Expert
R&D - Food Product Development Director, Culinary Innovation
Overview
The Product Developer Director is responsible for building and refining Innovation pipelines and MVPs based on chef-created gold standards. This role sits at the intersection of culinary vision and technical feasibility—translating ideas into tangible product forms that work in real-world prep systems and scale through external partners. Working closely with Food Technologists and the Culinary team, the Product Developer Director brings agility, iteration, and a maker mindset to every phase of development—from concept to pilot.
Responsibilities
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MVP Prototyping: Lead the development of early product prototypes that translate gold standard culinary concepts into testable, scalable formats.
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Packaging Fit & Format Optimization: Collaborate with Food Experience and Design team to ensure MVPs work within packaging, assembly, and consumption contexts.
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Support Agile Sprints prototyping: Participate in sprint cycles to test variations, respond to insights, and iterate quickly the product design with cross-functional teams.
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Partner with Co-Man & Supply Chain: Assist in transferring MVPs into early-stage pilot trials and adjust based on manufacturing or ingredient constraints.
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Document & Communicate: Maintain clear records of product builds, test outcomes, prep protocols, initial cost, and improvements for traceability, product safety and quality and scale-up readiness.
Success in This Role Looks Like
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MVPs that are production-aware, consumer-friendly, and ready for pilot trials.
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Fast, high-quality iteration cycles with documented learnings.
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Culinary integrity retained through prep system design and real-world testing.
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Innovation pipeline, ownership and creation
Qualifications
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Degree in Food Science, Product Design, Culinary Innovation, or related fields - min 8-10 years in product development and innovation of culinary products including culinary prototyping
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Self-starter with strong hands-on attitude and team player
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Strong experience with consumer preparation systems, packaging integration, and cross-functional development.
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Understanding of basic quality aspects of culinary products.
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Comfortable in operating in ambiguous or high-speed environments.
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Familiarity with co-manufacturing and pilot production processes is a plus.
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Strong communications skills, network.
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