Culinary Innovation Chef

Department: Prepared Foods
Reports To: Head of Prepared Foods
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Denver, Colorado, or Virginia
Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Travel Requirements: Approximately 20% travel
Employment Type: Full-time

Role Overview / Purpose and Scope

As Culinary Innovation Chef at Farmer Focus, you will be at the forefront of great food—crafting new flavors and products that fill the hearts and bellies of our customers and consumers. Working closely with Sales, Marketing, Research and Development, and Operations, you will ideate, conceptualize, develop, scale, and commercialize food items that expand our culinary reach and grow the Prepared Foods business.

This position requires extensive culinary expertise and the ability to bring a wide range of flavors and cuisines to life. The ideal candidate has a refined palate, a deep understanding of global cuisines, and a strong awareness of culinary trends across restaurants, retail, and digital channels. Your ability to create taste profiles ranging from authentic global flavors to broad mainstream appeal will help drive product relevance, distribution, and commercial success.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop “Gold Standard” foods, flavor profiles, and recipes that can be commercialized for retail and foodservice channels.

• Manage the innovation process from ideation and concept development through commercialization.

• Partner with Marketing, Sales, Operations, and Research and Development to scale and successfully launch new products.

• Manage the annual team budget and project-level financial considerations, including target retail pricing and recipe engineering that supports distribution opportunities and company profitability.

• Apply knowledge of USDA and FDA product regulations to help ensure products meet applicable regulatory and food-safety standards.

• Partner with Marketing and Sales to monitor culinary trends and flavor-adoption cycles across restaurant, retail, and digital channels.

• Conduct domestic and global market visits to identify culinary trends and business opportunities.

• Deliver detailed, actionable evaluations of competitive food products to inform innovation and product development.

• Present concepts, recommendations, and results to executive leadership, Farmer Focus team members, and customers.

• Plan and conduct internal and external taste panels to refine recipes and evaluate the viability of new food items.

• Apply and expand knowledge of production processes and commercialization requirements to improve the efficiency of innovation and product development.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Compensation

Salary Range: $150,000–$175,000 total earnings annually

Additional Compensation: Bonus eligible

The posted compensation range for this role reflects the minimum and maximum amount Farmer Focus in good faith expects to pay at the time of posting, based on factors such as internal equity, relevant experience, market data, and the budgeted amount available for the position.

Benefits: Farmer Focus offers a competitive total rewards package designed to support team members’ health, financial well-being, and professional growth. Available offerings may include weekly payroll, paid time off and sick leave, semi-subsidized medical coverage, dental and vision plan options, a 401(k) plan with company match, education reimbursement opportunities, employee assistance programs (EAP), and internal learning, development, and career growth programs.

All benefits, programs, and offerings are subject to eligibility requirements, plan terms, and company policies, and may be changed, amended, or discontinued by Farmer Focus at any time.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Culinary arts degree or at least five years of experience working as a chef.

• Demonstrated passion for food, culinary creativity, and making an impact on the national food scene.

• Deep knowledge of global cuisines and the ability to translate diverse flavor profiles for varied consumer audiences.

• Strong leadership, project-management, communication, and organizational skills.

• Working knowledge of USDA and FDA regulations applicable to food-product development and commercialization.

• Understanding of fully cooked poultry, modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP), and product shelf life.

• Ability to travel approximately 20%.

• Ability to perform the essential functions of the role with or without reasonable accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least two years of consumer packaged goods (CPG) product-development experience.

• Experience scaling culinary concepts into commercially viable products for retail or foodservice channels.

• Experience facilitating taste panels and presenting to executive leaders, customers, or cross-functional teams.

New team members must be able to pass drug, alcohol, and background screening post-offer and before the start of employment. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. The Immigration Reform and Control Act requires verification of employment eligibility for all new employees by the end of their third day of work.

Work Environment, Physical Demands, and Travel

This role is based in Denver, Colorado, or Virginia and works a day-shift schedule. Approximately 20% travel is required for market visits, customer or partner engagements, product-development activities, and other business needs. The role includes work in culinary, office, customer, and food-production environments. It may require standing for extended periods, tasting food products, handling culinary tools and ingredients, and using required personal protective equipment in production settings.

This position does not have an application deadline. Farmer Focus will recruit until the role is filled.

Recruiter and Agency Disclaimer

Unsolicited resumes or candidate profiles submitted by staffing agencies, recruiters, or search firms to any Farmer Focus employee without a current written agreement and an active, role-specific request from the Recruiting team will be considered the property of Farmer Focus. Farmer Focus will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume or candidate profile.

All external recruiters and agency partners supporting Farmer Focus searches must comply with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, including compensation-transparency requirements and restrictions on seeking salary history where applicable.

About Farmer Focus

Farmer Focus exists to promote and protect generational family farms by shifting farm-level decision-making and chicken ownership back to farmers and empowering them to farm the way they know is best. We are committed to producing 100% organic and humanely raised chicken that is better for people, the planet, and animals. Our culture is grounded in servant leadership and guided by our CARES values: Community, Accountability, Respect, Excellence, and Stewardship. Our top priorities are people, safety, and quality. At Farmer Focus, our vision is to disrupt the status quo by creating bold opportunities for people who demand more and deserve better.

EOE, including disability/vets