Away from Home Culinary R&D Scientist / Chef.

PepsiCo Inc.; Plano (TX); On-site; USD 73,000 - 123,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Disability insurance

Defined Contribution Retirement Plan

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Job summary

PepsiCo is seeking a seasoned Culinary R&D professional to lead and support innovative product development for AFH and Meals, translating consumer needs into actionable concepts for billion-dollar brands like Lay's, Doritos, and Cheetos.

Collaborate with Global Culinary Team, supply chain, marketing, and sales to deliver market-ready prototypes, flavor strategies, and scalable formulations while ensuring global applicability.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts or Food Science with applied culinary training required or equivalent working experience within the Culinary R&D discipline.
• Skills: Understanding of trends, ingredients, culinary techniques, and integration into product development. Strong knowledge of food and nutrition science.
• Experience: 3-5 years of experience preferred.
• Attributes: Ability to incorporate business needs into culinary designs, manage multiple assignments, strong communication skills, and intellectual curiosity.
• Travel: 20-40%

Responsibilities

• Culinary Leadership: Provide support for Annual Operation Planning (AOP) and Strategic Development Direction (SDD) for PFNA AFH and Meals.
• Consumer-Centric Solutions: Work with commercial partners and the R&D community to create executable culinary inspirations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Product Development, Sales, and Marketing to understand customer needs, back-of-house operations, ingredient sourcing, supply chain, and other constraints.
• Prototype Development: Generate creative product prototypes to illustrate technical possibilities and align stakeholders.
• Consumer Insights: Utilize consumer research and testing insights to guide product development, partnering with Sensory & Consumer Experience teams.
• Trend Application: Apply food trends and culture to develop meaningful product attributes that meet consumer needs.
• Technical Assessment: Evaluate the preliminary technical feasibility of concepts with customers.
• Product Design: Contribute to product design for commercialization, including flavor recommendations, competitive assessments, and product development consultation.
• Global Applicability: Ensure concepts developed locally have global relevance.
• External Interfaces: Build relationships with external culinary suppliers, seasoning houses, flavor experts, and universities.
• Vendor Collaboration: Identify and collaborate with ingredient vendors while protecting PepsiCo's intellectual property.
• Food Culture Program: Execute aspects of the food culture adoption program.
• Culinary Capabilities: Develop and share best-in-class culinary methodologies, tools, and practices globally.
• Ingredient Transformation: Drive innovation through creative culinary techniques and new product forms.
• Culinary Exploration: Engage in culinary explorations, including cookbook libraries, cuisines, cooking methods, trends, menu analysis, and market immersions.

Skills

Culinary trends

Ingredient knowledge

Culinary techniques

Food science knowledge

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts or Food Science

Job description

Overview

PepsiCo Culinary R&D focuses on creating distinctive culinary solutions that enhance our core brands and expand to new occasions. Our vision is to support PepsiCo's food products, making them iconic and integrating them into global food culture with consumers at the heart of each design.

Responsibilities

This role involves leading and supporting technical and creative culinary product development by translating consumer needs into innovative product designs. You will support the expanding Away from Home (AFH) business and Meals category for billion-dollar brands like Lay's, Doritos, and Cheetos. Collaboration with the Global Culinary Team is essential to build best-in-class culinary capabilities.

• Culinary Leadership: Provide support for Annual Operation Planning (AOP) and Strategic Development Direction (SDD) for PFNA AFH and Meals.
• Consumer-Centric Solutions: Work with commercial partners and the R&D community to create executable culinary inspirations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Product Development, Sales, and Marketing to understand customer needs, back-of-house operations, ingredient sourcing, supply chain, and other constraints.
• Prototype Development: Generate creative product prototypes to illustrate technical possibilities and align stakeholders.
• Consumer Insights: Utilize consumer research and testing insights to guide product development, partnering with Sensory & Consumer Experience teams.
• Trend Application: Apply food trends and culture to develop meaningful product attributes that meet consumer needs.
• Technical Assessment: Evaluate the preliminary technical feasibility of concepts with customers.
• Product Design: Contribute to product design for commercialization, including flavor recommendations, competitive assessments, and product development consultation.
• Global Applicability: Ensure concepts developed locally have global relevance.
• External Interfaces: Build relationships with external culinary suppliers, seasoning houses, flavor experts, and universities.
• Vendor Collaboration: Identify and collaborate with ingredient vendors while protecting PepsiCo's intellectual property.
• Food Culture Program: Execute aspects of the food culture adoption program.
• Culinary Capabilities: Develop and share best-in-class culinary methodologies, tools, and practices globally.
• Ingredient Transformation: Drive innovation through creative culinary techniques and new product forms.
• Culinary Exploration: Engage in culinary explorations, including cookbook libraries, cuisines, cooking methods, trends, menu analysis, and market immersions.

Recommended Behaviours

• Passion for Culinary Innovation: Demonstrate a genuine enthusiasm for creating new and exciting food products.
• Attention to Detail: Show meticulousness in recipe formulation, ingredient sourcing, and product testing.
• Collaborative Spirit: Exhibit strong teamwork skills and the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Adaptability: Be flexible and open to feedback, making necessary adjustments to recipes and processes.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Address and resolve issues related to taste, quality, cost, and preparation time in recipe development.
• Continuous Learning: Stay informed about emerging food trends, innovations, and consumer preferences through research and continuing education.
• Strong Communication: Effectively present new products and concepts to stakeholders, and train staff on new recipes and techniques.
• Creativity and Innovation: Bring fresh ideas and creative solutions to the table, pushing the boundaries of culinary possibilities.
• Technical Expertise: Possess a deep understanding of food science, ingredient functionality, and food safety regulations.
• Leadership: Lead projects with confidence, guiding the culinary product development process from concept to execution.

Compensation and Benefits:

• The expected compensation range for this position is between $73,400 - $122,850.
• Location, confirmed job-related skills, experience, and education will be considered in setting actual starting salary. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process.
• Bonus based on performance and eligibility target payout is 5% of annual salary paid out annually.
• Paid time off subject to eligibility, including paid parental leave, vacation, sick, and bereavement.
• In addition to salary, PepsiCo offers a comprehensive benefits package to support our employees and their families, subject to elections and eligibility: Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Health, and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Insurance (Accident, Group Legal, Life), Defined Contribution Retirement Plan.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts or Food Science with applied culinary training required or equivalent working experience within the Culinary R&D discipline.
• Skills: Understanding of trends, ingredients, culinary techniques, and integration into product development. Strong knowledge of food and nutrition science.
• Experience: 3-5 years of experience preferred.
• Attributes: Ability to incorporate business needs into culinary designs, manage multiple assignments, strong communication skills, and intellectual curiosity.
• This role is designed to inspire and lead culinary innovation, ensuring the successful development of new food products.
• Travel: 20-40%

EEO Statement

Our Company will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and all other applicable laws, including but not limited to, San Francisco Police Code Sections 4901-4919, commonly referred to as the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance; and Chapter XVII, Article 9 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, commonly referred to as the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.

PepsiCo is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Female / Minority / Disability / Protected Veteran / Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity / Age

If you'd like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please download the available EEO is the Law documents. View PepsiCo EEO Policy.

Please view our Pay Transparency Statement