Culinary Specialist R&D Chef

About the role

Nestlé is looking for a Culinary Specialist R&D Chef in its Craftsmanship community, based in Lausanne on a full-time, permanent, office-based basis. The role brings high-level gastronomy, deep cuisine knowledge and culinary craftsmanship into food innovation and product development, working closely with chefs, product developers, food scientists, technologists, sensory experts, markets and factories.

Key responsibilities

• Create restaurant-quality culinary benchmarks and prototypes with distinctive taste, texture, appearance and authenticity.
• Turn consumer insights, culinary trends and unmet needs into original concepts with compelling product stories.
• Run structured experiments linking ingredients and processes to measurable sensory outcomes.
• Adapt culinary ideas into feasible, scalable and reproducible product solutions while protecting their original intent.
• Share craftsmanship through tastings, demonstrations and workshops across a global culinary community.
• Build an external culinary network bringing techniques, perspectives and innovation opportunities into Nestlé.

Required profile

• Seasoned professional chef with a strong track record, including experience in high-end restaurants such as Michelin-recognized establishments.
• Exceptional culinary craftsmanship, strong sensory judgement and broad knowledge of classical and contemporary cuisine.
• Scientific thinking applied to hypotheses, controlled trials and evidence-based learning.
• Precision and clear documentation of recipes, methods, observations and results.
• Ability to collaborate across culinary, scientific, technical and business communities in a global organisation.
• Fluent English; additional languages are an advantage.

What we offer

• Flexible working options, including hybrid work for office-based roles.
• Paid holidays beyond legal requirements.
• Learning and development opportunities.
• Performance-based bonus.
• Healthcare contribution and access to the Employee Assistance Program.
• Employer contribution to the pension plan.
• Generous parental leave and family support solutions.
• Employee discounts on products and services.

The hiring process includes an initial review, conversations with Talent Acquisition and the hiring team, a creative cooking and presentation session, and a final discussion. Internal candidates whose skills best match the role will be considered.