Culinary Development Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Kinder's is seeking an experienced and creatively driven Culinary Development Manager to join our team of passionate culinary professionals working hard to bring the future of flavor to consumers everywhere. This role is designed for a culinary leader who wants to grow inside an ambitious, fast-growing organization while representing Kinder's through exceptional food execution and operational excellence.

The Culinary Development Manager will be a critical leader in contributing to our culinary development engine. This is a high-impact role responsible for supporting innovation cycles and driving culinary gold-standard formulation through the creation, testing, and refinement of new products and flavor profiles. This role blends hands-on cooking, product testing, recipe development, field execution, and cross-functional partnership. You will partner regularly with other functions such as Innovation, R&D, Product Development, Commercialization, Brand, Sales, and Operations, to ensure quality and facilitate the scale-up of new flavors.

• Drive culinary development of new flavor profiles and products for assigned segments of the Kinder's portfolio (e.g., sauces, seasonings)
• Translate consumer insights, market trends, and retailer needs into differentiated, flavor-forward concepts
• Develop and iterate recipes from bench-top prototypes to culinary gold-standard formulations ready for scale-up and transition to R&D/Product Development
• Ensure all formulations meet Kinder's standards for flavor, quality, and manufacturability
• Support internal tastings, cuttings, and competitive benchmarking to inform product direction and refinement
• Partner with R&D/Product Development to support product evaluation, sensory documentation, and readiness for commercialization

• Serve as a culinary partner to Innovation, Product Development, and Commercialization to move products from concept to launch
• Collaborate with Culinary Operations, Sourcing, and R&D/PD to evaluate and qualify new ingredients

• Maintain detailed documentation of formulations, processes, and development learnings
• Ensure adherence to food safety and regulatory requirements throughout development
• Contribute to a highly organized, efficient culinary environment, including kitchen operations, sample management, and equipment readiness
• Champion Kinder's culinary standards, brand voice, and commitment to exceptional flavor across all work

• If needed, support customer-facing culinary initiatives (e.g., onsite innovation sessions, product demos, key buyer presentations)
• Prepare and execute high-quality samples for internal and external stakeholders
• Represent Kinder's culinary perspective in interactions with customers, including buyers and other partners

Education / Experience

• 5+ years of professional culinary experience (restaurant, catering, or CPG/product development environments preferred)
• Bachelor's degree in culinary arts, food science, or related field preferred (or equivalent hands-on experience)
• Strong understanding of flavor systems, ingredient functionality, and food processing fundamentals
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, high variability environment
• Experience developing recipes from concept through execution, with attention to consistency and scalability
• Familiarity with ingredient sourcing, efficient kitchen operations, and inventory management
• Strong understanding of food safety principals and regulatory basics
• ServSafe certification required (or ability to obtain within 60 days
• Strong communication skills with ability to collaborate effectively across functions

Personal Characteristics

• Growth mindset with an excitement to learn (and teach)
• Low ego with a strong sense of humility
• Energized by bringing brands to life through food and creating memorable flavor experiences
• Collaborative and solutions-oriented, with a creative approach to problem solving
• Comfortable leading when needed and supporting when it best serves the team
• Passionate about delivering food experiences that feel authentic, thoughtful, and human

The position will be based at our headquarters in Walnut Creek, CA. The position could also require periodic travel to other locations for consumer events and customer meetings, often with advanced notice, but occasionally on short notice when required by business needs. All costs of travel will be reimbursed by the Company consistent with its established travel policies.

The expected starting salary range for this role is $135,000- $155,000 per year. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range based on the location of the role. The amount a particular employee will earn within the salary range will be based on factors such as relevant education, qualifications, performance and business needs.