R & D Chef

Sr. Research and Development Chef

$85,000 - $130,000 DOE (Exempt/Salaried Position)

Company Background

American Custom Meats is a Tracy, CA based state-of-the-art further processor of both raw and value-added cooked proteins. We are a professionally run, family-owned, entrepreneurial organization that is rapidly approaching the 9-figure sales level. ACM possesses both raw and cooked operations with our primary development efforts focused on the cooked/ready-to-eat (RTE) marketplace. For additional company details visit www.acmeats.com.

Position Overview

ACM has an immediate need for a senior-level R&D Chef to lead our innovation efforts amid a rapidly expanding pipeline of sales and development opportunities. We seek a business-minded individual to manage a 3-person department and support all aspects of the sales, development, quality, and production roll-out process including the launch of new items for customers.

The ideal candidate has 5-8+ years of culinary experience in a restaurant and/or corporate food service environment, is business and entrepreneurial minded, and has managed or is ready to manage others. The successful individual must be capable of translating their experience into the manufacturing space. We are casting our compensation and experience net wide as we are prepared to train and develop the right talent, or onboard a more seasoned veteran!

We desire a dynamic, innovative and customer focused talent filled with a passion for delivering quality products with exceptional service to both internal colleagues and external customers. This individual must appreciate a small-company dynamic where responsibilities are broad and opportunities to impact results are front and center.

Job Responsibilities

• Innovation: Lead and support the sales and innovation effort including bench-top and production floor samples; implement strategies for evaluating ingredient technologies and developing new innovative products.
• Recipe Development: Create and innovate recipes that are scalable, cost-effective, and aligned with market trends and customer and company requirements.
• Improvement: Optimize existing recipes’ nutritional value, cost and sensory attributes; research and recommend sustainable, high-quality ingredient sourcing, considering supply chain efficiency and cost.
• Documentation: Support and maintain meticulous records of recipes, tests, and procedures. This includes written documentation of test kitchen sessions, recipe development, and processes in company’s Flavor Studio system.
• Collaboration: Support the sales team with product development requests, customer presentations, and product information requests; prepare and present technical presentations for customer visits; develop and maintain relationships with suppliers.
• Research: Stay current with product and ingredient trends, standards, attributes, and safety.
• Inspire & Manage: lead and supervise small but eager and capable team; perform supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the Company’s policies and applicable laws for all direct reports; manage day-to-day needs of test kitchen.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of culinary experience with a restaurant or food service organization
• Intermediate level experience with MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience working with a corporate food service organization
• Prior experience working in a manufacturing or food processing environment preferably with proteins
• Knowledge of food safety principles, GMPs, and HACCP
• Formal Culinary Arts education a plus
• Certified Food Scientist (CFS), Research Chef (CRC), or Culinary Scientist (CCS)
• Food and/or Animal Science experience or education a plus
• Bilingual in Spanish/English a plus

Benefits

• Kaiser Medical
• Delta Dental
• VSP Vision
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Sick Leave
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Bonus potential

Competitive compensation package

American Custom Meats provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.