Culinary Commercialization Manager, Robotics

Socket.dev; United States; On-site; USD 128,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

401(k)

Medical plans

Dental plans

Vision plans

Disability coverage

Paid time off

Parental leave

Discounted meals

Job summary

Wonder is seeking a Culinary Commercialization Manager, Robotics to drive menu adaptation on automated platforms and oversee ingredient sourcing. You will lead testing, collaborate with engineering, and support B2B clients with translating menus to robotic systems.

You’ll develop SOPs, ensure food safety, and work closely with cross-functional teams to scale recipes and launch new products in a high-volume environment in Boston, MA.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in restaurant/kitchen management.
• Experience setting up new vendors and vendor platforms.
• Experience with menu mix analysis and forecasting usage.
• Knowledge of fast casual and quick service operations.
• Culinary R&D: scaling recipes, bench testing, new product launches.
• Strong understanding of high-volume kitchen systems and food safety.
• Excellent verbal and written communication; able to lead cross-functional teams.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel for data tracking and inventory modeling.

Responsibilities

• Lead ingredient sourcing and procurement for menu adaptation on automated platforms.
• Co-manage testing and validation of ingredients on robotic systems with engineering.
• Serve as culinary SME for external enterprise clients and translate menus onto robotic hardware.
• Develop SOPs, prep guides, and HACCP/FSMA protocols for end-users.
• Support pilots, launches, and store openings with on-site presence.
• Collaborate with CE team on R&D and recipe testing for automation.
• Provide test kitchen management support and demo/training assistance.

Skills

Restaurant management

Vendor management

Menu analysis

Culinary R&D

Food safety

Cross-functional teamwork

Excel modeling

Technical troubleshooting

Tools

Excel

Job description

About Wonder

Everything’s on the menu at Wonder. Except compromise.

Wonder is the mealtime platform built to feed every craving in one order. With Wonder, you can mix and match hundreds of dishes from 20+ exclusive restaurants in a single order, so everyone gets exactly what they’s craving. Enjoy everything from tacos to Thai with $0 delivery fees, plus dine-in or pick up at a Wonder location near you. Each dish is made to order on-site by our culinary team and served hot.

Behind the scenes, Wonder owns and operates every step of the dining experience, from recipe development to the technology that powers our experience, allowing us to deliver quality, variety, and consistency at scale.

Join us as we work to make great food more accessible.

About The Opportunity

We’re looking for a Culinary Commercialization Manager, Robotics to drive menu and recipe adaptation on our automated platforms, lead ingredient sourcing, and manage hands‑on culinary testing. Reporting to the Sr. Director of Culinary Platform Strategy, you will play a vital role in bringing Wonder’s culinary vision to life on our robotic systems and providing expert culinary support to our enterprise B2B customers.

The Impact You Will Make:

• Ingredient Sourcing & Supply Chain: Lead vendor relations and procurement logistics to identify, source and procure ingredients. Create order guides, evaluate and track costs and develop ingredient spec documentation.

• Ingredient and recipe analysis: Lead internal tastings of raw ingredients, co-manufactured products and production recipes as part of the r&d and procurement process. Focused on quality standards and scalability.
  Hardware & B2B System Validation: Partner with the engineering team to test and validate new ingredients on our automated systems with particular focus on our B2B customers.

• B2B Customer Integration: Serve as the primary culinary subject matter expert for external enterprise clients, helping them translate their custom menus onto our robotic hardware platform.

• Operational Readiness & Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Build comprehensive operational manuals, prep guides, and food safety protocols (HACCP/FSMA) for end‑users operating the robotic systems.

• Support Pilot Launches: provide on the ground support to our B2B clients during testing, training and launches: new store openings, menu changes and line extensions.

• Cross-Functional R&D: Collaborate with the Wonder CE team and the Sr. Director of Culinary Platform Strategy to test and adapt ingredients and recipes on the robotic systems. Providing feedback, proposed modifications and ensuring quality standards are achieved.

• Prototype IKC Support: Provide support, as needed for demos, training and testing on our automated systems; including the day to day management of our test kitchen - Partnering with Culinary Operations Manager and Engineering team.

What You Bring to the Table

• 7+ years of restaurant and/or kitchen management experience.

• Experience setting up new vendors, leading ingredient cuttings, managing order guides and vendor ordering platforms.

• Experience with menu mix analysis, setting pars and forecasting usage.

• Practical knowledge of Fast Casual and Quick Service Restaurant operations, with an eye toward speed and high-volume consistency.

• Experience with the culinary R&D process, scaling recipes, bench testing, leading menu roll outs and new product launches.

• Strong understanding of high-volume kitchen systems, line flows, and food safety.

• Solid culinary skills and familiarity with a wide variety of standard kitchen equipment.

• Comfortable working alongside engineers; ability to quickly master and troubleshoot tech/software interfaces.

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; confident leading cross‑functional huddles and writing technical SOPs.

• Advanced proficiency in Excel (data tracking, inventory modeling, matrix building).

The Ideal Candidate Profile

You are a rare hybrid: part R&D Chef, part sourcing lead and a technical systems thinker. You love the fast pace of food service and are fascinated by automation.

This role requires a minimum of 4 days a week in the office, with additional days as needed based on project demands.

This role is based in our Boston office in Charlestown, MA

Massachusetts: $128,000-$135,000 per year.

Wonder uses geographic‑specific salary structures, which means the salary offered may vary depending on where the job is located. The final salary offer will take into account various factors, such as the candidate's skills, education, training, credentials, and experience.

Benefits

The benefits applicable to this role include a competitive compensation package with equity and a 401(k). We also offer a choice of medical, dental, and vision plans, company paid short and long term disability coverage, paid time off including flexible time off for exempt employees, paid vacation for non‑exempt employees, and paid sick leave in compliance with applicable law in addition to paid parental leave, discounted meals and exclusive perks across the Wonder family of brands.

Eligibility, effective dates, and available plan options vary by employment classification and location. To learn more about benefits for this role, visit our Careers page here.

A Final Note

At Wonder, we build the best teams by hiring with an objective lens — evaluating people for their potential while championing diversity, equity, and inclusion. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, military service eligibility, veteran status, marital status, disability, or any other protected class. As part of our commitment to fair and compliant hiring practices, Wonder participates in the federal government’s E‑Verify program to confirm employment eligibility. If you need an accommodation during the interview process, please let your recruiter know.