Corporate Chef

Kraft Heinz • Glenview, IL

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

As a Corporate Chef , you will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the culinary strategy for both the market and key customers for Kraft Heinz’s Away From Home (AFH) business. Your contributions will directly support the annual operating plan by collaborating with the Sales and Marketing team to develop key accounts and channels through innovative culinary solutions. Through strategic engagement with food professionals, category managers, and head chefs at key accounts, you will create initiatives that drive business growth for Kraft Heinz. This role also includes leading culinary customer engagement and product testing specifically for Kraft Heinz Ingredients (KHI).

Requirements

• Culinary or Culinary Food Science degree preferred (i.e., a culinary or hospitality school certificate, apprenticeship, or bachelor’s degree in a related field) or equivalent corporate chef, Culinologist, sous chef, or higher experience.
• 5 to 7 years of extensive food service experience with a proven background in various food service channels such as hotels, FSR, QSR management, bar and grills, catering, B&I, or institutional dining.
• 2-3 years corporate culinary experience supporting or leading engagement with customers
• A continuous learner passionate about tackling challenges, anticipating consumer needs, and leveraging insights to drive product development.
• A strong interest in food trends, flavor profiles, and culinary innovation to inspire new product development and stay ahead of market demands.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with a proven ability to build and maintain effective business relationships.
• Capable of influencing and coaching cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Adept at working with live customer interactions, providing culinary demonstrations, and engaging in presentations with confidence and professionalism.
• Possess a deep understanding of commercial restaurant cooking equipment, cooking techniques, and principles.
• Extensive familiarity with food ingredients, including their origin, handling, cooking applications, flavor pairings, and sensory attributes.
• Basic knowledge of food manufacturing processes and how they impact product development.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), with the ability to create clear reports and presentations.

Responsibilities

• Create product formulas leveraging Kraft Heinz Away From Home and Kraft Heinz Ingredients (KHI) products, aligning with customer manufacturing and back-of-house capabilities.
• Translate global and local market food trends into relevant food concepts and recipes to optimize the Kraft Heinz product portfolio.
• Partner with cross-functional teams, including Sales, Marketing, and R&D, to prioritize new product offerings and improvements aligned with business objectives.
• Lead professional culinary sessions with regional and global customers to showcase new products, demonstrate product versatility, and address customer needs.
• Manage and grow culinary business relationships with key accounts in specific channels.
• Provide on-site consultations, engaging in menu concept development, tastings, and culinary training to meet customer objectives.
• Contribute innovative concepts supported by market data to R&D and Innovation chefs to align with the company’s NPD/Innovation strategy.
• Collaborate on developing unique selling propositions (USPs) for new product development (NPD) launches.
• Develop and deliver culinary training programs focused on product USPs for local sales, marketing teams, and customers.
• Act as a culinary mentor to junior chefs, providing guidance and professional development opportunities.
• Utilize standardized customer facing templates and other corporate resources
• Lead industry trade shows and activations
• Works on a variety of projects, including menu concept development, product development, customer work sessions, tasting, product cuttings & testing, culinary product training and other company and customer related projects as needed.
• Support the elevation of Kraft Heinz brands through engaging culinary experiences and storytelling.
• Conduct professional and engaging presentations with confidence, ensuring seamless execution though advance planning, organization, detailed communications, and appropriate time management.
• Drive culinary activation materials for local portfolios through PR events, trade shows, demos, and recipe development.
• Manage internal or external kitchens with professionalism and efficiency.
• Actively participate in the KHC Chefs Network, sharing insights, recipes, growth opportunities, and market trends.

Benefits

• Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs.
• Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.
• We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.
• You’ll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example: Physical - Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments Social - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training Emotional – Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs Financial – 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level