About this role
We’ve been proudly serving Australian communities since 1914 and have grown to become a top 30-listed company on the ASX with a portfolio of iconic homegrown brands. At the heart of our continued success is over 115,000 team members working across the country, all contributing to bringing our customers smiles. You’ll not only get to see your work make a difference, you’ll be part of a team working together to help Australians eat and live better every day.
About the team
Our Commercial team is a large, but a close-knit group of trading experts, who are ready to shape the future of Coles. We pride ourselves on the long-lasting supplier relationships we build, the new ideas we develop and how passionately we work to help Australian eat and live better every day. And the best part? We’re all so different. We bring diversity of thought, backgrounds, and experience to every Business Unit across Coles Supermarkets and Liquor.
About the role
Passionate about food and creativity? As our Culinary Lead, you’ll set the tone for everything delicious at QuiteLike. From crafting menus that inspire to refining recipes that customers love, you’ll bring excitement back to dinner while keeping things practical and cost-conscious. This role starts hands-on, owning weekly menu planning, recipe edits, and substitutions, before scaling for recipe development and content creation.
You’ll also collaborate across supply chain, operations, commercial, and marketing teams to make sure every meal looks great, tastes amazing, and meets our brand standards. Reporting to the Head of QuiteLike and based in Melbourne, this is your chance to combine creativity with strategy and make a real impact on how Australians experience dinner.
About you and your skills
You’re a culinary innovator with a knack for turning ideas into dishes people love. You balance creativity with operational discipline and thrive in fast-paced environments where menus change weekly. You’re as comfortable in a test kitchen as you are planning shoots or negotiating with suppliers, and you know how to make food look as good as it tastes.
You’ll also bring:
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8-10+ years in culinary or editorial roles across food media, brands, or subscription meal businesses.
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Proven experience in recipe development, editing, and menu planning at scale.
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Hands-on test kitchen expertise, including recipe testing, costings, and nutritional considerations.
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Familiarity with food photography and visual identity standards.
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Strong commercial acumen and ability to manage product costs and margins.
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Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
If you’re ready to lead the culinary vision for a growing digital food business and create experiences that delight customers, we’d love to hear from you.
What’s in it for you?
- Flexible working options: We know that work is only one part of your life, so we actively encourage a positive work-life balance and provide hybrid working options to help you achieve it.
- Office perks: Take advantage of our gym facility and fitness classes, free parking, BBQ area, mini-Coles supermarket, fooderie hub where you can sample new products before they hit the shelves, school holiday program and so much more when you come in.
- Discounts: Eligible team members receive 5% discount all year round on your Supermarket and Liquor online and in-store purchases. We also offer additional periods of double discount (10%) at various times throughout the year. As well as hotdeals exclusive to team members that translate into additional savings.
- Reward through recognition: Give and receive recognition, linked to our Coles values, through our digital recognition platform ‘mythanks’. You can accumulate points to redeem in the online shop for exciting gifts and electronic gift cards from an extensive range of retailers.
- Opportunities for learning and development: No matter where you start within our diverse business, you’ll have experiences, exposure, and education to satisfy you. Discover and explore a variety of career development programs and job-specific training.
- Paid parental leave: We understand how important your life outside work is and offer permanent team members paid parental leave to support you in balancing work and family.
- Investment in your future: Our annual team member share plan offer allows eligible team members to make regular pre-tax salary sacrifice deductions to purchase Coles Group shares.
About the recruitment process
We’re continuing to build a gender equitable team, and a culture that is just as diverse, inclusive and welcoming as the communities we serve. We are committed to creating a workplace that is safe and respectful for our team. We encourage applications from people of all ages, cultures (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples), abilities, sexual orientation and gender identities.
We’re happy to adjust our recruitment process to support candidates with disability. For further information and additional contact details visit the ‘Our Recruitment Process’ section of our careers site or email [email protected]
Job ID: 176847
Employment Type: Full time
Other facts
About Coles Group
Coles is one of Australia’s leading retailers, with an extensive footprint of over 1,800 retail outlets nationally. We employ more than 115,000 team members, engage with more than 8,000 suppliers, and we welcome millions of customers through our store network and digital platforms every week.
We are one of Australia’s largest employers and our workforce includes in store, corporate, manufacturing, distribution, and fulfilment. Our team members reflect the diverse communities in which we operate and we strive to make Coles a great place to work.
• Our vision is to become the most trusted retailer in Australia and grow long-term shareholder value.
• Our purpose is Helping Australians eat and live better every day.
• Our priority is to provide leading food, drink, and home solutions that are delicious, sustainable, and healthy for our customers every day, both in-store and online.
What you'll do
- As the Culinary Lead, you will craft inspiring menus and refine beloved recipes while collaborating with various teams to ensure high-quality meals. This role involves hands-on menu planning and recipe development, making a significant impact on customer experiences.
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