The Ahara Group is expanding its ready-meal division and is seeking an experienced Production Chef who can operate in a high-volume commercial kitchen and contribute to new product development.
This role is ideal for a chef who understands both culinary excellence and scaled production requirements.
You will work closely with our operations and product development teams to create, refine, and consistently deliver high-quality ready meals across multiple brands.
About the Role
As a Production Chef, you will play a key part in both day-to-day kitchen operations and product innovation, ensuring consistent quality, safety, and efficiency while collaborating with cross-functional teams.
Key Responsibilities
Production & Operations
Execute daily production schedules across cooking, portioning, and meal assembly.
Ensure consistent quality, flavour, and presentation of all ready meals.
Follow recipes and batch sheets accurately for scalability.
Maintain strict food safety and HACCP standards at all times.
Work efficiently in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
Recipe Development / NPD
Assist in developing new ready-meal recipes for our brands.
Adapt recipes for scale, yield improvement, and cost control.
Test and optimise new dishes for flavour, texture, and shelf stability.
Collaborate with nutrition and packaging teams on technical requirements.
Kitchen Leadership
Work with Production Managers to support daily kitchen operations.
Train junior kitchen staff on recipes, methods, and quality expectations.
Ensure workstation organisation, cleanliness, and safety procedures are followed.
Quality & Compliance
Monitor batch consistency, cooking standards, and ingredient accuracy.
Complete required production documentation (batch logs, yields, checklists).
Identify production issues early and report to management.
What We're Looking For
3+ years experience as a Chef in commercial production kitchens, ready-meal manufacturing, catering, or large-scale cooking environments.
Strong understanding of batch cooking, yields, and food safety compliance.
Ability to work with structure, recipes, and production SOPs.
Creativity for new product development while maintaining commercial viability.
A positive, reliable team player with high personal standards.
Desirable Experience
Ready-meal development.
Multi-cuisine experience (especially Indian, Asian, Mediterranean).
HACCP certification.
Experience working with food manufacturing equipment.
Understanding of nutrition, allergens, and shelf-life considerations.
What We Offer
Competitive salary based on experience.
Opportunity to contribute to new product launches across multiple national food brands.
Stable full-time role in a fast-growing food group.
Modern production facilities.
Career growth into Senior Chef / NPD roles.
How to Apply
Please submit your CV detailing your experience in production kitchens and ready-meal environments.
Shortlisted applicants will be asked to complete a trial cook in our production kitchen.
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