Director of Culinary (Food Broker)

Affinity Group is seeking a talented, creative, and dynamic Director of Culinary in New England to lead our culinary strategy and further development of our culinary capabilities and services with the goal of making culinary synonymous with the Affinity Group brand and a vital element to our go-to-market approach. 

The Director of Culinary is responsible for the direct communication and engagement of our culinary resources with selected Clients and their culinary teams while also providing leadership and direction to our Regional Culinary Teams and field-based Culinarians for the innovative services and support needed to drive overall growth. This position will guide our sales teams in how to best leverage culinary demonstrations to demonstrate the unique value of the brands Affinity Group represents.

Who We Are:

Affinity Group is a leading and fast-growing food industry sales and marketing agency serving clients and customers throughout North America.  With over 900 associates, Affinity Group boasts strong headquarters and local relationships in both the retail and foodservice channels while representing some of the most recognizable and well-regarded food brands in the industry.

What You’ll Do:

As the Director of Culinary, you will be responsible for, but not limited, to the following duties: 

• Refine and optimize the Affinity Group culinary capabilities and services to offer clients and customers.
• Be the liaison for selected national clients and coordinate the culinary services provided, e.g., recipe ideation, menu applications, product presentations, etc.
• Assess specific client/culinary opportunities to ensure the proper level of resources are allocated and efficiently executed.
• Lead Business Development efforts to help support our Clients’ Culinary needs outside of our current offerings.
• Achieve operating budgets.
• Lead the Regional Culinary team to provide direction around key client and Affinity Group initiatives. Work closely with sales representatives and culinary to develop and maximize their skillsets.
• Support local ACF chapters by attending key events and meetings.
• Train and develop local culinary teams to further strengthen our capabilities and the services provided.
• Stay attuned to new and emerging culinary and menu trends.
• Analyze trend data for the teams and create applications for execution in the field.
• Create video training tools for sales team around product application and solutions.
• Organizes and schedules product trainings. Creates innovative and simple demonstration recipes that enable street sales to maximize profitability.
• Support National and Chain Account Team with menu solutions and applications.
• Support marketing and brand building efforts that feature culinary.

Strategic Objectives

• Develop and market our culinary resources and capabilities to deliver unparalleled value to our clients.
• Execute against industry leading insights and collateral to deliver added value.
• Secure new client acquisitions each year.
• Attain departmental budget goals.

Requirements:

• 10+ years of Culinary Experience.
• Prior Team Management Experience.
• Culinary Degree preferred.
• Some college (B.A. or B.S. in Food Science or related discipline preferred).
• Superior organization and communication skills and be teamwork oriented.
• Must be comfortable presenting to large groups.
• Must have working knowledge of business technologies (Microsoft O365, Teams, Zoom, etc.)
• Microsoft Office experience a plus.

What to expect:

• The typical work week: Monday through Friday
• Daily/weekly interaction with clients as well as our internal team
• Daily/weekly live Culinary Presentations for clients and operators

The Affinity Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.