ASSOCIATE RESEARCH CHEF

It's an exciting time to be in APZ - McCormick's growth region. Our business here is transforming in remarkable ways. From the rice and spice fields of India and South East Asia to Australia's herb farms, our mosaic of rich distinct cultures inspires the boldest of flavours.  Our headquarters and TIC in Singapore, along with our new and transformed facilities in Thailand, India and Australia are powering our regional growth ambitions. Here you'll find a culture that celebrates the best of both; the energy of and pulse of a startup and the solid legacy of our McCormick brand.  We're a region on the rise - bold, committed and hungry - so only changemakers need apply!

Position Overview/Primary Purpose

Under the guidance and supervision of the Senior Culinary Development Chef, the Associate Culinary Development Chef will be responsible for the development of recipes and the preparation of samples and/or products to support the projects of the Snr Culinary Development Chef and Product Development Technologists.  He/She will carry out necessary tasks to ensure that the products are delivered in a timely manner to meet customer expectations. 

The Associate Culinary Development Chef will support the wider R&D team by providing culinary and flavour knowledge to the team and guiding recipe development for both wet/retorted and dry seasonings products as required.  Products will be developed to meet business briefs and customer needs within cost guidelines, specification, and regulatory requirements.

The Associate Culinary Development Chef will be responsible for

• Recipe creation
• Preparation and gathering of samples
• Culinary testing and tasting of recipes and products including competitor testing
• Documenting results from culinary testing
• Sharing flavour trend knowledge and keeping up to date on domestica and international culinary trends

The Associate Culinary Development Chef will support across both the flavour solutions and Consumer/Export businesses. 

Key Responsibilities

1. Under guidance from the Snr Culinary Development Chef support the development of new recipes and formulations to support India business growth.  This includes:

• recipe development
• product tastings
• writing of cooking instructions for on pack and marketing materials
• actively participating in the scale up and commercialization of approved samples. 

Ensuring policies and procedures for good hygiene practice are followed during all culinary activities internally and externally.

2. Actively build a library of recipes relevant to local Indian consumers and European consumers of Indian food for business development opportunities.

3. Support the promotion of McCormick’s culinary credentials and the sale of McCormick products, through culinary and product demonstrations to distributors, new and existing customers, culinary institutions, and internal technical and marketing teams

4. Provide feedback and support to the R&D on prototype development and improvement of relevant flavor profiles based on consumer preferred profiles.

5. Conduct culinary tastings including competitor benchmarking as required and ensure clear, detailed documentation of results.

6. Follow APZ Culinary ways of working and support standardization of processes and methods across the APZ region.  Provide regular and consistent culinary feedback on project progress to Manager and relevant stakeholders.

7. Travel across the India region maybe required for customer and distributor presentations. 

8. Suggest alternative ingredients and food preparation process to meet mass production and compliance needs

Required Qualifications & Experience:

Tertiary qualification in Culinary Science (Qualified Chef) or similar. 

-    5+ years of chef experience preferably with prior experience in a food processing business e.g. FMCG, Ingredient Supplier etc.
-    Thorough and in-depth understanding of a variety of cuisines, cooking techniques and cooking equipment is a must.
-    Preferrable if you understand industrial food ingredients, culinary trends, recipe creation, flavor application.
-    Experience having worked internationally as well as across the India region would be favorable.
-    Savoury culinary knowledge and experience preferred in both Wet and Dry Categories -RTE Meals, Condiments, Sauces, Herbs, Spices, Coating, Seasonings and Flavouring. Experience with Flavour science/technology also highly regarded.
-    Familiar with industrial mass production methods, scaling-up capability, and limitations.
-    A familiarity with SAP and Product Formulation systems would be viewed favourably but is not mandatory
-    Understanding consumer trends and general sensory testing is beneficial

Culinary Technical Skills
-    Product Concept Development
-    Product Flavour Building
-    Competitive Product Evaluation skills
-    Recipe Writing 
-    Flavour and Food Trend Management
-    Basic sensory evaluation skills
-    Innovation and teamwork
-    Ability to deliver product training to R&D and Sales Teams is desireable


 

Our ambitions are bold. If you are a change-maker with a passion for flavour and an appetite for a good challenge, come have a seat at our table.  Your application will be treated in strict confidence.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  If you are a qualified applicant, you will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.