Technical Brand Specialist Gourmet

IRCA Group; United States; Remote; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, & Vision

401(k) matching

Paid Vacation

Holidays

Employee Education Tuition Reimbursement Program

Annual bonus based on sales performance

Car allowance

Job summary

A leading gourmet ingredients provider is seeking a Brand Specialist to enhance chef engagement and demand in key North American markets. The role focuses on driving activations through chef demonstrations and collaborations, requiring over 7 years of experience in culinary or gourmet brands. Candidates should possess strong technical credibility, excellent communication skills, and a high-energy, educator mindset. This position offers competitive salary, performance bonuses, and comprehensive benefits, including 401(k) matching and tuition reimbursement.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant experience in pastry, culinary, foodservice, or gourmet brands.
• Pastry or culinary background strongly preferred; chef experience is a plus.
• Ability to engage chefs at a high level with strong technical credibility.

Responsibilities

• Lead chef-facing activations including product demonstrations and culinary events.
• Build strong relationships with chefs and culinary professionals.
• Support new product launches through chef engagement and brand visibility.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Relationship-building skills

Technical credibility

Presentation skills

High-energy educator mindset

Job description

The Irca Group is an International Leader in high quality finished and semi-finished ingredients for the bakery, pastry, and ice cream markets. With a solid history of over 100 years in the industry, the Group has its headquarters in Italy (Gallarate) and a strong global footprint with 23 production sites and over 2000 employees in Europe, the United States and Vietnam.

Our core product categories include chocolate, compounds, chocolate decorations, sprinkles, creams, pastry mixes, gelato ingredients, nuts and candied fruit. The most recent acquisition of Kerry Sweet complements our existing categories with the addition of sweet particulates, chocolate confections, inclusions, variegates and frozen fruit purees.

Through its 8 key brands (IRCA, Dobla®, in2food, Via Degli Orsini, JoyGelato, RaviFruit, Cesarin and Anastasi®) the IRCA Group offers an unparalleled "one-stop shop" approach for delivering quality solutions to all ingredients needs, through a broad range of innovative products. We offer everyday and seasonal solutions to 3 macro channels: Gourmet, Food Manufacturing and Consumer Product (Retail). "Extraordinary made simple".

We are looking for a Brand Specialist to drive chef-facing activation and demand creation across key North American markets. This is a high-impact, non-commercial role designed to strengthen brand pull, elevate product adoption, and support sales effectiveness through technical expertise and field execution. This is a unique opportunity to play a transversal, high-visibility role within a growing gourmet platform, working closely with sales leadership while staying deeply connected to chefs and the market.

Technical Brand Specialist Gourmet

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead chef-facing activations including product demonstrations, tastings, masterclasses, and culinary events
• Act as a technical and culinary expert across the IRCA Group Gourmet portfolio (Domori, Cesarin, Ravifruit, Dobla, JoyGelato, IRCA, Graffiti Sprinkles)
• Translate product features into practical, solution-driven applications for chefs and end users
• Build strong relationships with chefs, bakers, and culinary professionals, positioning IRCA Group as a trusted long-term partner
• Collaborate closely with Sales Managers to support priority opportunities and strategic projects (no direct pricing or account ownership)
• Provide market feedback and qualitative insights to help guide portfolio focus and commercial strategy
• Coordinate and support the Promoter Program, ensuring alignment with sales priorities and high execution standards
• Support new product launches through pull initiatives and chef engagement
• Drive brand visibility and activation across priority markets including NYC, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and Toronto
• Travel approximately 50% nationally

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 7+ years of relevant experience in pastry, culinary, foodservice, or gourmet brands
• Pastry or culinary background strongly preferred; chef experience is a plus
• Strong technical credibility and the ability to engage chefs at a high level
• Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills
• A high-energy, hands-on professional with an educator mindset
• Ability to work independently in the field while remaining highly collaborative
• Comfortable in a non-commercial role, focused on demand creation and brand activation

Irca Group offers career growth opportunities as well as competitive compensation and benefits:

Medical, Dental, & Vision, 401(k) matching, Paid Vacation, and Holidays, Employee Education Tuition Reimbursement Program

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

On top of the base salary, you will be eligible for an annual bonus based on sales performance, and a car allowance is also provided.