Culinary R&D Manager

At Revolution Foods, we're redefining what school food can be, fresh, flavorful, and built to scale. We serve hundreds of thousands of meals each week, and this role sits at the center of that impact. We're looking for a Culinary R D Manager who can bring together culinary creativity, product development, and operational execution. This is not a bench-only role; you will take ideas from concept to full-scale production, ensuring they deliver on taste, nutrition, and consistency across our sites. What You'll Own Develop and refine craveable, nutritious recipes aligned with USDA and internal standards Lead end-to-end product development: concept → kitchen trials → production → scaled rollout Identify gaps in current offerings and drive new product innovation, including scratch-cooked meals Elevate flavor, quality, and presentation across the menu Own recipe formulation, yields, and documentation to support high-volume production Scale recipes from kitchen to multi-site production environments (100K+ meals/week) Lead internal tastings, ingredient trials, and product validation Translate culinary concepts into clear SOPs, recipe cards, and meal assembly standards Partner closely with Operations and spend time on the production floor to ensure successful execution Support first production runs and troubleshoot real-time challenges Drive continuous improvement across recipes, workflows, and processes Act as a hands-on problem solver, fixing root causes, not just symptoms Lead student tastings and sampling sessions to validate product success Gather and apply qualitative and quantitative feedback to refine recipes Ensure meals are not just compliant, but genuinely enjoyable and repeatable for students Partner with Sales to support customer presentations, tastings, and product showcases Deliver high-quality, visually compelling food presentations that help win new business Translate culinary innovation into customer-ready experiences and narratives Work closely with FSQA, Procurement, Supply Chain, and Production to ensure feasibility and consistency Align on ingredient sourcing, substitutions, and cost considerations Ensure smooth handoff from R D to Operations across all sites Experience & Qualifications Required Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) in Culinary Arts, Food Science, Nutrition, or related field 5-8+ years of experience in culinary R D, product development, or high-volume food production, with a strong focus on scratch cooking and recipe commercialization Proven ability to take products from concept → development → production → scaled execution across multiple sites Hands-on scratch cooking expertise, with the ability to build recipes from raw ingredients and scale them effectively Experience developing and scaling recipes for high-volume production environments (e.g., 100K+ meals/week or multi-site operations) Strong understanding of flavor development, ingredient functionality, and production scalability Ability to operate in both a creative culinary environment and a fast-paced production setting Experience supporting customer tastings, presentations, or culinary showcases Strong problem-solving mindset with a focus on root cause analysis and continuous improvement Ability to collaborate cross-functionally and influence without authority Preferred Qualifications Experience in K-12, CPG, food manufacturing, or large-scale foodservice environments Familiarity with USDA meal programs (NSLP, SBP, CACFP) Bilingual Spanish (written and verbal) is a big plus

Salary Range:

$91,000 - $115,000 Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.