JSK Recruiting, Inc

Compensation

Full Description

Senior Food Designer Location: Chicago, IL Compensation: $110,000 to $130,000 plus 10% bonus Schedule: Full-time, onsite (lab and production floor presence required) Perks & Culture • Consistent work-life balance in a family-oriented environment • Publicly traded company with 79 years in business • Never had a layoff in company history • Third-generation ownership actively investing in innovation and product development • A team-first culture going through a major shift toward innovation, creative marketing, and smart technology • Be at the forefront of rethinking R&D, branding, and the future of dessert products About the Role This is a hands-on product development role focused on creating and reformulating dessert products from concept to commercialization. You will take ideas from the marketing team and turn them into real, scalable products, owning the technical process from benchtop testing to full-scale production runs. You will serve as the daily technical lead in the lab, freeing up the Director of R&D to focus on strategy while you manage formulations, trials, supplier coordination, and innovation cycles. The role is onsite at the company’s Countryside facility and highly cross-functional, involving close collaboration with marketing, operations, and manufacturing teams. What You’ll Be Doing • Develop new dessert products based on creative concepts provided by marketing • Lead all phases of R&D project work, including formulation, testing, pilot runs, and scale-up • Manage reformulations and improvements to existing product lines • Work directly with manufacturing teams to ensure product viability at scale • Support supplier evaluations and help identify new ingredients and technologies • Coordinate testing programs (shelf life, sensory, regulatory) and finalize product documentation • Contribute to broader innovation efforts and help define internal R&D processes • Use Excel to manage project details, track formulations, and maintain technical records • Provide technical insight into label claims, nutritional targets, and compliance needs Who You Are • BS degree in Food Science or related field is required, Master’s, MBA, or related food certifications are a plus) • 5+ years of R&D experience in food manufacturing setting with at least 3 years focused on desserts, baking or confectionary related products or similar categories • Comfortable balancing creative input with technical execution • Strong communicator who can simplify complex technical concepts for cross-functional teams • Confident working in both lab and production environments • Experience with co-manufacturing, ingredient sourcing, and supplier coordination • Organized and proactive in managing multiple active projects • Proficient with Excel (pivot tables, formulas, basic data tracking) This Role Is for You If You... • Love building products from scratch and enjoy the challenge of refining them until they are ready to scale • Want to be part of a cultural shift where innovation and product creativity are finally being prioritized • Are energized by working across teams including marketing, operations, and supply chain • Thrive in a business that is stable, grounded, and ready for a new chapter • Are looking for more than just a job and want to help shape the future of a company that is investing in what’s next Apply Now If you’re ready to bring creativity, execution, and energy to a growing R&D function and help lead the charge into a new era of innovation, we’d love to hear from you. Send your resume to start the conversation. Company DescriptionThe team at JSK Recruiting, Inc. prides itself on providing boutique-level services combined with the resources of a larger recruiting firm. We forgo the traditional nine-to-five workday model in favor of complete accessibility. We are here for our clients and candidates when they need us most. With 12 years of experience in the field of supply chain and manufacturing recruiting, we maintain the relationships that employers are looking for in a recruiting firm as well as those that talented professionals need when they are ready to make a career change. At JSK Recruiting, we provide complete recruiting services, from sourcing candidates to organizing the interview process. Finding both long-term employees and rewarding careers across manufacturing and supply chain positions has never been easier.