Application Chef

Kerry Group • Springdale, AR

34d

About The Position

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.
About the role
The Application Chef will serve as a culinary innovator and technical partner, bridging product development, customer collaboration, and supplier initiatives. This role requires a balance of culinary creativity, technical expertise, and customer engagement to deliver differentiated food solutions. The chef will work closely with Flavorists, R&D teams, account managers, and customers to inspire, develop, and optimize products that align with market trends and consumer insights.
50% – Product Development
Develop working knowledge of ingredients, formulas, and customer processing techniques.
Collect and relay key information for new project briefs.
Describe flavor profiles in detail using flavor continuums.
Relay feedback quickly between supplier and customer companies.
Collaborate with internal and external customers.
Participate in ideation sessions and food treks.
Facilitate marketing, consumer insights, and sensory alignment.
Provide culinary inspiration through gold standard benchmarking.
Lead and participate in benchtop development.
Coordinate with other embedded suppliers.
Maintain an organized and safe kitchen/lab environment.
30% – Customer Development
Operate with entrepreneurship and identify innovative customer support ideas.
Build customer relationships with culinary and cross-functional development teams.
Understand customer strategies, initiatives, platforms, brands, and products.
Provide technical sales support and customer education on supplier capabilities.
Coordinate with account managers to support sales initiatives.
Organize demonstrations showcasing innovative concepts.
Develop prototypes using supplier products in customer applications.
Lead and participate in customer experiences.
Support off-site customer visits.
10% – Professional Development
Continually enhance culinary, technical, and leadership skills.
10% – Supplier Development
Support internal initiatives through food treks, ideations, and technical projects.
Contribute to events and projects with other customers.

Requirements

• Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts required; Bachelor’s in Food Science, Culinary Arts, or equivalent preferred.
• 3–5 years’ experience as a Chef and/or Food Technologist.
• Positive, solutions-focused team builder with kitchen management experience preferred.
• Strong ability to work in cross-functional teams and build client relationships.
• Knowledge of cooking equipment, techniques, and materials.
• Ability to maintain an organized, clean, and safe lab environment while supporting environmental safety standards.
• Willingness to travel 25–50% (3–5 times per month for Tyson project work, plus monthly visits to Springdale and corporate headquarters).
• Commitment to continuous improvement, with performance reviews at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with flavors, seasonings, coatings, and their application in food systems is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Deliver innovative culinary solutions aligned with customer and market needs.
• Ensure projects are executed efficiently, on time, and with high-quality standards.
• Provide culinary leadership in sensory panels, ideation sessions, and benchmarking.
• Maintain compliance with safety and hygiene protocols in kitchen and lab environments.
• Act as a culinary ambassador, inspiring both internal teams and external customers.

Benefits

• Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees