Senior Research Chef

McCormick & Company; Cockeysville (MD); On-site; USD 86,390 - 151,220; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k

Health insurance

Paid time off

Flexible work options

Job summary

A leading food and beverage manufacturer is seeking a Senior Research Chef in Hunt Valley, MD to drive culinary innovation and support sales growth. This role requires 8+ years of culinary development experience and strong collaboration skills. The position offers a competitive salary range and participation in a comprehensive benefits program including health insurance, 401(k), and more.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of Culinary Development experience.
• Experience with packaged food companies or restaurant chains.
• Strong collaboration with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide culinary leadership in product and recipe development.
• Deliver culinary presentations to customers.
• Lead culinary initiatives for customer projects.

Skills

Culinary expertise

Presentation skills

Collaboration skills

Problem-solving skills

Education

BA/BS in Culinary / Culinary Nutrition / Culinary Science

AA Culinary degree with significant industry experience

Tools

Culinary tools and equipment

Job description

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This range is provided by McCormick & Company. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$110,000.00/yr - $130,000.00/yr

Direct message the job poster from McCormick & Company

Sr. Talent Acquisition Business Partner at McCormick (Finance, R&D, Corp Quality/Regulatory, and Procurement)

You may know McCormick as a leader in herbs, spices, seasonings, and condiments – and we’re only getting started. At McCormick, we’re always looking for new people to bring their unique flavor to our team.

McCormick employees – all 14,000 of us across the world – are what makes this company a great place to work.

We are looking to hire a Senior Research Chef immediately at our Technical Innovation Center in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

What We Bring To The Table:

The best people deserve the best rewards. In addition to the benefits you’d expect from a global leader (401k, health insurance, paid time off, etc.) we also offer:

• Career growth opportunities

• Flexibility and Support for Diverse Life Stages and Choices

• Wellbeing programs including Physical, Mental and Financial wellness

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Research Chef will play a key role in supporting the North American Flavor Solutions Food Business Unit and Seasoning Labs by driving culinary innovation and contributing to sales growth. This role leverages deep culinary expertise in recipe and concept development, product innovation, and back-of-house operations to manage both short- and long-term projects across custom segment of the business. The Senior Research Chef collaborates cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Product Development, and other teams to lead projects from ideation through execution, delivering impactful results for McCormick and its customers. This position requires a high level of creativity and culinary insight to develop solutions for business-to-business seasoning and flavor customers. Travel is expected 25–50% of the time.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborate cross-functionally to provide culinary leadership in product, recipe, and concept development.
• Ensure the culinary perspective is integrated from initial design through final product and content delivery.
• Partner with Product Development, Sales, Marketing, Insights, and Content teams to deliver best-in-class solutions.
• Lead culinary initiatives for external customer projects, representing the full scope of McCormick’s product portfolio and capabilities to drive business growth.
• Develop gold-standard recipes and culinary prototypes for new products and menu concepts.
• Deliver high-impact culinary presentations to customers.
• Apply and uphold best-in-class practices for recipe development, content creation, and product innovation.
• Monitor and share food and flavor trends—including cuisines, ingredients, preparation techniques, equipment, and demographic preferences—with internal teams.
• Translate insights into actionable strategies for projects and innovation.
• Support additional projects and culinary team members as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS

• BA/BS – Culinary / Culinary Nutrition / Culinary Science or AA Culinary degree with significant related industry experience
• 8 plus years of Culinary Development experience including working with packaged food companies, restaurant chains or large food service operations.
• Demonstrated expertise in culinary product development across various industry segments.
• Applies advanced technical knowledge, initiative, and creativity in assignments. Experience in creating culinary gold standard recipes aligned with customer goals and market trends.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams including Product Development, Sales, Marketing, Insights, and Content.
• Food manufacturing experience is a plus.
• Strong presentation skills with the ability to communicate culinary concepts, product portfolios, and insights to clients and stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong collaboration and leadership skills with the ability to influence outcomes and drive results.
• Advanced problem-solving skills, especially in complex or ambiguous project scenarios.
• Strong presentation skills with the ability to confidently speak and demonstrate culinary concepts to diverse audiences, including senior leadership.
• Effective time and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Clear and concise communicator with strong attention to detail.

McCormick & Company is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

As a general policy, McCormick does not offer employment visa sponsorships upon hire or in the future.

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Base Salary: $86,390 to $151,220

Base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, experience for this role, and/or internal equity of our current employees as part of any final offer. This position is also eligible to participate in McCormick’s Incentive Bonus (MIB) Plan. In addition to a competitive compensation package, permanent employees of McCormick are eligible for our extensive Total Rewards programs that include:

- Comprehensive health plans covering medical, vision, dental, life and disability benefits

- Family-friendly benefits such as paid parental leave, fertility benefits, Employee Assistance Program, and caregiver support

- Retirement and investment programs including 401(k) and profit-sharing plans

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Research

• Industries

  Food and Beverage Manufacturing

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