Senior Chef Culinary Innovation

The Senior Chef Culinary Innovation leads cooking, rapid prototyping, and promotion of culinary mastership for Nestlé Nutrition & Health, based out of the Nestlé Development Center in Bridgewater, NJ. The role supports front-end innovation across all Nutrition and Health centers. The position is fully onsite and based in our Bridgewater, NJ location. The role will require regular travel to our other locations in Fremont, MI and Konolfingen, Switzerland. Relocation assistance is available for qualified candidates who require relocation to the Bridgewater, NJ area.

Responsibilities

Lead culinary mastership within front-end innovation, transforming emerging ideas into new prototypes based on consumer needs and business opportunities; Apply culinary, food & confectionary science to develop prototypes that deliver functionality, nutrition and great taste in diverse formats (drinks, shakes, purees, gummies, puddings, tablets) to inspire R&D and brand teams; Partner closely with Sensory & Product Experience teams to ensure product superiority and drive best in class experiences during the pre-development phase; Track consumer trends in functional ingredients, flavors, flavor technologies, and food supplements and present insights to senior leaders, brand teams and employees during food inspiration showcases; Facilitate cross-functional ideation and prototyping workshops to develop new concepts for Innovation & Renovation pipelines and lead rapid prototyping to support stakeholder decisions; Work closely with cross-functional (PD, S&T) and external (flavor houses, ingredient suppliers) networks to enable effective prototype development; Inspire and support opportunities with the Nestlé Chef Network in creativity, problem-solving, and information sharing; Support Science & Technology and R&D Leads to prototype with early ingredients and ideas, including guidance on processing nutritional bio actives (plant extracts, vitamins, peptides) across formats; Support Nestlé Quality Management System initiatives and administrative budgeting (OPEX, CAPEX) related to the Creative Kitchen; Support executive events and strategic visits through prototyping and innovation showcase

Requirements

5+ years of professional experience as a culinary chef in high-end restaurants (e.g., Michelin Star, James Beard) or as an innovation chef working in R&D; Mastery across multiple culinary backgrounds (food, confectionary) and ability to learn new techniques such as tableting, soft chews, and melts; Proficient in use of functional ingredients, including hydrocolloids and starches, to support prototyping and product development; Mastery of professional culinary techniques, including logistics/planning, preparation, and presentation aligned with Global Michelin rating standards; Excellent communication skills with ability to clearly explain product culinary characteristics and marketplace trends to varied audiences; Strong organizational and planning skills with the ability to manage multiple projects independently; Strong passion for applying culinary knowledge to product development that drives business results; Curiosity, creativity, prototyping, and idea pitch skills; Strong collaboration, networking, and information gathering skills with ability to drive cross-functional relationships; Ability to coach, train, and mentor product developers and scientists in the culinary area

Nice to have

Culinary Art degree or certifications preferred; Strong science foundation a plus

Benefits

Relocation assistance for qualified candidates; Performance-based incentives; 401k with company match; Healthcare coverage; Broad range of other benefits; Benefits supporting physical, financial, and emotional wellbeing; Dynamic career paths; Robust development; Opportunities to learn from talented colleagues around the globe