Associate Operations Manager, Kitchen Innovation

KFC • Irvine, CA

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Kitchen Innovation Associate Manager supports the development, testing, and operational validation of next-generation kitchen solutions for Taco Bell. This role partners closely with Architecture & Design, Engineering, Food Product Development, and Yum! Red Labs to help evaluate kitchen systems that reduce team member workload, expand capacity, improve throughput, protect margins, and work effectively in restaurants. Reporting to the Director of Drive-Thru and Kitchen Innovation, this role helps translate the Kitchen 2030 vision into practical, field-ready solutions by supporting pilots, analyzing results, building business cases, and helping move proven concepts toward scale.

Requirements

• Minimum of 6 years of experience in QSR, multi-unit restaurant operations, restaurant innovation, or adjacent foodservice environments, with direct exposure to kitchen operations at scale
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred or equivalent practical experience
• Demonstrated ability to develop and communicate compelling business cases that connect operational solutions to P&L impact, including labor, throughput, capex, margin, and scalability considerations
• Exercise strong judgment operating in tradeoff‑heavy environments, balancing speed, quality, consistency, complexity, and cost to deliver solutions that work in restaurants
• Proven track record of leading pilots and tests in real restaurant environments, with a clear understanding of the gap between lab concepts and field‑ready, operationally viable solutions
• Practical, operator‑minded approach to innovation, with an ability to identify when ideas that look strong on paper do not scale operationally or economically and adjust course accordingly
• Excellent communication, organizational, and influence skills, including translating complex ideas into clear, executive‑ready narratives and driving alignment across cross‑functional leaders and franchisee stakeholders without direct authority in a fast-paced, matrixed organization
• Strong project and program management capability, partnering effectively with Engineering, Product Development, and Operations with clarity on shared ownership, handoffs, decision rights, prioritization, and risk management.
• Employment eligibility to work with Taco Bell in the U.S. is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for this position.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree preferred or equivalent practical experience

Responsibilities

• Supports the development of the business, operational, and economic case for next-generation kitchen solutions, partnering with cross-functional teams (A&D, Engineering, FIT, Food Ops, Red Labs, Field Leaders & Finance) to bring concepts from pilot to scale.
• Help translate Kitchen 2030 strategy into clear problem statements, success metrics, and test plans, protecting accuracy, speed, quality, and consistency.
• Coordinate real-world testing and validation of kitchen equipment, technologies, layouts, and processes.
• Analyze pilot results and quantify impact across labor, throughput, order accuracy, and unit economics, ensuring scalability across 7,500+ restaurants.
• Partner with leaders to support pilot-to-scale execution by translating test results into deployment decisions, defining rollout criteria, and building clear business cases and roadmaps for leaders and franchisees.

Benefits

• Hybrid work schedule (onsite expectation Tues, Wed, Thurs) and year-round flex day Friday
• Onsite childcare through Bright Horizons
• Onsite dining center and game room (yes, there is a Taco Bell inside the building)
• Onsite dry cleaning, laundry services, and carwash
• Onsite gym with fitness classes and personal trainer sessions
• Up to 4 weeks of vacation per year plus holidays and time off for volunteering
• Generous parental leave for all new parents and adoption assistance program
• 401(k) with a 6% matching contribution from Yum! Brands with immediate vesting
• Comprehensive medical & dental including prescription drug benefits and 100% preventive care
• Discounts, free food, swag

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level