Director, International Menu & Product Development

Denny's • Spartanburg, SC

7d

About The Position

The Director, International Menu & Product Development will conduct local market evaluations to understand the individual needs of that market related to the menu and messaging support needs. This role will determine where and when regional programs could maximize profits and lead local franchise partners to determine the best menu and limited-time offers for their market that support Denny’s brand identity and provide profitable sustainable sales. This position will provide guidance and partner with Denny’s marketing subject matter experts to determine the best menu layout and design. The role will support global menu requirements with a balance of local, regional, and US ingredient sourcing, matching all A-level ingredients and finding suitable alternatives for ingredients with subsequent levels of proprietary status. The Director will use Denny’s standard protocol for international ingredient testing and maintain a global recipe and photo database by country. This role will help franchise partners source ingredients to support US programs where applicable and fill voids where necessary, and manage the supply commitment process for franchisee module participation in conjunction with Denny’s purchasing. The Director will develop bi-yearly regional ideation sessions to support the efficiencies of regional programs as an alternative to an all-US calendar, and support concept ideation of then create recipes that meet the cultural expectations of respective countries. This position will refine recipes and ingredient specifications to meet consumer preferences as established through sensory panels and marketing research with special consideration of the ability to successfully execute said recipe within Denny’s operational and manufacturing limitations. The Director will conduct market visits to discover issues and find solutions before a recipe, ingredient, or program is implemented when applicable, and verify or refine recipes submitted by international franchisees through the “New Product Approval” process. This role will also assist the Product Innovation/Product Development team with other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Must match all A-level ingredients and find suitable alternatives for ingredients with subsequent levels of proprietary status.
• Must use Denny’s standard protocol for international ingredient testing.
• Maintain global recipe and photo database by country, to ensure all Denny’s recipes are protected worldwide and can be assessed by international partners in the event a recipe in one part of the world could be successful in another part.
• Help franchise partners source ingredients to support US programs where applicable and fill voids where necessary.
• Manage the supply commitment process for franchisee module participation in conjunction with Denny’s purchasing.
• Develop bi-yearly regional ideation sessions to support the efficiencies of regional programs as an alternative to an all-US calendar.
• Support concept ideation of then create recipes that meet the cultural expectations of respective countries.
• Refine recipes and ingredient specifications to meet the consumer preferences as established through sensory panels and marketing research with special consideration of the ability to successfully execute said recipe within Denny’s operational and manufacturing limitations.
• Conduct market visits to discover issues and find solutions before a recipe, ingredient, or program is implemented when applicable.
• Verify or refine recipes submitted by international franchisees through the “New Product Approval” process.
• Assist Product Innovation/Product Development team with other duties as assigned.

Responsibilities

• Conduct local market evaluations to understand the individual needs of that market related to the menu and messaging support needs.
• Determine where and when regional programs could maximize profits.
• Lead local franchise partners to determine the best menu and limited-time offers for their market that support Denny’s brand identity and provide profitable sustainable sales.
• Provide guidance and partner with Denny’s marketing subject matter experts to determine the best menu layout and design.
• Support global menu requirements with a balance of local, regional, and US ingredient sourcing.
• Match all A-level ingredients and find suitable alternatives for ingredients with subsequent levels of proprietary status.
• Use Denny’s standard protocol for international ingredient testing.
• Maintain global recipe and photo database by country, to ensure all Denny’s recipes are protected worldwide and can be assessed by international partners in the event a recipe in one part of the world could be successful in another part.
• Help franchise partners source ingredients to support US programs where applicable and fill voids where necessary.
• Manage the supply commitment process for franchisee module participation in conjunction with Denny’s purchasing.
• Develop bi-yearly regional ideation sessions to support the efficiencies of regional programs as an alternative to an all-US calendar.
• Support concept ideation of then create recipes that meet the cultural expectations of respective countries.
• Refine recipes and ingredient specifications to meet the consumer preferences as established through sensory panels and marketing research with special consideration of the ability to successfully execute said recipe within Denny’s operational and manufacturing limitations.
• Conduct market visits to discover issues and find solutions before a recipe, ingredient, or program is implemented when applicable.
• Verify or refine recipes submitted by international franchisees through the “New Product Approval” process.
• Assist Product Innovation/Product Development team with other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of age, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, genetic information, military or veteran's status, criminal background, or any other characteristic protected by Federal, State, or local law.
• Reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed