Culinary Innovation Lead, Away-From-Home (AFH)

The Kraft Heinz Company; Nijmegen; On-site; EUR 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Permanent contract

International exposure

Cross-market collaboration

Ownership of projects

Job summary

Kraft Heinz Company in Nijmegen seeks a Culinary Manager to lead AFH culinary strategy and translate proactive product ranges into restaurant menus. You will coach Innovation Chefs and work across global and regional teams to drive scalable, market-ready solutions.

The role requires 5+ years in food service and 10+ years in corporate R&D, with strong English and a passion for food innovation.

Qualifications

• You hold a culinary degree (hospitality school, apprenticeship or bachelor’s) and have 5+ years in food service.
• You also have 10+ years inside a corporate R&D environment, so you know how to turn a kitchen idea into a scalable, repeatable product.
• You’ve already managed and coached chefs and know how to grow people.
• You have deep AFH / foodservice instincts: operator economics, menu engineering, kitchen workflow.
• You’re a confident storyteller and influencer and can present to senior management.
• You thrive in a matrixed, multicultural organization; English must be strong; Agile/design-thinking is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Define and roll out the IZ culinary strategy for AFH across global and regional levels.
• Develop the next generation of recipes for proactive new product range and scale.
• Deliver customized solutions for strategic customers with co-creation sessions.
• Lead multiple complex AFH projects from insight to in-market execution.
• Anchor projects in consumer insights, sensory data and foodservice trends.
• Embed culinary ESG and nutrition mindset into the AFH portfolio.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Storytelling

Project management

Executive communication

Education

Culinary degree

Tools

Design thinking

Job description

Kraft Heinz Company in Nijmegen seeks a Culinary Manager to lead AFH culinary strategy and translate proactive product ranges into restaurant menus. You will coach Innovation Chefs and work across global and regional teams to drive scalable, market-ready solutions.

The role requires 5+ years in food service and 10+ years in corporate R&D, with strong English and a passion for food innovation.