Job Title

The Ahara Group is expanding its readymeal division and is seeking an experienced Production Chef who can operate in a highvolume 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 highquality ready meals across multiple brands. About the Role As a Production Chef, you will play a key part in both daytoday kitchen operations and product innovation, ensuring consistent quality, safety, and efficiency while collaborating with crossfunctional 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 highvolume, fastpaced environment. Recipe Development / NPD Assist in developing new readymeal 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 Were Looking For 3+ years experience as a Chef in commercial production kitchens, readymeal manufacturing, catering, or largescale 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 Readymeal development. Multicuisine experience (especially Indian, Asian, Mediterranean). HACCP certification. Experience working with food manufacturing equipment. Understanding of nutrition, allergens, and shelflife considerations. What We Offer Competitive salary based on experience. Opportunity to contribute to new product launches across multiple national food brands. Stable fulltime role in a fastgrowing 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 readymeal environments. Shortlisted applicants will be asked to complete a trial cook in our production kitchen. #J-18808-Ljbffr