Job Summary: 

Job Summary:

In this position, you will be responsible to join members of the sales team during customer meetings, highlighting and presenting the benefits of our products, creatively and innovatively use the products that are presented. Develop menu and costing sheets, pricing and margin potentials for those customer meetings.

Plan, work and manage National and Customer Food shows.  Create menu and prepare food for any in-house presentations and meeting.

Together with the R&D and Category Manager, create ideations around specific customer needs, and under the guidance of the R&D Manager create those ideations into bread prototypes. Assist the R&D Manager in all other projects and tasks as needed.

Work with the R&D Assistant to create product Nutritionals, Sales Sheets, Recipe’s and Product Labeling.

In addition, your responsibilities are to ensure that all products meet all food safety requirements as established by BRC and to manage the different challenges that may come up during the R&D process. You would need to be available to assist production when needed.

 Education/Experience:

Candidates must have four+ years of experience in Research and Development, and a Master Baker Degree or equivalent is preferred. Executive Chef experience (restaurant, café, bakery etc) is required. Bilingual English and Spanish speaking skills is preferable, but not required

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned as needed. 

• The coordination of complex and multi-disciplined product development projects with minimal supervision. This includes ensuring that objectives, budget, and timelines are met.
• Leads more than one complex project at a time with his/her team.
• Conducts bench trials to create prototypes for customer approval.
• The identification and/or innovative creation of new and unique concepts/ingredients/formulas/prototypes to achieve business goals.
• Uses the R&D process forms for all new product development that starts with the initial request from the Sales Director.
• Innovative and practical application/modification of existing technologies to achieve business goals.
• Works in a team environment ensuring alignment with cross functional partners including Sales, Quality Control, Operations and Marketing.
• Works with Finance to determine the product cost based on development formula.
• Gets approval for a product development from the Director of Sales and Operations Director.
• Provides technical leadership to assure smooth rollouts of new products or line extensions from the bench into commercial operations.
• Comprehensive product documentation to enable smooth commercialization and training of plant personnel on new products.
• Works with R&D Assistants for product data sheets, trials, specifications and sales forms.
• Stays up-to-date with the nutritional software Genesis and ensures your Team is receiving proper training.
• Stays updated on developments in the market, consumer behavior, product and research developments within own field.
• This position requires the ability to interact and communicate effectively with Customers, Senior Management, Plant Management and all sales and operations personnel.
• Effective leadership skills combined with a coaching and mentoring management approach is required.
• 2-3 years of artisan bread product development experience along with extensive culinary experience is required. Experience with laminated doughs is beneficial. Deep understanding of ingredient functionality and formulations required. Production experience with Mecatherm, Rheon and Koenig lines is desirable.
• Effective problem solving skills, ability to identify, interpret and analyze the correct data, and independently provide detailed directions to development projects.
• Capability to sustain a high level of competence and professionalism in a dynamic business environment.
• Easily adapts to changing priorities.
• Other duties may apply.