at The Kraft Heinz Foods Company in Glenview, Illinois, United States
Job Description
Job Description
We are looking for a seasoned expert to lead and elevate the culinary practice to a world-renowned, world-class level within the Away From Home (AFH) channel. This senior, executive level leader will lead our culinary team of 10+ in crafting culinary-inspired innovation, identifying new intellectual properties and service offerings, monitoring and reporting on the latest trends, and driving new business through close interaction with our versatile marketing, sales and customer marketing teams.
Essential Functions & Responsibilities
Provide vision and leadership for culinary practice, including mentoring and developing the culinary practice team members and creating a culinary culture within KHC, ensuring Kraft Heinz culinary efforts deliver on "food company" vision and designing for consumers
Actively and thoughtfully lead a team of dedicated culinarians, providing meaningful learning & development guidance and mentorship.
Work with the KHC Culinary, R&D teams and outside sources, oversee valuable thought leadership, culinary-inspired new product ideas, and prototyping on food and beverage projects as initiated through stage gate.
Increase sell-in success through active involvement in customer meetings and sales opportunities.
Guide and direct the activities of the Culinary Development Team. This includes collaborating and co-leading projects with Innovation and internal teams on a range of projects including culinary prototyping, menu design and development, and near- and long-term product development.
Present to and interact with internal teams, representing KHC Culinary's unique suite of services, ranging from early-stage ideation through commercialization, refinement and/or execution.
Lead product/concept testing process at KHC by using the culinary team's strengths in formulation, rapid distillation, and presentation during market and consumer research processes.
Participate in business development activities such as the creation of capabilities presentations for internal clients and scoping exercises designed to optimize KHC's contribution to the development of its customers' businesses.
Partner to KHCs industry outreach at shows, conventions, symposia, and in the media, exemplifying KHC's position as an industry leader in culinary landscape.
Provide experience-based guidance during the development and continued elevation of KHC's Culinary practice offerings.
Engage appropriately with customers to help establish and reinforce KHC's culinary authority while maintaining departmental profitability within KHC's overall practice.
Serve as a member of the AFH Leadership Team, demonstrated executive leadership presence.
Interact with executive leadership team in reporting culinary development activities, balancing strategic and tactical elements of the practice, and tracking departmental KPIs.
Responsible for building a high-impact and effective team, developing, and maintaining strong client relationships, creating product and innovation offerings, and driving superlative execution across the company.
Expected Experience & Required Skills
15+ years of experience, including a culinary leadership role at a CPG and/or foodservice organization, or a role at a CPG food development or innovation firm
Holds a professional culinary degree, and/or food science degree
Bachelor's degree preferred
Possesses national-level foodservice expertise and credibility
Displays an insatiable passion for food and CPG industries
Dynamic and persuasive presentation skills; demonstrated writing, public speaking, and PR experience
Inspiring and transformational leader who others want to follow
Can execute on their vision and organize work for self and others
Exhibits strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills that are supported by finely tuned written and verbal communications
Can operate equally independently and collaboratively to accomplish work plan
Leads with a client service orientation, driving engagements with a problem-solving mentality.
Understanding of culinary financials, budgets & company P&L's
Can serve as a culinary and cross-departmental skill player:
Proven ability to contribute to project deliverables (including briefs, concepts, marketing plans,... For full info follow application link.
It is the continuing policy of The Kraft Heinz Company to afford full equal employment opportunity to qualified employees and applicants, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental handicaps, military or veteran status, sexual preference, or any other protected condition or characteristic in conformity with all applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations.
Final candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without Company sponsorship. Exceptions requesting work visa sponsorship will be reviewed on a case to case basis.
