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Food Innovation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Ventura Foods

Culinary Services Manager

Irvine, CA · Hybrid

The Manager, Culinary Services, will champion our Food Innovation Services, technical expertise, and commercial growth for Ventura Foods and its customers. Reporting directly to the VP, this position ...

Ventura Foods

Customer Success Manager

Irvine, CA · Remote

Delivers food innovation, consumer and menu trends content aligned with an annual calendar, provides value-added and impactful insights to a broad customer base. Can synthesize insights from multiple ...

Sodexo

Director, Product Development (Food)

Cleveland, OH · On-site

$115K - $140K/yr

Drive culinary innovation by leading new recipe and product development across multiple food brands. * Collaborate directly with clients to tailor offerings that align with their brand, goals, and ...

EFCO Products

R&D Food Technician

Poughkeepsie, NY · On-site

$50K/yr

If you're passionate about food innovation and enjoy a role that combines product development, laboratory work, and customer sample coordination, we'd love to hear from you. You should be proficient ...

Yum

Sr Scientist - Innovation Chef

Plano, TX · On-site

$99K - $105K/yr

Experience in New Product Development/Food Innovation in the restaurant industry is required. * QSR experience is preferred but not required Skills: * Excellent oral and written communication skills ...

Palermo Villa, Inc.

Pizza Food Scientist

Milwaukee, WI · On-site

PIZZA FOOD SCIENTIST Are you passionate about food innovation, bakery science, and bringing new pizza products to life? Join Palermo's and help shape the future of frozen pizza through hands-on ...

Midwest Foods

Culinary Operations Specialist

Kenosha, WI · On-site

$22 - $24/hr

Edible Cuts Inc. is at the forefront of food innovation, delivering premium, scalable culinary solutions for retail and foodservice markets. We specialize in creating exceptional, high-quality food ...

Palermo's Pizza

Pizza Food Scientist

Milwaukee, WI · On-site

PIZZA FOOD SCIENTIST Are you passionate about food innovation, bakery science, and bringing new pizza products to life? Join Palermo's and help shape the future of frozen pizza through hands-on ...

Ventura Foods

Director Culinary Services

Fort Worth, TX · Hybrid

The Director, Culinary Services, is a senior leadership role that will champion our Food Innovation Services, technical expertise, and commercial growth for Ventura Foods and its customers. Reporting ...

EFCO Products

R&D Food Technician

Poughkeepsie, NY · On-site

$24.04/hr

If you're passionate about food innovation and enjoy a role that combines product development, laboratory work, and customer sample coordination, we'd love to hear from you. You should be proficient ...

Ventura Foods

Culinary Services Manager

Irvine, CA

The Manager, Culinary Services, will champion our Food Innovation Services, technical expertise, and commercial growth for Ventura Foods and its customers. Reporting directly to the VP, this position ...

Ventura Foods

Culinary Services Manager

Irvine, CA · On-site

The Manager, Culinary Services, will champion our Food Innovation Services, technical expertise, and commercial growth for Ventura Foods and its customers. Reporting directly to the VP, this position ...

Ventura Foods

Culinary Services Manager

Irvine, CA

The Manager, Culinary Services, will champion our Food Innovation Services, technical expertise, and commercial growth for Ventura Foods and its customers. Reporting directly to the VP, this position ...

Ventura Foods

Director Culinary Services

Fort Worth, TX · On-site

The Director, Culinary Services, is a senior leadership role that will champion our Food Innovation Services, technical expertise, and commercial growth for Ventura Foods and its customers. Reporting ...

Ventura Foods

Director Culinary Services

Fort Worth, TX · Hybrid

The Director, Culinary Services, is a senior leadership role that will champion our Food Innovation Services, technical expertise, and commercial growth for Ventura Foods and its customers. Reporting ...

Ventura Foods

Customer Success Manager

Irvine, CA · Remote

Delivers food innovation, consumer and menu trends content aligned with an annual calendar, provides value-added and impactful insights to a broad customer base. Can synthesize insights from multiple ...

Ventura Foods

Director Culinary Services

Fort Worth, TX · Hybrid

The Director, Culinary Services, is a senior leadership role that will champion our Food Innovation Services, technical expertise, and commercial growth for Ventura Foods and its customers. Reporting ...

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Food Innovation information

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How much do food innovation jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 6, 2026, the average hourly pay for food innovation in the United States is $16.22, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $14.42 and $17.55 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is food innovation?

Food innovation refers to the development and implementation of new ideas, products, technologies, or processes within the food industry. This can include creating healthier food products, developing sustainable packaging, improving food safety, or introducing novel ingredients and production methods. Food innovation aims to meet changing consumer demands, address environmental concerns, and enhance the overall quality and variety of food available in the market. Professionals in this field often work in research and development, product design, and collaboration with culinary experts and scientists.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in food innovation, and why are they important?

To thrive in Food Innovation, you need expertise in food science, culinary arts, and product development, often supported by a degree in food technology or a related field. Familiarity with food safety regulations, sensory analysis tools, and R&D software is typically required. Creative problem-solving, collaboration, and adaptability are crucial soft skills for generating and implementing novel food concepts. These skills enable professionals to develop innovative, safe, and marketable food products that meet consumer demands and regulatory standards.

What are some common challenges faced by professionals in food innovation roles, and how can they be addressed?

Professionals in Food Innovation often encounter challenges such as balancing creativity with strict food safety regulations, keeping up with rapidly changing consumer preferences, and ensuring scalability of new products. Collaborating closely with R&D, marketing, and supply chain teams helps address these hurdles by integrating diverse expertise and viewpoints early in the development process. Staying informed about industry trends, engaging in continuous learning, and being open to feedback are also crucial for overcoming obstacles and driving successful food innovations.

What is the difference between Food Innovation vs Food Product Development?

AspectFood InnovationFood Product Development
CredentialsTypically requires degrees in food science, innovation, or related fieldsRequires similar degrees, often with additional focus on product formulation
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, innovation centers, R&D departmentsManufacturing facilities, R&D labs, production lines
Industry UsageFocuses on creating new food concepts, trends, and technologiesFocuses on developing, testing, and launching new food products

Food Innovation involves generating new ideas and technologies to advance the food industry, while Food Product Development focuses on turning those ideas into market-ready products. Both roles often overlap but differ mainly in scope: innovation emphasizes creativity and research, whereas product development emphasizes execution and production.

How to get into food innovation?

To pursue a career in food innovation, gaining a background in food science, culinary arts, or related fields through a degree or certification is helpful. Developing skills in product development, research, and understanding consumer trends, along with experience in food laboratories or innovation labs, can improve job prospects.
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What are the most commonly searched types of Food Innovation jobs?

The most popular types of Food Innovation jobs are:

What states have the most Food Innovation jobs?

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What job categories do people searching Food Innovation jobs look for?

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Food Innovation jobs near you
Infographic showing various Food Innovation job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 70% Full Time, and 30% Part Time. Highlights an 99% Physical, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $33,746 per year, or $16.2 per hour.

Culinary Services Manager

Ventura Foods

Irvine, CA • Hybrid

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 17 days ago

Ventura Foods rating

6.9

Company rating: 6.9 out of 10

Based on 33 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

241st of 444 rated food and drinks producers

Job description

Employment Type: Salaried
Work Arrangement: Hybrid- Sandy Springs, GA.  

Position Summary:

The Manager, Culinary Services,  will champion our Food Innovation Services, technical expertise, and commercial growth for Ventura Foods and its customers. Reporting directly to the VP, this position serves as a lead culinary interface between Customers, Sales, Product Development, Insights, and Marketing. The Manager will play a lead role in executing the company’s innovation services, strengthening customer relationships, and ensure alignment between product development and business objectives. This role will develop concepts and products to accelerate speed-to-market, menu innovation and drive revenue growth for our customers. This role will act as the culinary lead for the Sandy Spring, GA Innovation Center. 

Major Duties and Responsibilities:
  • Provides menu and product innovation services to key customers in multiple business channels. Develops menu concepts and products. Collaborates and/or leads cross-functional teams to present these solutions to customers. Plays a key role in the execution of our Vista Food Innovation Service. 
  • Employs and/or develops digital tools such as videos for menu concepts, product category training, social media, YouTube, and direct to customer engagements. Expands our culinary reach through these tools. 
  • Is the culinary site leader for this location. Owns and manages the kitchen event calendar and culinary execution those events. Ensures the kitchen is cleaned, maintained, and organized. Develops and maintains relationships with third-party culinary facilities. This includes our area broker kitchen for project work involving food preparation. Includes contracted facilities for executing presentations to customers. 
  • Provides and/or leads culinary support for company and industry events where culinary and food service is required. Includes developing concepts, products, menus, execution plans, and communcation. 
  • Documents all customer project acitivty in the Salesforce CRM system to capture the value and time investment provided to customers.  
Education and Experience:

Required:              

  • Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science, or related field is preferred. AA/AOC Culinary degree, professional certificate, or recognized apprenticeship program, equivalent culinary and product development will be considered.
  • 7+ years of progressive culinary experience in restaurant operations, food manufacturer, or culinary sales.
  • 3+ years experience in a food manufacturer role is preferred.
  • Experience includes hands-on kitchen operations, menu innovation, product development, direct customer engagement, team leadership, commercialization, and turning strategy into business growth.
  • Experience in collaborating and/or leading cross-functional teams to create customer solutions.
  • Proven success in building customer relationships and translating culinary trends into customer menu solutions. 
    •    Ability to travel up to 40% for customer meetings and industry events.

Highly Preferred:        

  • Possesses or meets requirement to acheive CEC and/or CRC certifications are preferred.
  • Food Protection Manager certification is preferred. 
  • Demonstrated working knowledge and use of digital/video capability.
  • Strong business acumen with ability to connect culinary innovation to commercial growth
  • Strong presentation, communication, and negotiation skills
  • Deep knowledge of food safety, product development, regulatory, product commercialization, trends, and marketing strategies. 
  • Proven profiency in food preparation and execution at a high-level.
Knowledge and Skills:
  • Passionate about food and delivering customer value through food innovation.
    •    Strategic thinker with customer-centric approach to culinary innovation.
    •    Ability to work independently with broad direction. 
    •    Skilled in project management and cross-functional collaboration.
    •    Relationship-driven culinarian with strong commercial instincts.
    •    Kitchen operations expert – fine dining, high-volume food service, casual, fast-casual, QSR, and retail food service. 

Why Join Us:
Ventura Foods innovates and manufactures food solutions for foodservice and retail businesses.  We make exclusive products for the world's most iconic restaurants and retailers, we provide ready-to-go product solutions for professional kitchens, and we make consumer brands everyone knows and loves.  When you work for Ventura Foods, you get a strong foundation of training, a manager who cares about you and celebrates your success, a safe environment, and challenging work.  As part of our team, your future is limited only by how much you’re willing to push yourself to get there. We invest in your growth because you invest in ours.  

Ventura Foods offers career growth opportunities as well as competitive compensation and benefits:​

  • Medical, Prescription, Dental, & Vision – coverage beginning on your 1st day for eligible employees​
  • Profit Sharing and 401(k) matching (after eligible criteria is met)​
  • Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays​
  • Employee Appreciation Events​ and Employee Assistance Programs
  • Salary Base Range of $114,801.00 - $150,678.15*

*The “base salary range” provided above is a good faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position in the specified markets.  Ventura Foods reserves the right to pay outside of the given range based on a variety of factors including but not limited to: candidate skills and experience, complexity of the job, budgetary factors, and location/geography.  Ventura Foods conducts regular reviews of compensation ranges and therefore reserves the right to alter this range at any given time.  

Diversity & Inclusion:
Our commitment to a diverse and inclusive environment in which all employees are treated with respect is evident in our company culture and values.  We believe that fostering an environment of inclusion and a focus on diversity across our organization is vital to attracting top talent, driving innovation, and meeting the high expectations of our customers in a rapidly evolving global marketplace.

Ventura Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Ventura Foods may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) assisted tools at certain stages of our hiring process, including identifying & sourcing candidates, reviewing applications and matched candidates on job boards and websites, and generating screening questions to help us work more efficiently and consistently. We regularly review our tools to promote fairness and reduce the risk of bias. However, while these tools support our process, every hiring decision is made by a real person on our team.  Applicants in the State of New York may request an alternative process by contacting us at VFaccessibility@rescocompany.com.

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