Senior Culinary Developer - Manufacturing

Job Summary

The Senior Culinary Developer leads the ideation, development, and commercialization of innovative products for Kettle Cuisine. This role creates concepts and recipes that support the sales and innovation pipelines, helping drive category growth and portfolio expansion.

Role and Responsibilities

• Generate factory-ready Gold-Standard recipes and culinary prototypes that drive top & bottom-line growth.

• Develops new product concepts for the kettle-cooked, sous vide, and meal portfolio following product-brief guidelines, including specific internal/customer requirements, costs, raw materials, production limitations, labor costs, etc.

• Collaborates with procurement, sales, marketing, process, and operation teams to develop high-quality products and maintain operational feasibility.

• Works with the Sales Team to present concepts to customers in multiple sales channels, including Food Service, National Accounts, Retail, Mass and Club channels.

• Supports marketing and sales initiative with creative input, ideation, and feasibility.

• Leads customer driven projects and fosters strong customer relationships.

• Build strong relationships internally with stakeholders including Sales/Process/Marketing/Production/Procurement/Finance/Quality Assurance/Regulatory.

• Maintains accurate documentation throughout the development process, including ideation of concepts, developing formulations, and further proof of concepts on the benchtop and plant floor.

• Supports in the development of junior team members through coaching and L&D.

• Support additional projects and culinary team members as needed.

• Uphold operational excellence.

LEVEL OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Works independently under minimal supervision from Director level chefs.

• Makes decisions within clearly prescribed areas and referring matters that fall outside that area to senior and/or cross-functional team members.

• Serves as a leader and coach to junior development chefs.

• Builds/seeks consensus across functional areas.

• Advises customers on proper use of company products.

• Position is directly responsible for generating revenue within product line and production facility.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Cross-trains other employees and answers questions from co-workers.

• Position is currently not responsible for people or performance management but there is opportunity for this role to take on both with growth.

SKILL REQUIRED

• BA/BS- Culinary/Culinary Nutrition/Culinary Science or associate’s degree with significant related industry experience.

• 8-12+ years of Culinary Development experience- including working in packaged food companies, restaurant chains or large food service operations.

• Demonstrated expertise in culinary product development across various industry segments.

• Advanced technical knowledge, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

• Experienced in collaborating with cross-functional groups including Marketing, Commercialization, QA and Sales Teams.

• Food manufacturing experience with the ability to develop scalable and repeatable items.

• Strong presentation and communication skills with the ability to articulate culinary concepts and insights.

• Excellent written, computer and verbal skills.

• Strong collaboration and leadership skills, with the ability to influence outcomes and drive results.

• Ability to work independently after 3 months of on-the-job training.

• Must be proficient with MS Office programs, specifically Excel and Outlook.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS 

• High energy and passionate about food, product & brand

• Experience in food manufacturing

• Knowledge of the fresh and natural foods industry

• Excellent oral & written communication skills

• Customer-Centric thinker

• Professional and capable demeanor with customers and colleagues

• Creative culinary skills with commercial mindset

• Ability to prioritize multiple projects – highly organized

• Accuracy mindset – Keen attention to detail

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL EFFORT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a Senior Culinary Developer encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

Physical Demands/Efforts

• Work requires occasional physical exertion including some lifting of objects weighing up to 40 pounds

• Willing and able to stand for long periods of time

Mental & Visual Demands

• Work performed by this position requires considerable mental concentration to effectively execute complex tasks.

• Work requires continuous visual effort for extended periods of time.

Work Environment and Hazards

• Employee works in a manufacturing setting with frequent exposure to heat/cold, dust, or other factors that may require protective equipment and still pose a hazard.

• This position has regular exposure to hazards that could result in significate injury and lengthy loss of time at work.

• 15-20% of travel is required for this position. Travel may be out-of-state and occasionally require overnight stays.