Flavor Innovator - Culinary Development Lead

Kinder's Premium Quality Seasonings & Sauces; Walnut Creek (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Paid time off

Bonus eligibility

Competitive health benefits

Parental leave

Job summary

Kinder's Premium Quality Seasonings & Sauces is looking for a Culinary Development Manager to spearhead the creation of innovative flavor profiles and products. This role involves collaboration with various teams, hands-on culinary development, and ensuring high standards are maintained in flavor and quality.

Ideal candidates will have over 5 years of culinary experience, a degree in culinary arts or related fields, and a strong understanding of food safety principles.

Compensation ranges from $135,000 to $155,000 per year, along with competitive benefits including 401(k) and paid time off.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional culinary experience in restaurant, catering, or CPG/product development.
• Strong understanding of flavor systems and ingredient functionality.
• ServSafe certification is required.

Responsibilities

• Drive development of new flavor profiles and products.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support product evaluation.
• Champion Kinder’s culinary standards and brand voice.

Skills

Culinary experience

Recipe development

Project management

Food safety knowledge

Strong collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in culinary arts or food science

Job description

What’s it like to work at Kinder’s? Well, there’s a lot of snacking and geeking out over what we all cooked over the weekend. Beyond that, there’s also plenty of hard work. Because we don’t just like flavor, we’re obsessed with it.

With over 100 products sold nationwide, we’re now a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. We’re not your typical CPG company. Privately held and founder-led, we like to think of ourselves as a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships. Our crew is adventurous and fearless. We chart our own course and chase big ideas to make food unforgettable.

As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we need more smart-and-scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you’re looking for a place where you can see the real impact of your work... this is it! Every day, you’ll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives.

About The Role

Kinder’s is seeking an experienced and creatively driven Culinary Development Manager to join our team of passionate culinary professionals working hard to bring the future of flavor to consumers everywhere. This role is designed for a culinary leader who wants to grow inside an ambitious, fast-growing organization while representing Kinder’s through exceptional food execution and operational excellence.

The Culinary Development Manager will be a critical leader in contributing to our culinary development engine. This is a high-impact role responsible for supporting innovation cycles and driving culinary gold-standard formulation through the creation, testing, and refinement of new products and flavor profiles. This role blends hands-on cooking, product testing, recipe development, field execution, and cross-functional partnership. You will partner regularly with other functions such as Innovation, R&D, Product Development, Commercialization, Brand, Sales, and Operations, to ensure quality and facilitate the scale-up of new flavors.

Key Responsibilities Include

Culinary Development & Innovation

• Drive culinary development of new flavor profiles and products for assigned segments of the Kinder’s portfolio (e.g., sauces, seasonings)
• Translate consumer insights, market trends, and retailer needs into differentiated, flavor-forward concepts
• Develop and iterate recipes from bench-top prototypes to culinary gold-standard formulations ready for scale-up and transition to R&D/Product Development
• Ensure all formulations meet Kinder’s standards for flavor, quality, and manufacturability
• Support internal tastings, cuttings, and competitive benchmarking to inform product direction and refinement
• Partner with R&D/Product Development to support product evaluation, sensory documentation, and readiness for commercialization

Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration

• Serve as a culinary partner to Innovation, Product Development, and Commercialization to move products from concept to launch
• Collaborate with Culinary Operations, Sourcing, and R&D/PD to evaluate and qualify new ingredients

Kitchen Operations & Culinary Excellence

• Maintain detailed documentation of formulations, processes, and development learnings
• Ensure adherence to food safety and regulatory requirements throughout development
• Contribute to a highly organized, efficient culinary environment, including kitchen operations, sample management, and equipment readiness
• Champion Kinder's culinary standards, brand voice, and commitment to exceptional flavor across all work

Customer/ Field Support (As Required)

• If needed, support customer-facing culinary initiatives (e.g., onsite innovation sessions, product demos, key buyer presentations)
• Prepare and execute high-quality samples for internal and external stakeholders
• Represent Kinder’s culinary perspective in interactions with customers, including buyers and other partners

Education / Experience

What You Bring To The Table:

• 5+ years of professional culinary experience (restaurant, catering, or CPG/product development environments preferred)
• Bachelor’s degree in culinary arts, food science, or related field preferred (or equivalent hands-on experience)
• Strong understanding of flavor systems, ingredient functionality, and food processing fundamentals
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, high variability environment
• Experience developing recipes from concept through execution, with attention to consistency and scalability
• Familiarity with ingredient sourcing, efficient kitchen operations, and inventory management
• Strong understanding of food safety principals and regulatory basics
• ServSafe certification required (or ability to obtain within 60 days
• Strong communication skills with ability to collaborate effectively across functions

Personal Characteristics

• Growth mindset with an excitement to learn (and teach)
• Low ego with a strong sense of humility
• Energized by bringing brands to life through food and creating memorable flavor experiences
• Collaborative and solutions-oriented, with a creative approach to problem solving
• Comfortable leading when needed and supporting when it best serves the team
• Passionate about delivering food experiences that feel authentic, thoughtful, and human

Location and Travel:

The position will be based at our headquarters in Walnut Creek, CA. The position could also require periodic travel to other locations for consumer events and customer meetings, often with advanced notice, but occasionally on short notice when required by business needs. All costs of travel will be reimbursed by the Company consistent with its established travel policies.

Pay Transparency

The expected starting salary range for this role is $135,000- $155,000 per year. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range based on the location of the role. The amount a particular employee will earn within the salary range will be based on factors such as relevant education, qualifications, performance and business needs.

Seasoned For Success

• No two days here are the same.
• We try to be good team members and good communicators, but we don’t live by hierarchy and structure – everyone is a difference maker here.
• We make a lot of decisions in the face of incomplete information – our team embraces ambiguity and tries to make good decisions fast rather than great decisions slow.
• We believe our job is to take smart risk, not to eliminate risk.
• We believe in growing our skills and becoming a better company with more managerial expertise, but we are an entrepreneurial company at heart.
• We aren’t trying to be average – we want to do exceptional things, and we are willing to work hard to achieve them.

Benefits That Bring More To The Table

We offer a range of total rewards that may include paid time off, 401k, bonus / incentive eligibility, equity grants, competitive health benefits, and other family-friendly benefits, including parental leave. Kinder’s benefits vary based on eligibility and can be reviewed in more detail during the interview process.

Our Recipe For Balance

We believe great culture starts with people. We’re a people-first company built on connection, collaboration, and balance. Most of our work happens in the office to spark creativity and community, but we also offer flexibility so team members have the autonomy to work outside the office when needed to support their work-life balance and personal commitments.

Where Every Ingredient Matters

Kinder's is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally-protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need any accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, please reach out to us at [e-mail]