Executive Research Chef

Position Description:Serves as a senior, customer-facing culinary leader responsible for driving product innovation, culinary strategy, and customer engagement for Miniat. This role blends culinary creativity with product development rigor, representing Miniat externally and strengthening business relationships. The role will leverage industry networks, trade associations, and customer culinary partnerships to strengthen relationships, facilitate sales opportunities, and support commercial growth. Internally, the role leads culinary development efforts from concept through commercialization.Primary Responsibilities:Culinary Innovation & Product DevelopmentDevelop new recipes, product concepts, and menu applications utilizing Miniat products, aligned with customer needs and manufacturing capabilities.Translate flavor, ingredient, and menu trends into differentiated, scalable culinary solutions.Develop prototypes and support their transition from benchtop to plant-scale production and commercialization.Develop forward-looking culinary concepts, including white papers, trend POVs, and innovation frameworks that translate market and consumer insights into actionable product and menu strategies.Partner with G&I, Operations, FSQ, and Supply Chain to ensure products meet quality, safety, and operational feasibility requirements.Customer & Relationship ManagementDemonstrates exceptional customer presence, credibility, and executive-level communication.Anticipates customer needs and proactively proposes culinary solutions aligned with their strategic direction.Manages complex customer interactions with professionalism, discretion, and responsiveness.Customer Engagement, Networking & Sales EnablementServe as a culinary ambassador for Miniat in customer, industry, and internal settings.Actively network with industry contacts and participate in trade associations and industry events, with attendance expected as part of representing Miniat and supporting commercial objectives.Collaborate with customers' culinary teams to co-develop applications, strengthen relationships, and identify incremental business opportunities.Stay current on culinary, menu, and consumer trends using internal tools and external data platforms; synthesize insights into clear, relevant takeaways and proactively communicate implications to Sales, G&I, and other internal stakeholders.Plan and execute customer culinary showings, tastings, and presentations.Educate customers and sales partners on culinary techniques, applications, and trends.Leadership & Organizational SupportLead culinary initiatives through influence and subject-matter expertise rather than direct authority.Maintain a clean, organized, and professional culinary center as a shared resource for customer-facing presentations, tastings, and internal collaboration.Support company-approved employee engagement events by collaborating with the Executive Operations & Engagement to plan menus and lead food and beverage executionSupport additional internal culinary initiatives as needed.Project & Workflow ManagementManage multiple concurrent projects, timelines, and priorities with minimal oversight.Ensure timely, well-documented handoff of concepts.Maintain organized records of formulations, applications, and customer concepts.Brand Stewardship & ProfessionalismUphold Miniat's brand standards, values, and professional reputation.Represent the organization with integrity at customer sites, trade events, and internal meetings.Demonstrate sound judgment, agility, and composure in fast-paced, high-visibility environments.Operational & Food Safety AwarenessMaintain working knowledge of GFSI, FSMA, allergen management, and food safety best practices.Ensure all culinary work aligns with internal quality and food safety standards.Partner with FSQ to proactively address risks during development and customer engagement.Management Responsibilities:This role does not initially include direct people management but may assume formal leadership responsibilities as the function evolvesRequirements:Culinary degree, certification, or equivalent professional experience7 - 10 years of experience in culinary product development or corporate culinary rolesProven customer-facing experience in manufacturing, multi-unit foodservice, or commercial environmentsStrong industry network and experience collaborating with customer culinary teamsWorking knowledge of food safety regulations and product scale-upProficiency in Microsoft Office; formulation or recipe documentation experience preferredTravel approximately 10-30% of timeSpend approximately 10% of time in the manufacturing plantAbility to stand for long periods of time in plant conditions/cold temperatures (40-50°F)Ability to lift 50 lbs.Preferred:RCA certification (CRC or CCS)Meat processing and/or food science education or experienceKnowledge of food processing technologiesKnowledge of USDA and FDA regulationsBilingual, English/Spanish preferredCore Values:We take pride in what we doIt's a privilege to serve each other, our customers and the communityWe embrace our legacy and build for the futureWe make decisions and commitWe are a team that plays to winCompetencies:Problem Solving/Analytical: Breaks down problems into smaller components, understands underlying issues, can simplify and process complex issues, and understands the difference between critical details and unimportant facts.Quality: Is attentive to detail and accuracy, is committed to excellence, looks for improvements continuously, monitors quality levels, finds root cause of quality problems, owns/acts on quality problemsInitiative: Tackles problems and takes independent action, seeks out new responsibilities, acts on opportunities, generates new ideas, practices self-developmentCommunication: Able to articulate complex matters and talk professionally with various levels of individuals, demonstrates good listening skills, builds strong relationships, is flexible/open-mindedAction Oriented: Understands the sense of urgency and takes appropriate actions to get things done