Are You Ready to Make It Happen at Mondelēz International?

Join our Mission to Lead the Future of Snacking. Make It With Pride.

R&D Munich is seeking a creative and innovative Culinary Chef to join our Product Development team. In this role, you'll be instrumental in conceiving, developing, and refining new and existing food products for MDLZ dairy brands including Philadelphia cream cheese, Dairylea and Sottilette process cheese

You bring the culinary skills to make our products taste amazing.

How you will contribute

The Culinary Chef - Product Development is responsible for leading the culinary aspects of our new product development process. This includes brainstorming new product concepts, creating prototypes, conducting taste tests, and working closely with our research and development team to ensure the successful launch of innovative and delicious food products. In addition, this person will be responsible for the maintenance of the innovation kitchen and the benchtop lab.

The ideal candidate will have a strong culinary background, a passion for food innovation, and a keen understanding of market trends and consumer preferences.

What you will bring

A desire to drive your future and accelerate your career and the following experience and knowledge:

Ideation and Concept Development:

• Generate creative and innovative food product ideas based on market trends, consumer insights, and company goals.
• Participate in brainstorming sessions and contribute culinary expertise to the product development process.
• Research, analyze & create reports of competitor products and market opportunities.

Recipe Development and Prototyping:

• Develop and refine recipes for new and existing food products.
• Create prototypes and samples for internal testing and consumer research.
• Document recipes accurately and ensure reproducibility.

Benchtop lab & Inno kitchen E2E Management (25% of Working time)

• E2E maintenance (RM & Pack orders, keeping benchtop lab up and running, GMP compliance such as BBD checks)

Sensory Evaluation and Testing:

• Conduct sensory evaluations and taste tests to assess the quality, flavor, and texture of food products.
• Analyze data from taste tests and provide feedback to the product development team.
• Identify areas for improvement and recommend modifications to recipes and formulations.
• Conduct shelf life and application tests with our products

Collaboration with R&D:

• Work closely with food scientists, packaging engineers, and other members of the R&D team to optimize product formulations, processing methods, and packaging.
• Together with the product developer you support to ensure that products meet quality standards, regulatory requirements, and cost targets.
• Assist in the scale-up of new products from the laboratory to the manufacturing facility.

Ingredient Sourcing and Evaluation:

• Research and evaluate new ingredients and suppliers.
• Assess the impact of different ingredients on product quality and performance.

General:

• Needs to be trained in GMP, Health & Safety, QPMS, ION
• Participates and leads culinary engagement activities

Education and Experience:

• Min. 3-5 years of experience as a Chef or similar role in e.g., food manufacturing, product development, restaurant, bakery, food service
• Culinary degree, trained as a patisserie chef or equivalent certification required.
• Experience in recipe development, food prototyping, and sensory evaluation.

Skills and Abilities:

• Strong culinary skills and knowledge of various cooking techniques & ingredients.
• Creativity and a passion for food innovation.
• Excellent sensory evaluation skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Knowledge of food science principles and product development processes (a plus).
• Familiarity with food safety regulations and quality control procedures.
• Basic technical knowledge
• Is capable in understanding and communicating basic results in English
• Has to be able to use internal processes
• Support the safety program