HEAD CHOCOLATIER
Luxury Food & Beverage Brand | New York City
Full-Time | In-Person | $100,000 – $160,000
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
A first-of-its-kind luxury food and beverage lifestyle brand launching in New York City is seeking an exceptional Head Chocolatier to join its founding team. The brand spans e-commerce, subscription gifting, and flagship retail — celebrating the world's finest wine, chocolate, coffee, and tea under the ethos of "discernment and delight." It is backed and led by a repeat entrepreneur and tech founder, with seed capital in place and a target launch date of September 2025.
This is a ground-floor, creative ownership role. The Head Chocolatier is one of the brand's core "Taste Makers" — the expert practitioners who define product quality and serve as the human face of the brand. You will design and produce the brand's first-party chocolate lines, source world-class cacao and ingredients globally, and set the quality bar across everything chocolate touches. You will also be a brand ambassador and on-camera presence, giving the brand's audience an authentic window into the craft. For the right person, this is an extraordinarily exciting opportunity to shape the chocolate identity of a brand being built from scratch — with the resources to do it properly.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Product & Craft
- Design, develop, and refine first-party chocolate lines including both permanent and seasonal collections
- Source premium cacao and ingredients globally; build and maintain relationships with ethical, high-quality suppliers
- Oversee all chocolate production, maintaining rigorous quality standards across every batch
- Collaborate with the Sommelier and Coffee Roaster to develop rotating monthly pairings — wine and chocolate, tea and chocolate, coffee and chocolate — across retail and subscriptions
- Contribute to gift box curation and seasonal occasion collections
- Lead product development from pure bean-to-bar through a mix of confections and chocolate
Content & Community
- Film regular video content — product spotlights, behind-the-scenes production, sourcing stories, tasting tutorials — for YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok
- Work closely with the marketing team on content creation and brand storytelling
- Participate in live tastings, corporate events, and brand activations
- Engage authentically with the brand's online community of enthusiasts
QUALIFICATIONS
Required
- Formal training in chocolate-making or confectionery (pastry arts, culinary degree, or equivalent professional apprenticeship)
- 5+ years of hands-on experience as a chocolatier or confectioner in a professional setting
- Deep knowledge of cacao origins, processing methods, flavor profiles, and sourcing
- Proven ability to develop original chocolate formulations and manage small-batch production
- Comfortable on camera — authentic, articulate, and enthusiastic about sharing the craft
- Entrepreneurial spirit and ability to thrive in a high-agency, ground-floor environment
Preferred
- Experience with international flavor profiles (Persian, Japanese, French, Mexican, etc.)
- Prior experience in a luxury food, hospitality, or DTC brand
- Existing relationships with cacao suppliers or specialty ingredient sources
- Background in restaurant groups with the ability to reasonably scale to production
- Active presence or following in the food and chocolate community
- Social media presence demonstrating authentic audience engagement
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
- Salary: $100,000 – $160,000, commensurate with experience
- Bonus: 10% KPI-based bonus in year one; profit sharing as the company scales
- Health, vision, and dental insurance — up to $1,000/month stipend
- PTO: 2 weeks paid vacation
- Equity stake in the company
- Ground-floor creative ownership with significant growth potential — build your own team as the brand scales
Full-time, in-person role based in New York City. Local candidates preferred. Equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse team.