Corporate Chef, Quality and Innovation Watertown, Massachusetts

Butcher Box is a certified B Corp headquartered in Boston, and honored to be celebrating our fourth year in a row on Inc.'s list of Best Workplaces. At Butcher Box, we believe in better. That’s why we deliver 100% grass‑fed, grass‑finished beef, free‑range organic chicken, pork raised crate‑free, and wild‑caught seafood directly to our members’ doors. All of our products are humanely raised or wild‑caught and never given antibiotics or added hormones ever.

We’re working to build a world that’s better for all, and we’re inviting everyone to come along. For us, better means treating our planet with respect. It means improving the lives of animals and the livelihoods of farmers. It means never cutting corners when it comes to doing business. Ultimately, it means better meals, enjoyed together. Our team is made up of people who collaborate and support one another.

We’re always looking for outstanding people to join our mission!

Department:
Quality & Food Safety

Reports To:

SVP, Procurement & Quality

Location:

Watertown, MA (Butcher Box Headquarters)

Travel: 25–35%

Level: Senior Manager

The Corporate Chef, Quality & Innovation is the culinary conscience of the Butcher Box portfolio. This role ensures every food item we ship meets our standards for flavor, texture, and consistency to specification, while also partnering across functions to ideate and develop new products for our subscription business and emerging retail channels. The Corporate Chef brings deep culinary expertise in sustainable and humanely raised and clean label food, product evaluations, supplier collaboration, and consumer‑facing recipe content, translating member expectations into clear, repeatable culinary standards.

Quality & Specification Adherence

• Lead routine sensory evaluation of all current and incoming products to ensure flavor, texture, appearance, and consistency meet Butcher Box specifications.
• Establish and maintain culinary quality standards, spec sheets, and sensory rubrics in partnership with the Procurement and Quality and Food Safety teams.
• Conduct on‑site supplier and co‑manufacturer visits to evaluate processing, portioning, and finished‑product quality as needed.

New Product Ideation & Partner Development

• Collaborate with the commercial and procurement teams along with supplier partners to ideate, prototype, and refine new products that fit the e‑commerce portfolio.
• Lead culinary cuttings and benchmarking sessions; provide structured feedback to suppliers to bring products to spec before launch.
• Translate member insights and trend research into product briefs that suppliers can execute against.
• Partner with the retail and wholesale teams to adapt and develop products suitable for retail customers, including spec sheets, cooking guidance, and packaging considerations.
• Support customer pitches with culinary expertise, in‑person tastings, and product demos as needed.

Consumer Marketing & Recipe Development

• Develop, test, and document recipes that showcase Butcher Box products for use in marketing, lifecycle, and content channels.
• Partner with the marketing and content teams on recipe shoots, video content, and seasonal campaigns.
• Provide culinary subject‑matter expertise for member education, FAQs, and customer service training.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the culinary voice in cross‑functional product, sourcing, and marketing meetings.
• Partner with food safety, procurement and supply chain to ensure new and existing products are commercially viable and safe.

• Formal culinary training (CIA, Johnson & Wales, or equivalent) and 8+ years of progressive culinary experience, including time in a high‑volume professional kitchen, hotel, restaurant group, or food manufacturer.
• Demonstrated experience in product development, R&D, or culinary innovation within a CPG, food service, or multi‑unit restaurant environment.
• Strong sensory evaluation skills with the ability to articulate flavor, texture, and appearance in clear, structured language.
• Working knowledge of sustainable and humanely raised beef, pork, poultry, and seafood — including cuts, grading, sourcing standards, and…