Director, Core Product/Process Innovation, Innovation

Little Caesars Pizza•Detroit, MI

About The Position

Build a Bigger, Better, Bolder Future: Imagine working for a company that measures its success based off the growth of its colleagues, a company that invests in its future by investing in you. Little Caesars is a company where our colleagues make an impact. Your Mission: Leads innovation initiatives specific to product, equipment and processes that simplify operations, create labor savings and/or improve consistency of product and procedure execution at the restaurant level. Analyzes processes and data to identify innovation opportunities. Collaborates with industry leaders to identify, scale and commercialize potential solutions. Leads planning, execution and building of a business case to substantiate the innovation or capture learnings to apply to future projects. How You’ll Make an Impact: Subject Matter Expert in the Bakery Industry. Subject Matter Expert in restaurant Operations, Little Caesars Operations is a plus. Leads analysis of restaurant operations time motion data to identify and solve for simplification, labor savings and improvement to consistency of product and execution processes. Initiates projects by developing sell-in model and presentation, presenting to leadership to gain approval and alignment on success metrics. Collaborates with Operations, Suppliers, Finance, Franchisees, Equipment, and Development to deliver economically viable solutions that impact the restaurants by reducing labor hours and increasing bottom line operating income. Develops and recommends suppliers and manufacturers for new and existing product, ingredients, restaurant equipment, and supplier’s production equipment/lines. Leads project management and development of project test plan, scale up and commercialization with clearly identified key metrics and decision gates associated with business case development. Proactively engages with the bakery industry through networking, industry conferences, supplier visits, trade shows and trade journals to continually build and evolve knowledge. Actively engaged in day to day planning, operations and testing execution in the bakery pilot plant and production plant(s) in support of approved projects. Collaborates with Consumer Research to ensure consumer validation of product associated with process, equipment and/or production line changes. Key metrics identified, communicated and aligned upon at the beginning of the project with leadership updates at key decision points throughout the business case development. Develops product and process specifications. Works in Little Caesar Restaurants to continue to be an expert in the operations side of the business.

Requirements

Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in Bakery Science, Food Science or Food Engineering
15 - 20 years of bakery research and development and/or bakery operations work experience.
Extensive experience in product/process analysis, design and commercialization required.
Bakery pilot and production plant experience specific to design, operations and testing required.
Proven experience in data analysis and statistical evaluation.
Knowledge and experience of directing product development processes and consumer testing.
Ability to formulate bakery products in written form to produce food specifications.
Ability to work with food and operate food processing equipment in restaurant environment.
Ability to work any position in Little Caesar restaurant.

Nice To Haves

Supplemental experience in restaurant R&D, QSR preferred.
Subject Matter Expert in restaurant Operations, Little Caesars Operations is a plus.
Subject Matter Expert in the Bakery Industry.

Responsibilities

Leads innovation initiatives specific to product, equipment and processes that simplify operations, create labor savings and/or improve consistency of product and procedure execution at the restaurant level.
Analyzes processes and data to identify innovation opportunities.
Collaborates with industry leaders to identify, scale and commercialize potential solutions.
Leads planning, execution and building of a business case to substantiate the innovation or capture learnings to apply to future projects.
Leads analysis of restaurant operations time motion data to identify and solve for simplification, labor savings and improvement to consistency of product and execution processes.
Initiates projects by developing sell-in model and presentation, presenting to leadership to gain approval and alignment on success metrics.
Collaborates with Operations, Suppliers, Finance, Franchisees, Equipment, and Development to deliver economically viable solutions that impact the restaurants by reducing labor hours and increasing bottom line operating income.
Develops and recommends suppliers and manufacturers for new and existing product, ingredients, restaurant equipment, and supplier’s production equipment/lines.
Leads project management and development of project test plan, scale up and commercialization with clearly identified key metrics and decision gates associated with business case development.
Proactively engages with the bakery industry through networking, industry conferences, supplier visits, trade shows and trade journals to continually build and evolve knowledge.
Actively engaged in day to day planning, operations and testing execution in the bakery pilot plant and production plant(s) in support of approved projects.
Collaborates with Consumer Research to ensure consumer validation of product associated with process, equipment and/or production line changes.
Develops product and process specifications.
Works in Little Caesar Restaurants to continue to be an expert in the operations side of the business.