Group Culinary Head, R&D at Promasidor

Promasidor - We are an African company proud of our heritage and totally committed to the continent. We manufacture, market and sell unique brands which bring practicality and pleasure to millions of consumers across Africa.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Group Culinary Head, R&D

Location: Lagos, Nigeria

About the Role

• The Group Culinary Head leverages expertise in cuisine, consumer cooking habits, and food science to drive innovation in product development. 
• This role involves creating and refining recipes, translating them into scalable formulations within cost targets, and collaborating with marketing, technical, and quality assurance teams. 
• Additionally, the chef supports recipe standardization for wet sampling and assists in organizing cooking demonstrations.

Product Development & Industrialization:

• Develop new culinary products in line with the marketing brief, ensuring they align with consumer preferences and market trends.
• Transform kitchen recipes into industrially scalable formulations while maintaining taste, texture, quality integrity and cost target.
• Work with technical teams to ensure recipes are aligned with production capabilities and cost objectives.
• Collaborate with CMI to conduct regularly preference test to ensure our product remain competitive
• Ensure adherence to food safety, lcoal regulatory, and quality standards in all recipe formulations.

Collaboration & Cross-Functional Support:

• Work closely with flavor houses to co-develop customized flavors and ingredients.
• Partner with R&D, supply chain, and production teams to source quality ingredients and optimize costs.
• Collaborate with marketing to provide culinary expertise in branding, positioning, and storytelling for new products.
• Conduct competitive benchmarking (regular tasting session) to identify gaps and opportunities in the market.

Marketing & Consumer Engagement:

• Develop and document standardized recipes for consumer test.
• Ensure consistency in product formulation by refining and validating ingredient specifications.
• Organize and oversee wet sampling sessions for internal stakeholders, ensuring accurate sensory evaluation.
• Support marketing team in driving cooking demonstrations showcasing product applications.
• Support promotional activities, trade shows, and customer engagement events with live product presentations.

Continuous Improvement & Innovation:

• Stay updated with global food trends, innovations, and technological advancements in the food industry.
• Experiment with new cooking techniques, ingredient combinations, and flavor profiles to drive differentiation.
• Work with sensory evaluation panels to refine products based on consumer feedback

Educational Qualifications and Experience

• Candidates should possess an HND / B.Sc Degree in Culinary or equivalent professional culinary experience.
• Strong knowledge of food science, ingredients, and culinary techniques
• Minimum of 15 years of experience in culinary research and product development.

Key Competencies:

• Excellent palate and sensory evaluation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Strong communication, organizational, and collaboration skills.
• Proficiency in documenting recipes and maintaining accurate records.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations and industry standards.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note: Opportunity open to both local and expatriate professionals