Business Development Chef

Company

Siqalo Foods

Functions

Marketing

Job Type Classification

Permanent

Location - Town / City

Boksburg

Job Description

Siqalo Foods, manufacturer of brands like Rama, Flora and Stork, and in partnership with RCL Foods is on the hunt for a Business Development Chef to join the Customer Marketing Division based in Boksburg. The purpose of the role is to help build Siqalo Foods’ culinary & food service expertise and credibility as well as to help deliver on our long term growth ambitions in the food service and industrial channels by leveraging culinary expertise and technical selling skills.

Minimum Requirements

Matric Qualified Chef or holder of a relevant Culinary Arts Qualification (Minimum 3 Year Qualification)

Degree or diploma in Marketing and Sales (not essential but beneficial)

Valid Code EB drivers’ license

The successful candidate will be expected to work from the Boksburg site on a minimum of 3 days per week and is required to adhere to all Factory Site policies and procedures.

The successful candidate will also be required to travel domestically for internal meetings and customer engagements

Candidates are required to have the following experience:

• Minimum 8 years culinary experience in food preparation (cooking and/or baking) within professional and/or commercial kitchens and working with fats and creams
• Experience leading culinary training sessions with qualified cooks, chefs and operators
• Experience working in a multi-cultural team and across diverse stakeholders
• Experience working in deadline driven and outcome-oriented teams/organisations

The following experience is not essential but is considered beneficial:

• Experience developing recipes/menus and working with product/plate/recipe costings
• Existing relationships within the food service industry including professional associations
• Experience in a sales role or experience converting leads to new customers

Duties & Responsibilities

Customer Engagement and Callage

Regular callage on existing customers to drive growth across the Siqalo Foods’ portfolio while supporting and enhancing the customers’ businesses.

Callage on new customers and leads to help convert them to our portfolio of fats & creams through product education and demonstration/showcasing.

Work with the National/Area Sales Managers and other internal teams to successfully participate in customer trade shows and industry expos/events.

Build insight and understanding of the market, channel, food and culinary trends through a variety of informal and formal data sources and share these insights & understanding with internal cross-functional teams through verbal and written communication.

Work with R&D to ensure excellent product quality and performance through frequent product testing (functionality & claims) and benchmarking vs. competitors.

Participate in relevant NPD project teams to develop the selling proposition and go-to-market strategies for all NPD launches.

Be the culinary and technical expert within the Siqalo Foods’ food service team.

Recommend new applications for products across the portfolio and develop new, relevant and viable menu items

The incumbent’s customer base will include but is not limited to Distributors & RTM partners, QSR central teams and sites, HORECA central teams and individual customers/sites and Industrial food manufacturers and processors.

Knowledge

• In-depth knowledge of food, ingredients and global cuisines and trends
• Understanding of fats and creams including their application and technical functionality
• Understanding of the specific qualities and shelf life of different ingredients
• Understand mass production techniques and machinery/equipment and potential issues/challenges that may arise and how to solve them
• Understanding of food safety and hygiene requirements
• Working knowledge of food service business operations (front and back of house) and relevant decision making, purchase drivers and commercial considerations within HORECA and QSR customers
• Understanding of the food service industry – specifically HORECA and QSR
• Understanding of industrial food processing & manufacturing (not essential but beneficial)

Skills

• Well-developed chef, culinary and food preparation skills
• Food presentation and plating
• Product and application testing, benchmarking and demonstrations/showcasing
• Culinary training and technical problem solving
• Recipe and menu development and product/plate/recipe costing
• Ability to research current and emerging food and industry trends/dynamics
• Ability to translate food/industry trends and dynamics into insights and relevant, appealing menu and food offerings
• Ability to identify new market/channel opportunities
• Relationship building and maintenance
• Selling and influencing skills