Culinary Development Chef

About the role

We are seeking a talented and creative Culinary Development Chef/Sous Chef to join the Hardlyworkingco team. This is a full-time position that combines leadership in the kitchen with culinary innovation. Working under the direction of the Founder(s) and the Executive Chef, this role is hands-on — testing recipes, costing menu items, sourcing ingredients, and training kitchen crews so that every new dish lands the way it was designed to.

What you'll be doing

1. Recipe Testing & Execution

• Own recipe testing for new and seasonal menu items, from initial concept through to a service-ready build.
• Test on the kitchen line during agreed off-peak windows so live service isn't disrupted.
• Validate taste, consistency, and repeatability before any dish is signed off.

2. Menu R&D under Founder Direction

• Translate the Founder's brand vision and creative briefs into structured, testable recipe concepts.
• Maintain a clear development pipeline and keep the Founder(s) updated against key milestones.

3. Food Costing

• Calculate food cost percentages and ingredient yields for every menu item, flagging variances against target margins.
• Keep costing and recipe data accurate and current in the recipe management system.

4. Kitchen Quality Control SOPs

• Draft and maintain SOPs, station build guides, and plating references for new and existing items.
• Keep documentation aligned with how the kitchen actually executes.

5. Ingredient Sourcing

• Source ingredients from multiple suppliers, balancing quality, cost, and reliability of supply.
• Prioritise ingredients that cross-utilise existing stock to protect storage capacity and reduce waste.
• Validate price stability and lead times before locking a new ingredient into a recipe.

6. Food Tastings

• Prepare and present tastings, incorporating feedback into further iterations.
• Keep a clear record of how each dish evolved through revisions.

7. Training Outlet Kitchen Crew

• Train outlet kitchen crew on new and existing menu items, certifying teams can replicate dishes to standard without supervision.
• Build simple training aids (photos, short videos, or written guides) to scale training across shifts and outlets.
• Check in post-rollout to catch execution issues early.

What we're looking for

• Minimum 2 years of culinary experience within a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR), including experience in recipe development, R&D within F&B.
• Hands-on experience with recipe costing and standardisation for multi-outlet or scaling operations.
• Experience training or leading kitchen crew, with strong technique and plating discipline.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong palate and culinary creativity, with the discipline to work within a Founder-led creative direction.
• Good working knowledge of food costing, ingredient sourcing, and supplier evaluation.
• Meticulous documentation skills for recipes, yields, and SOPs.
• Comfortable presenting and receiving feedback directly from Founders and senior stakeholders.
• Team-oriented, hands-on, and willing to work across kitchens and outlets as needed.