Senior Research Chef

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You may know McCormick as a leader in herbs, spices, seasonings, and condiments – and we’re only getting started. At McCormick, we’re always looking for new people to bring their unique flavor to our team.

McCormick employees – all 14,000 of us across the world – are what makes this company a great place to work.

We are looking to hire a Senior Research Chef immediately at our Technical Innovation Center in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

What We Bring To The Table:

The best people deserve the best rewards. In addition to the benefits you’d expect from a global leader (401k, health insurance, paid time off, etc.) we also offer:

• Career growth opportunities

• Flexibility and Support for Diverse Life Stages and Choices

• Wellbeing programs including Physical, Mental and Financial wellness

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Research Chef will play a key role in supporting the North American Flavor Solutions Food Business Unit and Seasoning Labs by driving culinary innovation and contributing to sales growth. This role leverages deep culinary expertise in recipe and concept development, product innovation, and back-of-house operations to manage both short- and long-term projects across custom segment of the business. The Senior Research Chef collaborates cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Product Development, and other teams to lead projects from ideation through execution, delivering impactful results for McCormick and its customers.

This position requires a high level of creativity and culinary insight to develop solutions for business-to-business seasoning and flavor customers. Travel is expected 25–50% of the time.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborate cross-functionally to provide culinary leadership in product, recipe, and concept development.
• Ensure the culinary perspective is integrated from initial design through final product and content delivery.
• Partner with Product Development, Sales, Marketing, Insights, and Content teams to deliver best-in-class solutions.
• Lead culinary initiatives for external customer projects, representing the full scope of McCormick’s product portfolio and capabilities to drive business growth.
• Develop gold-standard recipes and culinary prototypes for new products and menu concepts.
• Deliver high-impact culinary presentations to customers.
• Apply and uphold best-in-class practices for recipe development, content creation, and product innovation.
• Monitor and share food and flavor trends—including cuisines, ingredients, preparation techniques, equipment, and demographic preferences—with internal teams.
• Translate insights into actionable strategies for projects and innovation.
• Support additional projects and culinary team members as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS

• BA/BS – Culinary / Culinary Nutrition / Culinary Science or AA Culinary degree with significant related industry experience
• 8 plus years of Culinary Development experience including working with packaged food companies, restaurant chains or large food service operations.
• Demonstrated expertise in culinary product development across various industry segments.
• Applies advanced technical knowledge, initiative, and creativity in assignments. Experience in creating culinary gold standard recipes aligned with customer goals and market trends.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams including Product Development, Sales, Marketing, Insights, and Content.
• Food manufacturing experience is a plus.
• Strong presentation skills with the ability to communicate culinary concepts, product portfolios, and insights to clients and stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong collaboration and leadership skills with the ability to influence outcomes and drive results.
• Advanced problem-solving skills, especially in complex or ambiguous project…