Product Developer Manager, Culinary Innovation

Descripción del puesto:

Overview

The Product Developer plays a key role in transforming chef-created gold standards into functional, testable product prototypes and recipes. This role is highly hands-on-supporting the development, iteration, and validation of MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) that bridge culinary intent with real-world technical feasibility.
Working within the Product Development and process development team, this role contributes to prototype builds, preparation system testing, documentation, and early-stage scale-up activities. The Product Developer ensures speed, accuracy, and craftsmanship in every development cycle.
Responsibilities

Prototype and MVP Development:
*  Execute hands-on development of early culinary product prototypes based on direction from Chefs and senior product developers.
*  Support product evaluations, reformulations, and recipe adjustments to align with gold-standard targets.
*  Test products across preparation systems (oven, microwave, sous-vide, etc.) to ensure consistency, usability, and quality.
*  Document preparation parameters and product performance to support product iteration and scale-up.
*  Provide input on product handling, quality challenges and pack-out implications.
Agile Sprint Development
*  Organize samples, build variants, and prepare materials for sprint reviews and tastings.
*  Participate in sprints development, supporting rapid prototyping, controlled testing, and iteration cycles.
Collaboration & Scale-Up Support
*  Work closely with the Product Development, Process development and Supply Chain teams to prepare products for pilot trials.
*  Support troubleshooting during early-stage co-manufacturing or test production runs.
Documentation & Record Keeping
*  Maintain accurate logs of formulas, build notes, test results, ingredients challenges and learnings, etc.
*  Ensure traceability and development hygiene for all product iterations.

Success in This Role Looks Like
*  High-quality, well-documented prototypes delivered on time.
*  Strong collaboration and communication with culinary, technical, and operational partners.
*  Rapid iteration with clear learnings feeding into the next development cycle.
*  Prototypes that are practical, consistent, and ready for handoff to senior developers or scale-up leads.
Qualifications

*  Degree in Food Science, Culinary Innovation, Food Technology, Product Design, or related field preferred.
*  At least 5 years of hands-on product development experience in food, culinary innovation, or R&D kitchens.
*  Experience working with preparation systems (oven, microwave, sous-vide) and basic understanding of product behavior during the final application.
*  Strong practical culinary ability to prototype quickly and accurately.
*  Comfortable in fast-paced, ambiguous R&D environments.
*  Familiarity with pilot production or co-man processes is a plus.
*  Excellent organization, documentation, collaboration and communication skills.

Prototype and MVP Development:
*  Execute hands-on development of early culinary product prototypes based on direction from Chefs and senior product developers.
*  Support product evaluations, reformulations, and recipe adjustments to align with gold-standard targets.
*  Test products across preparation systems (oven, microwave, sous-vide, etc.) to ensure consistency, usability, and quality.
*  Document preparation parameters and product performance to support product iteration and scale-up.
*  Provide input on product handling, quality challenges and pack-out implications.
Agile Sprint Development
*  Organize samples, build variants, and prepare materials for sprint reviews and tastings.
*  Participate in sprints development, supporting rapid prototyping, controlled testing, and iteration cycles.
Collaboration & Scale-Up Support
*  Work closely with the Product Development, Process development and Supply Chain teams to prepare products for pilot trials.
*  Support troubleshooting during early-stage co-manufacturing or test production runs.
Documentation & Record Keeping
*  Maintain accurate logs of formulas, build notes, test results, ingredients challenges and learnings, etc.
*  Ensure traceability and development hygiene for all product iterations.

Success in This Role Looks Like
*  High-quality, well-documented prototypes delivered on time.
*  Strong collaboration and communication with culinary, technical, and operational partners.
*  Rapid iteration with clear learnings feeding into the next development cycle.
*  Prototypes that are practical, consistent, and ready for handoff to senior developers or scale-up leads

Requerimientos del candidato/a:

*  Degree in Food Science, Culinary Innovation, Food Technology, Product Design, or related field preferred.
*  At least 5 years of hands-on product development experience in food, culinary innovation, or R&D kitchens.
*  Experience working with preparation systems (oven, microwave, sous-vide) and basic understanding of product behavior during the final application.
*  Strong practical culinary ability to prototype quickly and accurately.
*  Comfortable in fast-paced, ambiguous R&D environments.
*  Familiarity with pilot production or co-man processes is a plus.
*  Excellent organization, documentation, collaboration and communication skills