Culinary Innovation – Brand Marketing Manager

Natural Grocers

. Develop, test and refine recipes, menus, quick meal ideas and product-use concepts featuring Natural Grocers products .

Posted 9/21/2026full-timeLakewood • Colorado • United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $65,000 - $83,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in culinary innovation, recipe development, and food marketing, with a strong focus on creating consumer-facing culinary content and managing cross-functional projects. Proficient in food safety, documentation, and collaboration with diverse teams to deliver high-quality culinary experiences.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Culinary InnovationRecipe DevelopmentFood Photography SupportProject ManagementFood Safety Knowledge

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Recipe DevelopmentFood PreparationCookingPlatingDocumentation of IngredientsFood CostingIngredient SourcingProduction BudgetingSensory EvaluationConsumer-Facing Content Creation

Soft Skills

Effective CommunicationCollaborationOrganizational Skills

Tools & Technologies

Lytho

Certifications & Qualifications

Culinary Arts DegreeMarketing Degree

Industry Keywords

GroceryRetailConsumer Packaged GoodsNatural FoodsSpecialty Foods

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Develop, test and refine recipes, menus, quick meal ideas and product-use concepts featuring Natural Grocers products
Research culinary trends, competing products and launch activity and turn findings into recommendations
Support Natural Grocers Brand Products innovation through culinary research, prototypes, preparation tests and sensory feedback
Document ingredient quantities, methods, yields, preparation times and substitutions; develop repeatable procedures and training materials
Partner on themed events, product launches and campaign development, owning assigned projects from planning through delivery
Develop product-use stories and food content briefs for photography, video, social, email, web and in-store assets
Recommend culinary messaging, props and food presentation for wellness and brand campaigns
Develop {N}power meal-deal options, including menus, serving sizes, preparation guidance and visual presentation
Develop seasonal and national-event food concepts and supporting culinary content
Plan and execute food photography with the Food Photographer and creative team, including shot concepts, props, styling and product preparation
Cook and prepare food for social shoots, photography and video production
Review recipes, prepare shopping lists, source ingredients and manage recipe-demo expenses
Prepare and cook food in designated Natural Grocers Demo Kitchens and coordinate production schedules
Collaborate on culinary photo direction, plating, garnishes, food continuity and on-camera demonstrations
Clean and reset kitchens according to food safety, sanitation and kitchen SOPs
Develop quick recipes, food tips and preparation demonstrations for social channels
Improve recipe organization and discovery and curate seasonal, product-focused and event-based recipe collections
Coordinate nutrition-related guidance or claims through established review processes
Manage calendars, milestones, dependencies and deliverables; submit and track Lytho requests
Coordinate with merchandising, product, creative, social, video, web, nutrition education, store and external partner teams
Plan ingredient and production needs within approved budgets and recommend improvements based on performance feedback
Attend scheduled in-person cooking and production sessions, generally Monday through Friday, approximately three to four 6–8-hour days per month

Requirements

What you’ll need

Five years experience in culinary innovation, recipe development, or food marketing required
Demonstrated experience developing, testing and standardizing approachable recipes, menus, meal solutions and product-use concepts from ideation through execution
Strong hands-on culinary skills, including food preparation, cooking, plating and accurate documentation of ingredients, methods, yields, preparation times and substitutions
Working knowledge of food safety, sanitation and kitchen procedures
Ability to research culinary, consumer, product and competitive trends and translate findings into practical recommendations
Experience supporting food photography, video or social-content production
Strong project-management and organizational skills, including calendars, milestones, budgets, dependencies, production needs and deliverables
Effective written and verbal communication skills
Ability to collaborate with marketing, merchandising, product development, creative, social, video, web, nutrition education, store and external partner teams
Ability to use or quickly learn workflow and project-management tools, including Lytho
Ability to attend scheduled in-person cooking and production sessions at designated locations
Experience in grocery, retail, consumer packaged goods, natural or specialty foods, or another consumer-focused environment
Experience supporting product research and development, prototypes, sensory evaluation, commercialization or new-product launches
Experience creating consumer-facing culinary content for social media, email, web, in-store campaigns, recipe collections, seasonal events or promotional meal programs
Experience with food costing, ingredient sourcing, production budgeting, promotional pricing or vendor coordination
Portfolio demonstrating recipe development, food styling, culinary content, product innovation or successful cross-functional campaign execution
Culinary arts or marketing degree preferred