Department: Culinary
Reports To: Director of Culinary

Position Summary

The Senior Marketing Research Chef leads culinary innovation and test kitchen operations at Highland Baking. This role is responsible for developing customer-focused food and bakery concepts, mentoring culinary team members, managing kitchen operations, and translating market trends into innovative solutions that support business growth and customer success.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead culinary innovation, recipe development, and product prototyping initiatives.
• Manage daily test kitchen operations, including inventory, food safety, equipment, and kitchen organization.
• Mentor and develop culinary team members.
• Research emerging food, menu, bakery, and consumer trends to identify innovation opportunities.
• Develop trend reports, customer presentations, and culinary content.
• Lead customer ideation sessions, product demonstrations, and innovation workshops.
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Creative, and Operations teams to develop customer solutions.
• Oversee food styling and culinary presentation standards for photography, video, and customer materials.
• Maintain detailed recipe documentation and commercialization support materials.
• Represent Highland Baking at customer meetings, trade shows, and industry events.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science, Culinary Nutrition, Business, or related field.
• 5–10 years of experience in Culinary R&D, Food Manufacturing, Product Development, or Restaurant Innovation.
• Proven leadership and team development experience.
• Strong communication, presentation, project management, and culinary skills.
• Exceptional writing and trend analysis capabilities.

Preferred

• Experience leading culinary innovation programs or test kitchen operations.
• Food styling, photography, or visual content development experience.
• Knowledge of commercialization processes and SharePoint.

Core Competencies

• Culinary Innovation
• Team Leadership
• Customer Engagement
• Trend Analysis
• Product Development
• Food Styling & Presentation
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Commercialization Support
• Food Safety & Operational Excellence

Pay: $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person