Culinary R&D Assistant

Job DetailsJob Location: Lynn Plant - Lynn, MA 01901Salary Range: $19.00 - $20.00 Hourly
Location:   Lynn, MA
Position Type:   Full-Time

Delicious Food and Meaningful Careers

At the heart of our company is a deep passion for creating fresh, healthy, and artisan-quality food that brings people together. We honor the craft of artisan cooking—using scratch-made stocks, hand-chopped herbs, and only the highest-quality ingredients—complemented by cutting-edge technology. This allows us to deliver consistently safe, exceptional products on a large scale.

But it’s not just about the food. Our culture is built on principles that shape how we grow, both as individuals and as a team. One of our core values, Honoring Development, guides us to actively seek out, celebrate, and nurture one another’s talents, strengths, and interests. By fostering each other’s growth, we strengthen our relationships and capabilities, driving both personal and professional success.

We also believe in Honoring Each Other. We surround ourselves with passionate people who share our love for great food. Through mutual respect and collaboration, we create an environment where employees are empowered to thrive, building trusting, and rewarding relationships with our clients, partners, and one another.

If you're looking for a place where your skills, passion, and ideas can flourish, we invite you to explore the opportunities available within our dynamic and supportive team.

Job Summary

The Culinary R&D Specialist plays a crucial role in supporting research and development chefs in creating innovative products. Responsibilities include maintaining a clean and organized Culinary Center, receiving and logging new raw material samples, preparing R&D samples for shipment, and providing culinary support by preparing and cooking customer samples. Additionally, this role serves as an ambassador for "Honoring Food".

Duties and Responsibilities

Execute sample recipes from start to finish with minimal supervision.
Coordinate product orders and any other needs for special functions within the scope of R&D, whether on-site or off-site.
Manage inventory and record-keeping for all new raw material samples.
Coordinate product orders and arrange soup tastings for clients.
Assist chefs during internal taste panels and customer visits, as necessary.
Crosstrain on all R&D Technician duties to provide backfill.
Additional responsibilities as needed.

Required Skills

Associate's degree, or equivalent experience required
Requires 1-3 years of experience
On-the-job training of 3-6 months.
Must be proficient with MS Office programs, specifically Excel and Outlook.

Desired Skills

Passion for food
Culinary training; i.e. cooking techniques / knife work / sanitation / HACCP / ingredient knowledge
ServSafe certification a plus
Ability to adapt and multi-task via a dynamic work environment with a positive attitude
Collaborative
Customer- Centric
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Keen attention to detail

Responsibility

Work under close supervision with limited decision-making authority.
Indirectly interact with customers on matters of minor impact on revenue.
Make indirect contributions to revenue-generating efforts at a moderate level.
Decisions or actions have a limited impact on the business, typically within the department.
Errors are typically detected through routine verification/review but may result in some workflow disruption or repetition of work.
Not responsible for influencing the decisions or actions of others.

** This role is pivotal in supporting culinary innovation and maintaining high standards within the organization's research and development processes.

Working Conditions

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a Culinary R&D Specialist encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

Physical Demands/Efforts

Work requires occasional physical exertion including some lifting of objects weighing up to 40 pounds
Willing and able to stand for long periods of time

Mental & Visual Demands

Work performed by this position requires moderate mental concentration to effectively execute moderately complex tasks.
Work requires continuous visual effort for extended periods of time.

Work Environment and Hazards

Employee works in a manufacturing setting with frequent exposure to heat/cold, dust, or other factors that may require protective equipment and still pose a hazard.
This position has regular exposure to hazards that could result in significate injury and lengthy loss of time at work.
Travel is not required for this position.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Kettle Cuisine complies with all aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state disability laws. This means we will not discriminate against qualified individuals with a disability in any phase of the employment relationship including application for employment, hiring, promotions and/or advancement opportunities, termination, compensation, training and any other conditions or privileges of employment.

Core Values

Kettle Cuisine takes the utmost pride in its people, products and reputation. Each employee is expected to understand and live our Core Values every day.

Honor Food – We create and produce the best tasting, safest, all natural recipes that strive for perfection in every batch, from bench to kettle

Honor Each Other – We seek to develop trusting, respectful and mutually rewarding relationships with all our team members and business partners

Honor Development – We recognize and nurture each other’s talents, strengths and interests in order to further strengthen and grow our team

Honor Innovation – We continually strive for creative and sustainable ways to achieve excellence

Pay Range for Culinary R&D Specialist

The Culinary R&D Specialist base pay range $50,000 - 65,000 USD/annually. The listed salary range represents Kettle Cuisine’s good faith estimate for this position and represents the minimum and maximum for new hire salaries for the Lynn, MA location only. Ranges will be reviewed on a regular basis. An employee’s rate of pay within the range is determined by their qualifications, relevant experience, and demonstrated performance over time. In addition to those factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as a part of any final offer. Hiring at the maximum of the range would not be typical to allow for future and continued salary growth. The Culinary R&D Specialist position is eligible for our comprehensive benefits package and is eligible for the annual discretionary bonus program up to 10%. Kettle Cuisine and all its legal entities comply with all federal, state, and local minimum wage laws.
Qualifications