Recipe & Development Specialist

Iowa State University•Ames, IA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Ready to take your culinary skills beyond the line and into something bigger? Iowa State University Dining is hiring a Recipe & Development Specialist to join our team. This is not your typical culinary role. In this position, you will step outside of day-to-day production and help shape how food is prepared across our residential dining locations. You will take ideas—from students, staff, and existing menus—and turn them into clear, scalable recipes that work in real kitchens during real service. Because this role supports multiple locations and meal periods, flexibility is important, including occasional schedule adjustments based on operational needs. We are looking for someone who thrives in a busy kitchen and enjoys taking their culinary knowledge to the details that make a recipe truly work. This role requires strong organization, ownership of work, and the ability to manage multiple moving parts while collaborating with teams across multiple locations. Strong communication is essential, along with the ability to clearly organize and share work so it can be consistently followed. Comfort working with digital tools to document and refine recipes is important, along with a willingness to test, adjust, and improve until the final product works as intended. This role offers a unique balance of independent work and hands-on collaboration. Some days will be spent testing and documenting, while others will involve being in the kitchen observing service and making adjustments in real time.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent
3 years of related experience
Ability to judge final food product for quantity (yield) and quality (color, taste, texture, etc.)
Knowledge of safe food preparation, storage, and handling procedures for raw and cooked foods
Knowledge of principles of food sanitation, health hazards, and proper safety measures
Ability to stand for long periods of time
Ability to lift up to 50 pounds
Ability to provide on-the-job training in food preparation to lower-level employees
Ability to maintain effective working relationships with others
Knowledge of weights, measures, and food measurement techniques
Ability to perform basic math (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and conversions) related to food preparation and recipe scaling
Knowledge of food preparation, food presentation, and cooking methods
Ability to read, analyze, and evaluate recipes and instructions
Knowledge of sources of food contaminants and interactions
Knowledge of sanitation safety practices and safe use of equipment
Ability to maintain food production records
Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship.
Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

Nice To Haves

Experience creating or modifying recipes for large-scale production.
Understanding of kitchen workflows across different service models (retail, catering, residential dining.)
Experience training or guiding others in food preparation processes.

Responsibilities

Test, develop, and refine recipes for large-scale production across multiple dining locations
Evaluate yield, cost, and execution to ensure recipes perform consistently in high-volume environments
Use digital tools and basic computer programs to track changes, organize recipe details, and maintain accurate documentation for team use
Standardize and document recipes, including clear instructions, prep needs, and equipment requirements
Partner with culinary teams across locations to gather feedback and improve processes
Support onboarding and training efforts, including contributing to culinary checklists and skill development
Help identify and improve outdated or inefficient recipes and kitchen processes
Coordinate test runs and adjust recipes based on operational needs, staffing, and service style
Occasionally flex your schedule to observe and support different shifts (including some PM work)
Supervises, instructs, trains, plans, and schedules the work of others in the preparation of large-scale meals and diets
Assists supervisor in planning menus as related to production of unit as required
Maintains maximum standards of sanitation and safety
Requisitions, receives, stores, freezes, labels, and maintains food supplies and related kitchen products
Reports deficiencies in quality or quantity of food supplies or kitchen products
Recommends equipment repairs or improvements
Tests new or revised recipes and recommends changes
Tests all prepared foods to maintain standards
Participates in preparing and serving menu items as required
Performs other related duties and responsibilities as assigned