Cooking Performance Engineer

Cooking Performance Engineer

Midea America Corp. is a U.S. subsidiary within Midea Group, the Fortune 500 giant known for making life easier for millions around the globe. As the world’s top maker of home appliances, Midea is proud of its 166,000+ employees and presence in 200+ countries, including here in the U.S.

Headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., with an innovation hub in Louisville, Kentucky, Midea America provides practical innovations that surprise and delight, creating moments to cherish at home.

Midea's lineup of appliances - from refrigerators to air conditioners, laundry solutions and floor care are high quality, reliable, and affordable. By thoughtfully engineering performance, convenience, and design into every product, Midea delivers on the promise of every appliance.

Job Description:

The Cooking Performance Engineer is responsible for testing major cooking appliances using standardized recipes, developing innovative cooking procedures and recipes, and collaborating with engineering teams to enhance appliance performance to meet and exceed customer expectations in the North American market.

This role combines culinary expertise with technical acumen to drive product excellence through rigorous testing, insightful analysis, and cross-functional collaboration. It supports R&D teams by contributing testing expertise, innovative ideas, and structured testing plans, including the definition and execution of internal standards.

Responsible for the qualification and ongoing maintenance of a fully equipped cooking performance laboratory, including the selection and calibration of specialized equipment and fixtures to ensure the reliability, accuracy, and repeatability of test results.

Responsibilities:

Appliance Testing & Evaluation:

• Conduct performance testing of major cooking appliances (e.g., ovens, ranges, cooktops) using standardized recipes and procedures.
• Document and analyze cooking results to assess consistency, efficiency, and quality.

Performance Optimization:

• Provide actionable insights to improve cooking performance based on test results.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to identify root causes of performance issues using tools like Root Cause Analysis and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA).

Recipe & Procedure Development:

• Create and refine recipes tailored to appliance capabilities and consumer expectations.
• Develop new cooking procedures that enhance usability, efficiency, and food quality.

Cross-functional Collaboration:

• Work closely with product design, software, and hardware engineering teams to integrate cooking performance improvements.
• Partner with recognized labs and agencies (e.g., Consumer Reports, UL, CSA) to ensure compliance and benchmark performance.

Quality & Detail Orientation:

• Maintain meticulous records of testing protocols, results, and iterations.
• Ensure all procedures meet internal standards and external regulatory requirements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Culinary Arts, or related Engineering field.
• 5+ years of experience in appliance testing, culinary development, or product engineering. Experience on evaluation of gas and electric ranges is a plus.
• Strong understanding of cooking principles and appliance functionality.
• Familiarity with industry standards and testing protocols from agencies like CR, UL, CSA, etc.
• Experience with analytical tools such as FMEA and statistical analysis.
• Excellent attention to detail and documentation skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-disciplinary environment.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel internationally up to 15% of time to collaborate with global teams.

Feature Benefits

• Insurance package.
• 401(k).
• Work life balance.
• Comprehensive benefit package, to learn more, please visit Careers Page (midea.com).

Midea America Corp. is an equal opportunity employer. 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.