Culinary Innovation Manager

Ohly; Villa Park (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Ohly seeks a Culinary Innovation Manager to lead the North America Customer Innovation Center (CIC), translating customer needs and market trends into differentiated food concepts and business growth. You will drive application development, manage a high-performing team, and partner across Sales, Marketing, Innovation, and Technical Services to deliver innovative food solutions.

You will collaborate with global teams, guide co-creation workshops, and ensure safety and regulatory compliance while

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Culinary Arts, Food Technology or related field.
• Extensive experience in food applications, culinary innovation, product development, or technical sales in the food ingredients industry.
• Proven leadership experience managing teams, projects, and customer-facing innovation programs.
• Strong understanding of food manufacturing processes, ingredient functionality, and commercial product development.
• Experience leading customer workshops, demonstrations, and co-creation activities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the North America Customer Innovation Center (CIC) as a strategic hub for customer engagement, technical innovation, and solution development.
• Transform customer needs, market trends, and consumer insights into actionable business opportunities and winning food concepts.
• Drive commercial growth by connecting application expertise, customer insights, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Strengthen customer relationships through co-creation workshops, technical consultations, demonstrations, and solution development projects.
• Build and expand culinary and application capabilities across existing and emerging food categories.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, safety, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Customer collaboration

Project management

Commercial acumen

Communication

Culinary innovation

Food science knowledge

Trend analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science / Culinary Arts / Food Technology

Job description

Ohly is the third largest yeast extract producer in the world with sites in Germany and the USA. We develop, produce and deliver high-quality yeast-based flavours and specialty powders. Ohly is part of the $17.6bn turnover Associated British Food (ABF) Group. ABF is a broad portfolio of businesses which includes Primark, Ovaltine, Twinings, AB Enzymes, and is the world’s second largest producer of both sugar and baker’s yeast.

ABF takes a long-term perspective on investment and performance, and stimulates entrepreneurship by giving high degrees of autonomy to operational businesses. This means that decisions are taken as close as possible to their point of impact, allowing teams the freedom to act, in order to be successfully flexible and fast. ABF invests a great deal in selecting and developing the right people for Ohly and the broader ABF group of companies.

Culinary Innovation Manager

Shape the Future of Food Innovation with Ohly

At Ohly, we bring together science, creativity, and deep customer understanding to deliver innovative food solutions that help our customers succeed. We are looking for an inspiring and commercially minded Culinary Innovation Manager to lead our North America Customer Innovation Center (CIC) and transform customer challenges, market trends, and emerging opportunities into differentiated food concepts and business growth.

This role is ideal for a passionate food innovator who thrives at the intersection of culinary creativity, technical expertise, customer engagement, and commercial impact. You will lead and execute customer co-creation initiatives, drive application development, build strategic partnerships, and inspire a high-performing team while positioning Ohly as a trusted innovation partner across the food industry.

Your Impact

As Culinary Innovation Manager, You Will

• Lead the North America Customer Innovation Center (CIC) as a strategic hub for customer engagement, technical innovation, and solution development.
• Transform customer needs, market trends, and consumer insights into actionable business opportunities and winning food concepts.
• Drive commercial growth by connecting application expertise, customer insights, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Strengthen customer relationships through co-creation workshops, technical consultations, demonstrations, and solution development projects.
• Build and expand culinary and application capabilities across existing and emerging food categories.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, safety, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Innovation & Commercial Growth

• Lead customer engagement activities at the CIC, including workshops, innovation sessions, tastings, demonstrations, and technical consultations.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Innovation, and Technical Services teams to identify opportunities and accelerate commercial growth.
• Develop customer-centric food concepts and application solutions that showcase Ohly's capabilities and create differentiated value.
• Translate market and consumer trends into commercially relevant products, concepts, and technical solutions.
• Support pipeline development and opportunity advancement through customer-focused innovation initiatives.

Culinary Innovation & Application Development

• Create trend-driven, culinary-inspired food concepts across multiple application categories.
• Lead product demonstrations, prototype development, and customer sample creation.
• Design and facilitate ideation sessions, troubleshooting workshops, and co-development projects.
• Develop technical knowledge, best practices, application tools, and customer-facing application guidance.
• Collaborate with global application teams to share insights, concepts, and scalable innovation platforms.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of application and culinary professionals in customer engagement, technical problem-solving, innovation methodologies, and solution-oriented selling.
• Promote a collaborative culture across functions, geographies, and disciplines.
• Support KPI management, customer feedback programs, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead through visible commitment to Ohly's values and leadership principles.
• Safety & Operational Excellence
• Champion a proactive safety culture and ensure compliance with all food safety, laboratory, and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct risk assessments and maintain a safe working environment within the CIC.
• Ensure operational excellence through effective project prioritization, resource planning, and execution.
• Drive improvements in sample turnaround, workshop effectiveness, and innovation project delivery.

What You Bring

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Culinary Arts, Food Technology, or a related field.
• Extensive experience in food applications, culinary innovation, product development, or technical sales within the food ingredients industry.
• Proven leadership experience managing teams, projects, and customer-facing innovation programs.
• Strong understanding of food manufacturing processes, ingredient functionality, and commercial product development.
• Experience leading customer workshops, demonstrations, and co-creation activities.

Technical & Commercial Expertise

• Deep passion for food, culinary trends, and customer-focused innovation.
• Ability to translate technical capabilities into compelling customer value propositions.
• Strong understanding of consumer insights, market trends, and commercialization processes.
• Knowledge of FDA regulations, food safety requirements, and quality standards.
• Commercial mindset with a strong understanding of how innovation activities contribute to business growth and customer success.

Leadership & Interpersonal Skills

• Exceptional communication, presentation, and facilitation skills.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders across functions and organizational levels.
• Strong project management and prioritization capabilities.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a high degree of ownership and accountability.
• Ability to thrive in dynamic environments and balance short-term customer needs with long-term strategic objectives.
• Fluent English required; Spanish and/or German are considered an advantage.

Working Environment

• Food application laboratories, culinary test kitchens, office environments, manufacturing sites, and customer locations.
• Frequent travel throughout North America to support customers, industry events, workshops, and business initiatives.
• Hands-on involvement in product development, demonstrations, and customer engagements.
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs and safely work with laboratory and food processing equipment.

What Success Looks Like

• Within this role, success will be measured by:
• Growth of qualified opportunities generated through CIC-led customer engagement and innovation activities.
• Increased revenue and customer adoption from CIC-supported projects.
• Successful execution of strategic innovation and commercial initiatives.
• Enhanced customer engagement, satisfaction, and brand recognition.
• Development and commercialization of differentiated food concepts and application solutions.
• Strong team development, capability building, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Continuous improvement of operational performance, innovation effectiveness, and safety excellence.

Why Join Ohly?

At Ohly, you'll join a company where innovation, collaboration, and purpose come together. You'll have the opportunity to influence industry-leading food solutions, work alongside talented global teams, and help shape the future of food through creativity, science, and customer partnership.

Ready to help create the next generation of food innovation? We look forward to hearing from you.