Culinary R&D Associate

Sakara Life is a mission driven, fast-growing premium wellness brand helping people nourish themselves by providing ready-to-eat nutrition programs, functional products and unique content to clients nationwide. We are seeking smart, passionate, ambitious and hardworking team players that share our passion for health & well-being. You will be responsible for “turning thoughts into things” and helping manifest the future of Sakara.

About this role: The R&D Associate will report directly to the Vice President, R&D and Innovation and will be part of the team that leads innovation and operational scaling for our fresh meals program. The R&D Associate will work very closely with our current R&D Associate, members of the procurement team, and the kitchen teams across both coasts. This role will extend from creative ideation, rigorous recipe testing, impeccable documentation, to on-the-ground scaling of recipes. A passion for food, excellent organizational skills, a penchant for creative problem solving, the ability to work cross-functionally and understand the challenges of other teams, and attention to detail are required

You’ll love this role if: You are highly creative and hyper detail-oriented; ignited by the intersection of food innovation and operations. You have strong communication and interpersonal skills and like to work with diverse personalities across multiple departments. You are a self-starter and love to problem solve and improve systems and products. Have a team-first mentality, and are excited to uphold high standards and tackle tough challenges collaboratively with positivity, resilience, and a strong work ethic!

Responsibilities:

• Create seasonal recipe pitches for our upcoming innovation cycles in line with Sakara’s core values
• Support our creative team with meal prep to capture key assets
• Drive continuous improvement to our current meal offerings for scale, nutrition, and client experience
• Serve as lead recipe tester, following and improving upon our standard operating procedures with granular attention to detail
• Serve as the owner of the meal tasting process, including rigorous testing, documentation, and execution of tastings with key stake-holders
• Collaborate with our Press and Partnerships team on recipe development and menu planning for special events
• Conduct research to understand industry trends and drive future innovation within fresh meals
• Manage weekly recipe audits to ensure accuracy and identify improvements to our recipe database
• Be or become an expert on our Sakara food principles and philosophy
• Work with the procurement team and production teams on both coasts to seamlessly scale and roll out new recipes by providing direct support to our chefs and cooks.

Qualifications:

• 2-4 years of experience in food and beverage operations and more specifically in a fresh meals R&D kitchen is preferred
• Must be a team player, motivated by challenge, and an excellent communicator
• Highly organized - both administratively and physically - and able to juggle multiple deadlines while staying focused and prioritizing effectively.
• Proven track record of recipe creation and development
• Excellent knife skills and knowledge of cooking techniques and equipment.
• A bachelor’s degree or culinary degree is preferred
• Knowledge of nutrition, plant-based, gluten-free cuisine, and holistic and natural ingredients is a huge plus
• Must be able to work well independently and collaboratively
• Basic proficiency with Excel, Google spreadsheets, Powerpoint and non-specific PC based products

The pay band for this role is $60,000-$70,000

This role will work be based in our Long Island City, Queens Kitchen Production Facility. We are a hybrid work environment and 3 days in person will be required.

Sakara Life is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons shall have the opportunity to be considered for employment without regard to their race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability, sex, gender, gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

Powered by JazzHR

c8BUXwgHwA