Principal Culinary Development Manager

HEB•San Antonio, TX

About The Position

H-E-B is known to lead the way with creative new concepts combining exceptional food and outstanding quality for distinctive and delicious meals. Our Culinary Center is home to the H-E-B Culinary Academy, the Product Design Kitchen and Product Evaluation Center, and the Bakery Design Kitchen. As a Principal Development Manager, you'll lead efforts to elevate and develop customer culinary engagement and provide inspiring educational content across multiple media platforms. You'll serve as culinary expert and H-E-B spokesperson via social and traditional media outlets and leverage brand affinity and product knowledge to build and retain a customer following while increasing awareness among new targeted audiences. Once you're eligible, you'll become an Owner in the company, so we're looking for commitment, hard work, and focus on quality and Customer service. 'Partner-owned' means our most important resources--People--drive the innovation, growth, and success that make H-E-B The Greatest Omnichannel Retailing Company. Do you have a: HEART FOR PEOPLE... willingness to help customers, communities, and Partners live better through superb culinary products? HEAD FOR BUSINESS... skills to lead, support in a complex matrix team environment? PASSION FOR RESULTS... drive to create the future, deliver results, and strengthen the organization?

Requirements

Minimum age 18 (mandatory)
Culinary degree
10+ years of experience in a culinary / food services environment (hotel, restaurant, school)
10+ years of experience as a professional chef
Certifications or equivalent: Research Chef, Executive Chef
Experience in successful, large-scale commercialization of product formulation and recipes for HCC
Experience successfully developing recipes and commercializing food products
Experience in ingredient sourcing
Experience in restaurant menu and recipe design
Experience in leadership development
Experience successfully working complex issues on cross-functional teams
Experience creating content for social media platforms
Track record of Customer participation results
Recognition as a keynote speaker
Expert culinary knowledge applicable to recipe development, flavor innovation, recipe decoding, and replication to scale for large recipe commercialization
Comprehensive knowledge of social media platforms and apps
Advanced working knowledge of restaurant menu and recipe design and Own Brand sourcing and manufacturing processes
Proficiency in MS Office
Advanced communications and public speaking skills
Advanced project management skills
Ability to work in a complex, matrix team environment as a leader or as a supporter
Ability to make critical decisions
Ability to manage multiple projects; attention to detail
Ability to learn / connect with customers via limited media outlets
Initiative; willingness to take risks
Function in a fast-paced, retail, office environment
Travel by car or plane with overnight stays
Stand, walk, bend, reach, kneel, squat, reach overhead and side-to-side throughout shift
Frequently work while exposed to fumes, or airborne particles and toxic / caustic chemicals
Regularly work in a cooler environment; occasionally work in an extreme cold environment
Safely maneuver around moving mechanical parts, high, precarious places, and extreme temperatures
Work extended hours

Nice To Haves

Experience in the CPG food industry (preferred)
Experience working with live and video media sets

Responsibilities

Serves / recognized as an internal and external culinary expert; applies culinary knowledge and expertise to create / improve customer experiences that deliver highest quality product for H-E-B customers and all Store formats
Serves / recognized as spokesperson and brand ambassador for H-E-B in major media markets; serves as standard bearer of media performance and professionalism
Delivers new culinary development ideas through industry, global food trend analysis
Designs products to better meet unique Texas taste preferences, not fully understood by our broader supplier base
Enhances our portfolio of distinctive, destination driving product formulations
Constantly strives to keep us ahead of ingredient and flavor trends
Achieves optimal flavor experiences with minimal impact to nutritional values
Delivers tangible results through product education in distinctive item sales
Cultivates relationships with key stakeholders representing a broad range of functions, levels, and organizations
Provides culinary support and advice to all H-E-B levels; influences H-E-B-wide peers, key stakeholders, and decision makers
Makes significant contributions across a broad array of categories; makes critical decisions to focus and allocate resources
Ensures integrity of Food Service and Own Brand strategies by aligning culinary / product development with strategic goals
Generates viewer acceptance and following; creates strong customer following (indicated by likes, hits, shares)
Serves as formal and informal thought leader and mentor