R&D Chef, Culinary Innovation

ABOUT TAYLOR FARMS

Taylor Farms is dedicated to being North America's favorite maker of salads and healthy fresh foods. Our Taylor Family includes nearly 25,000 team members who share a passion for producing high-quality, great-tasting fresh foods enjoyed by families across North America and Europe. As we continue to grow, we're looking for talented and motivated people to join our team in Tolleson, Arizona. If you're ready to grow your career with a company that values its people, teamwork, and fresh thinking, we'd love to hear from you.

DELICIOUS. NUTRITIOUS. SUSTAINABLE. PROFITABLE. SCALABLE.

We are looking for a balance between creative and pragmatic - someone self-motivated and driven to explore new ways of creating mutually beneficial partnerships, someone who is team-oriented and obsessed with details done with excellence. You will possess a strong knowledge of the food industry and be on top of the latest food trends. Reporting to the Director of Sales, this is an opportunity to dream big and help create food that will inspire! We partner with major industry players who want truly disruptive and impactful innovation, and who desire our experience, flexibility, and focus. We break down barriers with a fresh perspective, deep and varied expertise, and creative problem solving to tackle challenges at every step of the go-to-market process creating products that are delicious, nutritious, sustainable, profitable, and scalable. To do this, we surround ourselves with people who are both inspired and inspiring. As a Research & Development (R&D) Chef, you will have a high level of technical expertise and understanding of different cooking methods, ingredients, and cuisines.

The Day to Day

• Comfortably and confidently manage several workstreams simultaneously
• Provide culinary expertise in assigned projects, demonstrated by exceptional culinary concept creation and product development
• Play an active role in all stages of product development, from ideation to manufacturing
• Meticulously record all tests and pertinent analytical information
• Monitor and research food trends, manufacturing processes, and culinary innovations on an ongoing basis to continue to bring new ideas to the team. Findings are shared monthly in Culinary team meetings
• Ensure that project scope guard rails are maintained throughout the development process, and product formulas are shared with and approved by the commercialization team
• Calculate ingredient costing such that products are developed within cost targets
• Lead and participate in product tastings and plant trials of new products
• Assist in the production of product samples for internal and external stakeholders
• Manage individual project timelines and deliverables, and support wider project direction and deadlines
• Ensure the work area is orderly, organized and clean for efficient use for testing, following Taylor Farms' SOP for proper kitchen operations
• Report weekly project work plan, timelines, and other tasks to Director of Sales
• Manage the Commercialization Specialist (direct report)

What You'll Bring

For this role, we're seeking candidates with the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Business, Culinary, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• 3-6 years of experience in CPG product development after completion of a culinary or related degree/certificate program, or a combination of education and relevant culinary product development experience
• Demonstrated knowledge and adherence to stringent food safety standards
• A refined palate, with excellent understanding of different cooking methods and world cuisines
• Demonstrated collaborative skills and ability to work well within a cross-functional team, including aligning to core values within a mission-driven company culture

Other skills and attributes which will contribute to success in this role:

• Demonstrated high level of creativity and personal initiative
• Knowledgeable of the impact of basic functional ingredients and processes on product texture
• Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, and stakeholder management skills
• Self-motivated with meticulous attention to detail; exceptional organizational and project-management skills
• Ability to work in a fast paced, deadline-driven environment, while balancing changing priorities
• Solid analytical skills with the ability to develop creative solutions to solve problems
• Demonstrated ability to work independently on assigned work and projects with general supervision
• Proficiency in the use of computer systems and software (EX: MS 365-Teams, SharePoint, AX)

Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Benefits

• Vacation
• Sick Time
• Medical, Dental and Vision
• Company paid Life Insurance  
• Voluntary Disability 
• Employee Assistance Program 
• 401k match (100% match up to 4% available - 100% vested immediately)