Head of Culinary- Away From Home

Description & Requirements
Kraft Heinz is seeking a top-tier expert to lead and elevate the culinary practice to elite status within the Away From Home (AFH) business unit. This senior, executive level leader will lead our culinary team of 10+ in crafting culinary-inspired innovation, identifying new intellectual properties and service offerings, leading and reporting on the latest trends, and driving new business through close interaction within our elite marketing, sales and customer marketing teams.
Responsibilities include:

• Provide vision and leadership for culinary practice, including mentoring and developing the culinary practice team members and creating a culinary culture, ensuring Kraft Heinz culinary efforts deliver on "food company" vision and designing for consumers
• Actively and thoughtfully lead a team of dedicated culinarians, providing substantial learning & development guidance and mentorship.
• Work with the Culinary and R&D teams and outside sources, provide exceptional thought leadership, culinary-inspired new product ideas, and prototyping on food and beverage projects as initiated through stage gate.
• Increase sell-in success through active involvement in customer meetings and sales opportunities.
• Lead the activities of the Culinary Development Team. This includes collaborating and co-leading projects with Innovation and internal teams on a range of projects including culinary prototyping, menu design and development, and near- and long-term product development.
• Present to and interact with internal teams, representing Kraft Heinz Culinary unique suite of services, ranging from early-stage conceptualization through commercialization, refinement and/or execution.
• Lead product/concept testing process at KHC by demonstrating the culinary team's strengths in formulation, rapid distillation, and presentation during market and consumer research processes.
• Participate in business development activities such as the creation of capabilities presentations for internal clients and scoping exercises designed to optimize KHC's contribution to the development of its customers' businesses.
• Participate in KHCs industry outreach at shows, conventions, symposia, and in the media, exemplifying KHC's position as an industry leader in culinary landscape.
• Provide experience-based guidance during the development and continued elevation of KHC's Culinary practice offerings.
• Engage appropriately with customers to help establish and reinforce KHC's culinary authority while maintaining departmental profitability within KHC's overall practice.
• Serve as a member of the AFH Leadership Team, demonstrated executive leadership presence.
• Interact with executive leadership team in reporting culinary development activities, balancing strategic and tactical elements of the practice, and achieving departmental KPIs.
• Act as the voice of KHC Culinary internally, externally, and in the media. Responsible for building a high-impact and effective team, developing, and maintaining strong client relationships, creating product and innovation offerings, and driving superlative execution across the company.

Description of the right candidate:

• Sophisticated experience, including a culinary leadership role at a CPG and/or foodservice organization, or a role at a CPG food development or innovation firm
• Holds a professional culinary degree, and/or food science degree
• Possesses national-level foodservice expertise and credibility
• Displays an insatiable passion for food and CPG industries
• Dynamic and persuasive presentation skills; demonstrated writing, public speaking, and PR experience
• Inspiring and transformational leader who others want to follow
• Executional in vision and organize work for self and others
• Exhibits strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills that are supported by finely tuned written and verbal communications
• Can operate equally independently and collaboratively to accomplish work plan and organize work for self and others
• Leads with a client service orientation, driving engagements with a problem-solving approach.
• Understanding of culinary financials, budgets & company P&L's
• Serve as a culinary and cross-departmental skill player:
  • Proven track record to contributing to project deliverables (including briefs, concepts, marketing plans, trend presentations).
  • Support kitchen engagements, including participating on teams of chefs for FOH (demonstrations, cuttings) and BOH (ideation, protocepting) experiences.
  • Accomplishes project goals outside of experience area.
  • Champions KHC and Culinary Team culture.

Skills: Culinary Innovation
• Culinary Operations
• New Product Development
• Food Safety
• Food and Beverage Management
• Shared Services
• Food Manufacturing
• Team Building
• Leadership
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• I have a Certified Executive Chef's Degree. "Accredited Chef's Association Credentials an Asset example: CRC "Certified Research Chef through RCA or similar", CCC "Certified Chef de Cuisine through CCF or similar", MBA "Master Business Admin of Hospitality or similar." Red Seal Certification is an asset.

About Us
Kraft Heinz is a global food company with a delicious heritage. With iconic and emerging food and beverage brands around the world, we deliver the best taste, fun and quality to every meal table we touch. We're on a mission to disrupt not only our own business, but the global food industry. A consumer obsession and unexpected partnerships fuel our progress as we drive innovation across every part of our company.
Around the world, our people are connected by a culture of ownership, agility and endless curiosity. We also believe in being good humans, who are working to improve our company, communities, and planet. We're proud of where we've been - and even more thrilled about where we're headed - as we nourish the world and lead the future of food.
Why Us
We grow our people to grow our business. We champion great people who bring ambition, curiosity, and high performance to the table as the guardians of our beloved and nostalgic brands. Good isn't good enough. We choose greatness every day by challenging the ordinary and making bold decisions. All while celebrating our wins - and our failures - as we work together to lead the future of food.
Challenging the status quo takes talent. We invest in your purpose and potential by developing skills and nurturing strengths that leave a legacy on our business and a lasting impact on your career. Because great people make great companies, and we're growing something great here at Kraft Heinz.
Office Collaboration & Hybrid Work Environment
We believe our office environment fuels our collaboration, connection & community as an organization and allows our employees to grow toward greatness. We also believe providing a more flexible and agile model is essential in today's workplace. A majority of our office-based employees will be able to work remotely for up to two days each week. Additionally, employees who are subject to this hybrid model will be eligible to work from anywhere for up to six weeks in a rolling 12-month period (in maximum two-week increments and according to benefits and tax guidelines). Some jobs may be required to be performed fully in office depending on the role's responsibilities and requirements.
Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination or harassment of any type. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants who require an accommodation to participate in the job application or hiring process should contact