3 February 2026
Filled
NPD Pastry Chef
Walpole, Suffolk, IP19
The employer
Two Magpies Bakery is an award-winning artisan bakery and café group with sites located across Norfolk and Suffolk. They are passionate about handcrafted sourdough breads, pastries, cakes and great coffee, all made using traditional methods and the highest quality local ingredients.
The job
As NPD Pastry Chef you will lead the development of new bakery products across cakes and seasonal ranges. You'll drive continuous improvement of existing products to optimise quality, cost, shelf life, and process efficiency, and support customer presentations, product submissions, tastings, and trials.
Responsibilities will include:
- Lead trials from bench to full-scale production.
- Work closely with pastry chefs to ensure smooth handovers and repeatable processes.
- Identify and mitigate risks early—no surprises on launch day.
- Ensure all products meet food safety, quality, legal, and retailer standards.
- Support shelf-life testing, nutritional compliance, and specifications.
- Coach and support pastry chefs
- Set standards, share best practice, and raise the technical bar across the team.
- Be a calm, credible presence when timelines tighten and pressure rises.
What you'll need
Proven experience in bakery NPD within a food manufacturing environment.
Strong understanding of bakery processes, ingredients, and functionality.
Confidence leading trials and tastings through to product launch
The ability to manage multiple projects
A proactive, supportive and positive approach to teamwork.
Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
Ambition to learn, grow and contribute to a developing business.
Own transport due to location
Where you'll be based
The production facility is based in Walpole, close to Halesworth
What you'll receive
£35,000 - £37,500 per annum dependent on experience
Full time working 45 hours per week on a flexible schedule to include weekends (not every weekend!)
Shift patterns of 8am-5pm and 3pm-12am - flexibility to work either pattern required
Two consecutive days off per week
28 days annual leave
On-site parking
Opportunities for growth and professional development.
Free lunches
Find out more
To discuss this position in more detail, please send your CV to martin@martin-salter.com or call 07983 967143.
All communication will be treated in complete confidence.