Foodservice R&D Specialist

Do you love creating, testing, and improving food while working with cutting-edge commercial kitchen equipment? Talis Group's client, a respected and innovative company searching for a Foodservice R&D Specialist who combines hands-on chef experience with a passion for research and product development.

This is a unique opportunity to move beyond the kitchen and help shape the next generation of commercial cooking equipment. You'll partner with Engineering, Sales, and Marketing to validate equipment performance, develop new applications, and demonstrate innovative culinary solutions for customers across the foodservice industry.  This position will also train customers on how to use equipment to successfully create their menu items.

If you enjoy experimenting, solving problems, and bringing culinary ideas to life, this could be the perfect career move.  This position offers 40-45 hours during the week with about 20% travel to customer sites, conventions or other.  The company offers full benefit package and strong salary for this role.

Highlighted Duties

• Design and execute food and equipment testing to validate product performance using structured research methods.
• Develop new cooking applications and evaluate food quality, yield, consistency, and operational efficiency.
• Document testing procedures and results to support product development and future applications.
• Partner with Engineering to troubleshoot, improve, and validate new equipment designs.
• Conduct customer demonstrations, product evaluations, and culinary presentations.
• Support Sales, Marketing, and Training by creating application guides, educational materials, and product content.
• Maintain a professional test kitchen that is organized and customer-ready.
• Stay current on food trends, culinary techniques, and foodservice innovations to support ongoing product development.

Highlighted Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or a related field preferred; Culinary degree with significant R&D experience will also be considered.
• 5+ years of experience in restaurant operations, foodservice R&D, commercial kitchen equipment, or a related field.
• Professional chef or commercial cooking experience is required.
• Previous Research & Development experience within the foodservice, food manufacturing, or commercial kitchen equipment industry is required
• Strong knowledge of commercial kitchen operations, food preparation, and food science principles.
• Experience conducting structured product testing and documenting results.
• Ability to evaluate food quality, yield, cost, and production performance.
• Creative mindset with the ability to develop innovative culinary applications and solutions.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to work across technical and non-technical teams.

This information is a brief job summary for recruiting purposes only and does not constitute the entire job description, duties, or requirements.

Talis Group is an equal opportunity employer.  All registrants are considered based upon their skills, performance, potential, and other qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.