Director, Innovation & Commercialization

Little Caesars•Detroit, MI

8h•Onsite

About The Position

In this role, you will help define the future for Little Caesars and drive impact across the business through innovation. You will lead the Automation & Process Innovation team, orchestrate detailed plans, drive initiatives and foster collaboration. Bring your interest and experience in innovation & commercialization along with an understanding of automation, process innovation, technology, new product development, service innovation and the integration into the QSR industry.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business or related field.
Ten (10) + years of innovation and project management experience with demonstrated increasing responsibility, QSR industry experience preferred.
Minimum of five (5) years’ experience managing a team of professionals, including hiring, setting goals, performance and coaching.
Excellent communicator (written and verbal).
Strong problem-solving and group facilitation skills.
Demonstrated ability to create innovative solutions.
Excellent interpersonal and persuasion skills.
Strong presentation skills within large and small group settings.
Proficient computer skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, Teams, and Power Point.
Experience with project management software and data visualization software.
Hands on experience launching new initiatives and piloting new processes, products, applications or technologies in large scale roll-outs.

Nice To Haves

QSR industry experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the Automation & Process Innovation team to operationalize new and evolved core products.
Develop a deep understanding of operational challenges faced by colleagues and Franchisees, as well as unmet consumer needs in the marketplace.
Identify key initiatives and projects aimed at resolving critical pain points, and propose strategic solutions through a "buy, build, or partner" approach.
Build and manage a long-term innovation roadmap prioritizing projects based on ROI.
Identify emerging technologies and evaluate their potential impact on restaurant operations.
Analyze the vendor and competitive landscape with a focus on innovation.
Define and oversee the execution of pilot programs for new initiatives, automation, or process innovation in collaboration with vendors and cross-functional teams, both in lab and live restaurant settings.
Work with internal teams to ideate and develop solutions not currently available in the market.
Assess the effectiveness of current and potential technologies in operations and provide recommendations for implementation.
Create and execute strategies for scaling successful pilots across the organization.
Track performance of implemented solutions and report on business outcomes.
Apply an agile, test-and-learn approach, working effectively with cross-functional teams.
Perform full project management duties, including tracking costs, schedules, risks, deliverables, and resource allocation across multiple concurrent projects.
Establish clear timelines, communicate project status to stakeholders, provide data-driven recommendations, lead status meetings, and maintain engagement across teams.
Lead people development, performance management and coaching for the team.