Culinary Innovation Manager - Arby's

Inspire•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

Deliver industry-leading product innovation that drives traffic, revenue, and guest satisfaction. Champion consumer-inspired culinary experiences across existing menu, new LTOs, cost optimization, and procedures/operations. Culinary is the heartbeat of the Arby’s brand strategy & business – our equity is based on menu diversity that sets new standards for innovation in QSR.

Requirements

Minimum 2-Year Degree with a Concentration in Culinary Arts or Food Science / Food Technology / closely related scientific discipline
3+ Years of experience Required in Culinary product development and menu strategy
Passion for Food & Culinary mastery – creative menu development, food products, cost, manufacturing, restaurant operations and equipment
Collaboration – demonstrated ability to work with other functions and external vendors to build trust & deliver results
Strategy & program development – ability to take idea to execution, managing multiple priorities and functional engagement
Strong organization and presentation skills – balance multiple priorities, keep timelines & records, clearly written & verbal communication
Thrives in ambiguity – ability to multi-task with minimal direct supervision. Move quickly on tight timelines while maintaining strong work product & quality standards
Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

Nice To Haves

Preferred 4-Year Degree with a Concentration in Culinary Arts or Food Science / Food Technology / closely related scientific discipline
Experience preferred: Multi-unit Restaurant Chain

Responsibilities

Culinary innovation & product development, including core menu and LTO innovation. Partner with Category Management team throughout the innovation process, including concept/ideation, product development, in-market testing & commercialization for system launch
Creative culinarian who inspires the team to push boundaries and strives to create the first in class, best in class and/or only products of target category offered in QSR
Responsible for translating culinary briefs into product innovation that drives new guest acquisition and industry-leading guest satisfaction
Work with Insights Team to conduct consumer/guest research to understand consumer needs & product optimization, including execution/preparation of product for testing
Work with vendor partners to develop new products from concept to prototype, prototype to costed commercially viable sample, and through system commercialization process.
In touch with culinary trends and competitive innovation
Participate & cook in key culinary events: Inspire & Arby’s Board Meetings, Annual Franchise Conference, Arby’s Foundation, Executive Tastings, Arby’s Foundation
Deliver consistent, high quality guest experiences across the system - ‘Get it done’ by working collaboratively with Marketing, Operations, commercialization (QA) & Supply Chain leaders to align strategy and ensure excellence in execution
Strong program management, operational discipline, and cross functional collaboration to deliver innovation that is consumer-led, financially attractive and executable at scale
New product launch readiness – raw material/formula specifications, new product yield, confirm QA & regulatory / legal approval, establish scalable procedures & validate supplier readiness for system roll-out
Partner with Operations: i) develop training materials to deliver consistent restaurant-level execution, ii) test and refine back/front of house process and procedures, iii) select equipment to improve guest experience and launch new products, iv) improve and optimize packaging to enhance guest satisfaction and reduce cost
Work with Supply Chain (Arby’s Co-op and Inspire) to manage supplier relationships, define sourcing strategy and negotiate cost
Other duties as assigned