the market for trends and new product ideas.
Reformulating existing products for product improvements, cost-saving, best practice in clean-labelling and technical changes.
Lab and production trials, launch productions and training of production staff.
Designing, conducting and documenting sensory evaluations and tastings.
Liaison with the Marketing Department in respect of concepts, packaging and the process of new product development.
Compiling and checking ingredient lists, packaging information and specifications.
Reporting and keeping complete record documents.
Taking responsibility for all matters concerning sustainability and clean labelling.
A food safety team member and acting as a liaison to the Quality Assurance Department concerning GMP, HACCP, FSSC/ISO standards, specifications, customer complaints and other quality matters.
Factory support in any product-related technical challenges and production process improvements.
Representing the department in different meetings.
Serving as a contact to suppliers and the International Headquarters
Implementing and maintaining of systems and processes for product costings, nutritionals, recipes and packaging information for the all ranges of products
Functioning as the head of the R&D team with approximately 4 direct reportable and reporting to the R&D director.
Key Competencies
An additional tertiary qualification relevant to research and development of cakes/desserts/baked products.
Experience with quality management, microbiology and legislative requirements.
Laboratory experience.
Experience in supplier auditing and related fields.
Proficient in MS Project.
A recognised training skills course completed.
Having worked in related fields to the food FMCG manufacturing environment, e.g. marketing, presentation and promotion of existing and new products.
- The candidate should have at least six years’ experience in Research and Development / New Product Development in a Cake/Desserts/Baking FMCG manufacturing environment.
- The position requires proven scientific knowledge in the fields of baking/food technology, nutrition and good technical understanding with special focus on Cakes/Desserts/Baking. Having master baker credentials would be an advantage.
- Your ability to scientifically scrutinize existing formulations and find potential ways to both improve quality/yields/costs will play a large part in your objectives and KPI ‘s.
- Experience in managing own projects; product specification; nutritional calculations; product costings; conducting sensory tastings; planning and executing production trials and shelf-life testing. –
- Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in English with report writing skills and compilation ability.
- Candidates are required to not have any dietary restrictions as tasting and consuming all food types will be required.
- Only candidates who do not smoke will be considered (this includes non-tobacco products and vaping) as this will impair sensory ability during tasting.
- Advanced Microsoft Office Skills, especially Excel with excellent mathematical skills.
- Attention to detail, a drive towards efficiency and dedication to complete the tasks at hand.
- Passion for baking with a strong affinity for all kinds of food preparation and creative thinking.
- Specific interest in the cake/desserts/baking market and the associated trends.
- A team-player, outgoing personality, service-oriented and innovative.
- Self-motivated and interested in new developments.
- Enjoys training others and sharing knowledge to expand skillsets.
- Prior experience in working with Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Food Safety Systems Certification (FSSC) and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standards.