Culinary Development Manager

Kinder's•Walnut Creek, CA

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

Kinder’s is seeking an experienced and creatively driven Culinary Development Manager to join our team of passionate culinary professionals working hard to bring the future of flavor to consumers everywhere. This role is designed for a culinary leader who wants to grow inside an ambitious, fast-growing organization while representing Kinder’s through exceptional food execution and operational excellence. The Culinary Development Manager will be a critical leader in contributing to our culinary development engine. This is a high-impact role responsible for supporting innovation cycles and driving culinary gold-standard formulation through the creation, testing, and refinement of new products and flavor profiles. This role blends hands-on cooking, product testing, recipe development, field execution, and cross-functional partnership. You will partner regularly with other functions such as Innovation, R&D, Product Development, Commercialization, Brand, Sales, and Operations, to ensure quality and facilitate the scale-up of new flavors.

Requirements

5+ years of professional culinary experience (restaurant, catering, or CPG/product development environments preferred)
Bachelor’s degree in culinary arts, food science, or related field preferred (or equivalent hands-on experience)
Strong understanding of flavor systems, ingredient functionality, and food processing fundamentals
Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, high variability environment
Experience developing recipes from concept through execution, with attention to consistency and scalability
Familiarity with ingredient sourcing, efficient kitchen operations, and inventory management
Strong understanding of food safety principals and regulatory basics
ServSafe certification required (or ability to obtain within 60 days)
Strong communication skills with ability to collaborate effectively across functions
Growth mindset with an excitement to learn (and teach)
Low ego with a strong sense of humility
Energized by bringing brands to life through food and creating memorable flavor experiences
Collaborative and solutions-oriented, with a creative approach to problem solving
Comfortable leading when needed and supporting when it best serves the team
Passionate about delivering food experiences that feel authentic, thoughtful, and human

Responsibilities

Drive culinary development of new flavor profiles and products for assigned segments of the Kinder’s portfolio (e.g., sauces, seasonings)
Translate consumer insights, market trends, and retailer needs into differentiated, flavor-forward concepts
Develop and iterate recipes from bench-top prototypes to culinary gold-standard formulations ready for scale-up and transition to R&D/Product Development
Ensure all formulations meet Kinder’s standards for flavor, quality, and manufacturability
Support internal tastings, cuttings, and competitive benchmarking to inform product direction and refinement
Partner with R&D/Product Development to support product evaluation, sensory documentation, and readiness for commercialization
Serve as a culinary partner to Innovation, Product Development, and Commercialization to move products from concept to launch
Collaborate with Culinary Operations, Sourcing, and R&D/PD to evaluate and qualify new ingredients
Maintain detailed documentation of formulations, processes, and development learnings
Ensure adherence to food safety and regulatory requirements throughout development
Contribute to a highly organized, efficient culinary environment, including kitchen operations, sample management, and equipment readiness
Champion Kinder's culinary standards, brand voice, and commitment to exceptional flavor across all work
If needed, support customer-facing culinary initiatives (e.g., onsite innovation sessions, product demos, key buyer presentations)
Prepare and execute high-quality samples for internal and external stakeholders
Represent Kinder’s culinary perspective in interactions with customers, including buyers and other partners