Sr Specialist, R&D - Culinary

Culinary Sr. Specialist

As a Culinary Sr. Specialist, you will help transform the future of R&D innovation and accelerate Kraft Heinz's growth ambitions. Our Culinary team shapes and influences food-facing innovations by combining a creative approach with deep technical expertise to drive consumer and product opportunities. We pride ourselves on being the expert culinary connection to food and cooking within the marketplace, and we are looking for a "consumer-obsessed" culinary professional — someone who is creative, strategic, independent, collaborative, and who executes with high attention to detail and effective communication.

This is a hands-on R&D Culinary role supporting our Taste Elevation Platform focusing on sauces & condiments and working closely with R&D, marketing, consumer experience, and CIS. Under the guidance of the Manager, this individual will be responsible for culinary product development, innovation pipeline development, and connecting sensorial insights into the consumer experience, food trends, and culture.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Demonstrates understanding of culinary basics: the principles of cooking techniques, product characteristics, safe food handling techniques, food & nutrition, and ideation.
• Understands how to effectively apply food insights and sensory attributes and principles into project work to guide decision making.
• Demonstrates basic understanding of functional ingredients and their application within developed formulations or as needed for Culinary Concept Development.
• Understand and execute against business strategies through creative recipe development, package directions, performance testing, immersions, and culinary events with the guidance of a manager.
• Develops consumer-driven recipe strategies and partners with Marketing on media content, photography, and other communication needs.
• Demonstrates clear communication, attention to detail, and proactive ownership while contributing to assigned work.
• Works well in a team environment, able to balance multiple and/or shifting priorities, and flexes to provide support to colleagues as needed.
• Familiarity with consumer research work streams, including CLTs, HUTs, and focus groups. Exposure to upstream innovation processes such as trend scouting, dig site methodology, and white space identification.
• Translates culinary concepts into scalable product opportunities, incorporating consumer insights, technical feasibility, and business considerations.

Expected Experience & Required Skills

• Bachelor's degree in culinary arts, food science, nutrition, or a closely related field with a minimum of 2 years of progressive culinary experience with demonstrable expertise in product development, cooking techniques, and flavor application.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a corporate CPG or food manufacturing R&D environment.
• Working knowledge of food safety principles (Serv Safe)
• Experience with recipe management systems, PLM platforms, or SAP in a product development workflow.
• RCA Certified Research Chef (CRC®) or equivalent culinary R&D / product development certification, bonus.
• Excellent communication, influencing, prioritization, and project management skills
• Strong critical thinking skills and ability to make connections to the big picture
• Ability to travel up to 15% of the time

Work Environment & Schedule

This position operates primarily in a hybrid work environment and is based at the Kraft Heinz R&D Innovation Center in Glenview, IL. Our hybrid model provides flexibility based on business needs, allowing employees to work virtually up to two days per week, with an expectation to work on-site at least three days per week at the Glenview R&D Innovation Center.

Physical Requirements

Physical demands include but not limited to

• Constant standing and walking in a kitchen/lab/plant environment for extended periods.
• Frequent use of hands and arms for food preparation, weighing/measuring, knife work, stirring, mixing, and operating small equipment; repetitive motions are common.
• Occasional lifting/carrying ingredients and equipment (e.g., up to 25–50 lbs, with or without reasonable accommodation).

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