Manager Corporate Chef

About the role

As the Manager, Culinary Strategy – Field Sales, you will lead a team of field-based Corporate Chefs responsible for customer engagement, operator activation, and culinary sales support across the United States. This role requires a strategic and forward-thinking leader who can assess evolving business needs, identify gaps and opportunities, and develop scalable solutions that enhance how the team supports both customers and the sales organization. You will establish best practices, enhance team capabilities, and create scalable processes that improve activation effectiveness, customer experience, and business results. As a player-coach, you will balance team leadership with active participation in strategic customer engagements, partnering closely with Sales, Marketing, and Commercial Leadership teams to position Nestlé Professional Solutions as a trusted culinary and business partner while shaping the future direction of field culinary support.

This role can be based in Los Angeles, CA / Dallas, TX / Denver, CO / Chicago, IL / Arlington, VA / Orlando, FL and reports directly to the Sr. Director, Culinary & Beverage Strategy.

Responsibilities

• Leadership & Talent Development
  • Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of field-based Corporate Chefs, fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
  • Oversee training, onboarding, and enablement programs to strengthen product expertise, consultative selling, and customer engagement capabilities.
  • Establish and manage performance metrics, quality standards, and team goals aligned to annual business objectives and KPIs.
  • Conduct regular coaching, mentoring, and field engagement to strengthen culinary selling, operator engagement, and commercial effectiveness.
  • Drive talent development through coaching, succession planning, and individualized growth opportunities.
  • Partner with Culinary Strategy Leadership, Regional Field Sales Leadership, and Broker Partners as you lead the Culinary Field Sales Team.
• Customer Engagement
  • Develop and execute field culinary strategies that support growth initiatives, customer priorities, and business objectives.
  • Lead strategic customer engagements, activations, business reviews, and top-to-top culinary opportunities that drive measurable business results.
  • Maintain an individual project pipeline based on geographic region and overall company targets.
• Operational Excellence & Field Execution
  • Optimize field resource allocation and deployment strategies to maximize impact, efficiency, and return on culinary investment.
  • Implement and maintain standardized tools, processes, and best practices that ensure consistent, scalable execution across all regions.
  • Through market assessment and broker knowledge, create programs on the field level based on product or channel-relevant needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science, Hospitality Management, Business, or a related field preferred.
• 6+ years of restaurant, foodservice, or culinary sales experience required.
• 4+ years of experience in a culinary selling role with a food manufacturer, distributor, broker, or comparable organization.
• 4+ years of people leadership experience leading and developing teams in a corporate setting.
• Deep knowledge of foodservice channel, industry trends, customer strategies, and competitive landscape.
• Knowledge of broker networks preferred.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations and sanitation standards.
• Ability to travel up to 60%.

Skills & Qualifications

• Strategic, results-oriented leader with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to identify opportunities, address gaps, and develop actionable business strategies.
• Proven ability to lead change, optimize processes, and implement scalable ways of working that improve organizational effectiveness and commercial impact.
• Experience leading, coaching, and developing high-performing teams while fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Executive presence with exceptional communication and influencing skills, capable of building alignment across leadership, sales, marketing, and cross-functional teams.
• Strong business and commercial acumen with the ability to connect culinary expertise, customer needs, and portfolio strategy to measurable business outcomes.
• Deep understanding of consultative selling, customer engagement, and culinary field sales within foodservice or food manufacturing environments.
• Broad culinary and operational expertise with the ability to translate portfolio capabilities into scalable, customer-focused solutions.

Pay

The approximate pay range for this position is $160,000 to $170,000. Please note that the pay range provided is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Final compensation may vary based on factors including but not limited to knowledge, skills and abilities as well as geographic location.

Benefits

Nestlé offers performance-based incentives and a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 401k with company match, healthcare coverage and a broad range of other benefits. Incentives and/or benefit packages may vary depending on the position.