Principal Culinary Development Manager

H-E-B is known to lead the way with creative new concepts combining exceptional food and outstanding quality for distinctive and delicious meals. Our Culinary Center is home to the H-E-B Culinary Academy, the Product Design Kitchen and Product Evaluation Center, and the Bakery Design Kitchen.

As a Principal Development Manager, you'll lead efforts to elevate and develop customer culinary engagement and provide inspiring educational content across multiple media platforms. You'll serve as culinary expert and H-E-B spokesperson via social and traditional media outlets and leverage brand affinity and product knowledge to build and retain a customer following while increasing awareness among new targeted audiences.

Once you're eligible, you'll become an Owner in the company, so we're looking for commitment, hard work, and focus on quality and Customer service. 'Partner-owned' means our most important resources--People--drive the innovation, growth, and success that make H-E-B The Greatest Omnichannel Retailing Company.

Do you have a:
HEART FOR PEOPLE... willingness to help customers, communities, and Partners live better through superb culinary products?
HEAD FOR BUSINESS... skills to lead, support in a complex matrix team environment?
PASSION FOR RESULTS... drive to create the future, deliver results, and strengthen the organization?

We are looking for:
- a recognized culinary expert
- someone with a track record of successful Digital Marketing leadership

What is the work?
Leadership / Sales:
- Serves / recognized as an internal and external culinary expert; applies culinary knowledge and expertise to create / improve customer experiences that deliver highest quality product for H-E-B customers and all Store formats
- Serves / recognized as spokesperson and brand ambassador for H-E-B in major media markets; serves as standard bearer of media performance and professionalism
- Delivers new culinary development ideas through industry, global food trend analysis
- Designs products to better meet unique Texas taste preferences, not fully understood by our broader supplier base
- Enhances our portfolio of distinctive, destination driving product formulations
- Constantly strives to keep us ahead of ingredient and flavor trends
- Achieves optimal flavor experiences with minimal impact to nutritional values
- Delivers tangible results through product education in distinctive item sales
- Cultivates relationships with key stakeholders representing a broad range of functions, levels, and organizations
- Provides culinary support and advice to all H-E-B levels; influences H-E-B-wide peers, key stakeholders, and decision makers
- Makes significant contributions across a broad array of categories; makes critical decisions to focus and allocate resources
- Ensures integrity of Food Service and Own Brand strategies by aligning culinary / product development with strategic goals
- Generates viewer acceptance and following; creates strong customer following (indicated by likes, hits, shares)
- Serves as formal and informal thought leader and mentor

What is your background?
- Minimum age 18 (mandatory)
- Culinary degree
- 10+ years of experience in a culinary / food services environment (hotel, restaurant, school)
- 10+ years of experience as a professional chef
- Certifications or equivalent: Research Chef, Executive Chef
- Experience in successful, large-scale commercialization of product formulation and recipes for HCC
- Experience successfully developing recipes and commercializing food products
- Experience in ingredient sourcing
- Experience in restaurant menu and recipe design
- Experience in leadership development
- Experience successfully working complex issues on cross-functional teams
- Experience in the CPG food industry (preferred)
- Experience working with live and video media sets
- Experience creating content for social media platforms
- Track record of Customer participation results
- Recognition as a keynote speaker

Do you have what it takes to be a fit as an H-E-B Principal Development Manager?
- Expert culinary knowledge applicable to recipe development, flavor innovation, recipe decoding, and replication to scale for large recipe commercialization
- Comprehensive knowledge of social media platforms and apps
- Advanced working knowledge of restaurant menu and recipe design and Own Brand sourcing and manufacturing processes
- Proficiency in MS Office
- Advanced communications and public speaking skills
- Advanced project management skills
- Ability to work in a complex, matrix team environment as a leader or as a supporter
- Ability to make critical decisions
- Ability to manage multiple projects; attention to detail
- Ability to learn / connect with customers via limited media outlets
- Initiative; willingness to take risks

Can you...
- Function in a fast-paced, retail, office environment
- Travel by car or plane with overnight stays
- Stand, walk, bend, reach, kneel, squat, reach overhead and side-to-side throughout shift
- Frequently work while exposed to fumes, or airborne particles and toxic / caustic chemicals
- Regularly work in a cooler environment; occasionally work in an extreme cold environment
- Safely maneuver around moving mechanical parts, high, precarious places, and extreme temperatures
- Work extended hours

11-2022