Culinary Innovation Manager, Ready-to-Eat Plant-Based Meals
Overview
You will own the Ready-to-Eat portfolio at Purple Carrot, the only fully plant-based meal delivery company in America. You will lead product commercialization with co-manufacturing partners, driving strategy and execution for a category that serves thousands of customers weekly. Partnering with Culinary, Operations, Procurement, Marketing, and QA, you will ensure every RTE meal meets our culinary standards and operational goals. This role stands out by blending hands-on kitchen work with strategic cross-functional leadership, and by directly scaling clean, plant-based meals from concept to customer's door.
What You'll Do9
- 1Own the Ready-to-Eat portfolio end-to-end, aligning products with culinary standards, operational capabilities, financial targets, and customer expectations.
- 2Lead RTE commercialization with co-manufacturing partners, from product handoff through testing, scale-up, launch, and post-launch optimization using Excel and Google Sheets for tracking.
- 3Serve as the primary culinary contact for co-manufacturing and production partners, building relationships that ensure consistent product quality and operational excellence.
- 4Resolve product, quality, and commercialization challenges with vendors, and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
- 5Drive cross-functional execution with Procurement, Operations, QA, Marketing, Creative, and Fulfillment to launch new products and execute weekly menus.
- 6Manage commercialization timelines, workbacks, and milestones to keep launches on schedule, using tools like Asana and Trello.
- 7Be on-site at production facilities during key launches to troubleshoot issues in real time, ensuring a smooth scale-up.
- 8Manage RTE merchandising (menu rankings, web display) and maintain accurate product documentation, including pricing, specs, shelf life, and launch dates.
- 9Assist with ad-hoc projects and tasks as necessary to support the Culinary team.
Requirements9
- 15+ years of experience in recipe development, product development, or culinary innovation.
- 2Culinary degree or equivalent professional culinary experience, with hands-on food manufacturing knowledge.
- 3Strong understanding of product commercialization, from concept through launch, including scale-up and co-manufacturing processes.
- 4Working knowledge of recipe costing, ingredient specifications, nutrition labeling, and food manufacturing processes.
- 5Proficient in Google Workspace, able to quickly learn recipe management, project management, and product lifecycle software such as FoodNotify and Plate IQ.
- 6Able to commute regularly to Chicago-area sites: Fulton Market test kitchen, Marketing Office, production partner, and co-manufacturer in northwest suburbs.
- 7Demonstrated experience managing multiple projects, priorities, timelines, and stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
- 8Exceptional organizational skills with strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
- 9Experience with co-manufacturers, commissaries, meal kits, or large-scale food production is a plus.
Salary Insight
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