Senior Corporate Chef

Smithfield Foods•Smithfield, VA

12d

About The Position

The Senior Corporate Chef is a member of Smithfield’s customer marketing team, responsible for culinary development and presentations for corporate, retail, and foodservice customers. The role represents Smithfield brands at events and contributes to marketing materials, working closely with Marketing, Consumer Insights, Sales, R&D, agency personnel, and other internal culinary team members to support Smithfield Foods’ product marketing strategy. The position develops menus and product applications, translates consumer and market insights into customer offerings, and provides culinary and foodservice operations expertise. It also supports sales and customer relationships, leads culinary engagement and innovation sessions, and serves as a brand ambassador and culinary spokesperson across events and digital and social platforms. The role provides guidance to chefs and ensures compliance with food safety regulations and Smithfield Foods’ quality standards. Up to 50% travel may be required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Culinary Arts and at least 5 years of culinary experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Progressive culinary experience in foodservice, manufacturing, or CPG.
Experience supporting national accounts, foodservice operators, or retail customers at a corporate level.
Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and manage time effectively.
Ability to communicate concepts and rationale to internal and external customers, with well-developed presentation skills.
Good writing skills, particularly for menu descriptions and data-centric rationale.
Ability to work under pressure and meet established goals, objectives, and timelines.
Sense of urgency and ability to meet deadlines on a self-directed basis.
Ability to be respectful, approachable, and team-oriented while building strong working relationships and a positive work environment.
Ability to work well with others in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
Up to 50% travel may be required.

Nice To Haves

Personal brand or demonstrated experience creating engaging culinary content.

Responsibilities

Use culinary trends, industry marketing data, and creativity to develop on-trend products and menu options for corporate, customer, and retail partners.
Plan, prepare, and produce menu ideation and customer presentations or white papers.
Develop tailored product positioning and culinary application solutions that meet customer requirements.
Provide foodservice operations expertise, including equipment and back-of-house consulting, troubleshooting bottlenecks, and offering product and logistics solutions.
Translate consumer insights into customer limited-time offerings, seasonal promotions, and menu innovation recommendations.
Maintain detailed documentation of culinary development processes and product specifications.
Serve as a senior brand ambassador at corporate events and food shows.
Lead on-site food preparation teams at corporate, customer, and retail events.
Develop and cultivate relationships with chefs, R&D, procurement, and other positions within top national accounts.
Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and R&D to drive brand development through culinary insights and flavor innovation.
Provide culinary engagement and expertise to sales teams during product launches and serve as a dedicated customer resource.
Lead customer presentations, with support from Sales and Marketing.
Organize and lead retail innovation and foodservice menu innovation brainstorming sessions for customer presentations.
Monitor culinary, consumer, and restaurant trends, processes, and products to recommend new applications, methods, and ingredients.
Use consumer insights, syndicated research, and marketplace intelligence to inform innovation strategies.
Share culinary insights and competitive intelligence with internal stakeholders.
Design and implement effective ways of working, promoting new methods and processes within the enterprise and industry.
Analyze market data and consumer trends to identify growth opportunities for Smithfield customers and brands, including new ingredients, flavors, and cooking techniques.
Serve as a culinary spokesperson for the brand across digital and social platforms, communicating, educating, and inspiring audiences.
Model brand ambassador expectations for the culinary team and support internal and external media activations.
Ensure compliance with food safety regulations and Smithfield Foods’ quality standards.
Provide leadership and guidance to support chefs while carrying out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with organizational policies and applicable laws.
Perform other duties as assigned.