National Food & Drinks Development Manager

Haven; Hemel Hempstead; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading leisure company is seeking a National Food & Beverage Development Manager in Hemel Hempstead. This crucial role involves defining and leading a transformative F&B development strategy, ensuring compliance and creating exemplary food experiences. Ideal candidates should have strong leadership skills, be well-versed in technical food management, and have a passion for elevating guest experiences. The role offers benefits such as a competitive salary, bonuses, and comprehensive holiday entitlements.

Benefits

25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays

Annual bonus

20% discount on family and friends holidays

Comprehensive wellbeing support

Access to corporate box at O2 Arena

Exclusive discounts with corporate partners

Learning and Development opportunities

Enhanced family-friendly policies

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading F&B development.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Strong coaching and organizational skills.
• Comprehensive knowledge of technical food management systems.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in managing teams.

Responsibilities

• Own and lead the F&B Development strategy.
• Act as the F&B Development subject matter expert.
• Partner cross-functionally to implement development plans.
• Drive insight-led performance and innovation.
• Lead and develop teams for high-quality F&B activity.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Critical thinking

Time management

Technical food management knowledge

Tools

Word

Excel

Adobe software

Job description

National Food & Beverage Development Manager

Hemel Hempstead (Hybrid – 2 days office, 2 days park, 1 day at home per week)

Annual salary + bonus and benefits

Step into a pivotal role shaping the future of Food & Beverage at Haven. As our Food & Beverage Development lead, you’ll define and deliver a bold, commercially driven development strategy that brings our F&B growth ambitions to life and complements our wider business plans. Blending strategic vision with deep technical expertise, you’ll unlock performance through innovative propositions, smart pricing strategies and best-in-class development processes. You’ll play a critical role in ensuring every part of our offer is safe, compliant and future‑ready—while working collaboratively across Operations, Digital, Finance, Product, People, H&S and L&D to turn strategy into impact. If you’re excited by creating compelling food and drink experiences that drive growth and delight guests, this is your opportunity to make a real difference.

What you will be doing:

• Owning and leading the F&B Development strategy, aligning it to the wider F&B growth plan and translating it into clear annual plans, test‑and‑trial programmes and critical paths that enable effective park handover and delivery.
• Acting as the F&B Development subject matter expert, leading technical menu builds, allergen compliance, safety standards and pricing strategy, while ensuring all development activity delivers strong commercial returns.
• Partnering cross‑functionally and with parks to implement F&B development plans, working closely with Operations, Finance, Procurement, Digital, Marketing, Proposition and Licensing to optimise volume, profit and guest experience.
• Driving insight‑led performance and innovation, using data, market trends and guest insight to shape NPD, recommend growth opportunities and deliver simpler, better, lower‑cost solutions across the F&B estate.
• Leading, developing and supporting teams and capability, championing operational excellence, supporting training and SOP development, nurturing talent and ensuring consistent, safe and high‑quality execution of all F&B development activity.

What we’d like you to bring:

• Proven experience leading F&B development with a strong understanding of park structures, Central Operations, and current industry trends and horizon scanning.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, capable of leading senior‑level discussions and balancing guest, team, and stakeholder needs with strategic thinking and effective decision‑making.
• Strong coaching, organisational, time management, and critical thinking skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines efficiently.
• Comprehensive knowledge of technical food management systems, Level 3 Food Safety, advanced food hygiene, and proficient in Word, Excel, and Adobe software.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including team management, situational leadership, change management, and the ability to build collaborative relationships while embodying Haven’s Leadership behaviours.

What’s In It For You?

25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays + Holiday Buy Scheme

Annual bonus

20% discount on both Haven and Warner Hotels holiday for you, family and friends

Comprehensive wellbeing support

Access to the Bourne Leisure corporate box at the O2 Arena, London

Exclusive discounts with corporate partners

Exciting career pathways, including Learning and Development opportunities such as Apprenticeships and Degrees

Enhanced family‑friendly policies and pay (eligibility criteria applied)

Who are we?

We’re part of an award‑winning Bourne Leisure family, which includes Haven & Warner Hotels. We have 9,000 fantastic team members and 39 beautiful seaside locations and our HQ based in Hemel Hempstead.

What’s it like to work with us?

Working with us is ultimately defined by our exceptional people and teams. At Haven, we take pride in our Breath of Fresh Air culture, which focuses on valuing and supporting every team member. We prioritise openness and transparency in our interactions allowing our team members to be their authentic selves.

We operate a hybrid working model, meaning 50% of your working week will be spent at the office, occasionally on Park, or at external events.

What can you expect during the recruitment process?

The interview process will be up to 3 stages and may contain a presentation or skills test, depending on the role. If you require any support or reasonable adjustments to help you perform at your best during this process, please let us know.

Diversity, equity and inclusion

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the heart of who we are and what we do. Our commitment to these values is unwavering and they are central to our mission. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries and we are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments or flexibility that you may require, including whether a role can be part‑time or a job‑share.

We genuinely care about every candidate’s experience during the recruitment process and are here to provide support where we can. If you require any assistance or reasonable adjustments while applying, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at resourcingteam@bourne‑leisure.co.uk.