Away from Home Culinary R&D Scientist / Chef.

PepsiCo • Plano, TX

22h • Hybrid

About The Position

PepsiCo Culinary R&D focuses on creating distinctive culinary solutions that enhance our core brands and expand to new occasions. Our vision is to support PepsiCo's food products, making them iconic and integrating them into global food culture with consumers at the heart of each design. This role involves leading and supporting technical and creative culinary product development by translating consumer needs into innovative product designs. You will support the expanding Away from Home (AFH) business and Meals category for billion-dollar brands like Lay's, Doritos, and Cheetos. Collaboration with the Global Culinary Team is essential to build best-in-class culinary capabilities.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts or Food Science with applied culinary training required or equivalent working experience within the Culinary R&D discipline.
• Understanding of trends, ingredients, culinary techniques, and integration into product development.
• Strong knowledge of food and nutrition science.
• 3-5 years of experience preferred.
• Ability to incorporate business needs into culinary designs, manage multiple assignments, strong communication skills, and intellectual curiosity.
• This role is designed to inspire and lead culinary innovation, ensuring the successful development of new food products.

Nice To Haves

• Passion for Culinary Innovation: Demonstrate a genuine enthusiasm for creating new and exciting food products.
• Attention to Detail: Show meticulousness in recipe formulation, ingredient sourcing, and product testing.
• Collaborative Spirit: Exhibit strong teamwork skills and the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Adaptability: Be flexible and open to feedback, making necessary adjustments to recipes and processes.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Address and resolve issues related to taste, quality, cost, and preparation time in recipe development.
• Continuous Learning: Stay informed about emerging food trends, innovations, and consumer preferences through research and continuing education.
• Strong Communication: Effectively present new products and concepts to stakeholders, and train staff on new recipes and techniques.
• Creativity and Innovation: Bring fresh ideas and creative solutions to the table, pushing the boundaries of culinary possibilities.
• Technical Expertise: Possess a deep understanding of food science, ingredient functionality, and food safety regulations.
• Leadership: Lead projects with confidence, guiding the culinary product development process from concept to execution.

Responsibilities

• Provide support for Annual Operation Planning (AOP) and Strategic Development Direction (SDD) for PFNA AFH and Meals.
• Work with commercial partners and the R&D community to create executable culinary inspirations.
• Partner with Product Development, Sales, and Marketing to understand customer needs, back-of-house operations, ingredient sourcing, supply chain, and other constraints.
• Generate creative product prototypes to illustrate technical possibilities and align stakeholders.
• Utilize consumer research and testing insights to guide product development, partnering with Sensory & Consumer Experience teams.
• Apply food trends and culture to develop meaningful product attributes that meet consumer needs.
• Evaluate the preliminary technical feasibility of concepts with customers.
• Contribute to product design for commercialization, including flavor recommendations, competitive assessments, and product development consultation.
• Ensure concepts developed locally have global relevance.
• Build relationships with external culinary suppliers, seasoning houses, flavor experts, and universities.
• Identify and collaborate with ingredient vendors while protecting PepsiCo's intellectual property.
• Execute aspects of the food culture adoption program.
• Develop and share best-in-class culinary methodologies, tools, and practices globally.
• Drive innovation through creative culinary techniques and new product forms.
• Engage in culinary explorations, including cookbook libraries, cuisines, cooking methods, trends, menu analysis, and market immersions.

Benefits

• Bonus based on performance and eligibility target payout is 5% of annual salary paid out annually.
• Paid time off subject to eligibility, including paid parental leave, vacation, sick, and bereavement.
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Health, and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Insurance (Accident, Group Legal, Life), Defined Contribution Retirement Plan.

What This Job Offers

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