Director of Culinary Innovation

Starbird Chicken•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

At Starbird Chicken, we are redefining what fast casual food can be — serving clean, crave-worthy food through bold culinary creativity, operational excellence, and genuine hospitality. Innovation sits at the center of our brand identity. We believe our food should constantly evolve, surprise, and lead the category while remaining approachable, highly executable, and deeply guest-focused. As Starbird enters its next phase of national growth and franchising expansion, culinary innovation will continue to be the heartbeat of the brand. We are seeking an exceptional culinary leader who can elevate and protect Starbird’s food vision while building a scalable organization. The Director of Culinary Innovation is a senior leader responsible for shaping and advancing Starbird’s culinary identity across all channels and future growth platforms. This role owns the full innovation pipeline—from concept to commercialization—driving menu development, product standards, and scalable execution. The ideal candidate brings strong fast-casual/QSR innovation experience, sharp culinary instincts, operational know-how, and the ability to guide cross-functional teams through rapid growth. The role blends creativity with disciplined execution, balancing innovative menu ideas with simplicity, profitability, speed, and guest satisfaction.

Requirements

Culinary degree or equivalent training preferred
7+ years of progressive culinary leadership in fast casual/QSR/multi-unit brands
5+ years leading teams and external partners
Proven success with menu innovation and national rollouts
Deep operational and commercialization knowledge
Exceptional palate and commitment to ingredient quality
Strong financial/operational acumen (costing, yields, profitability)
Experience building and leading culinary or innovation teams
Strong communication and executive presence
Entrepreneurial, agile, highly collaborative style
Comfortable in fast-growth, high-change environments
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and recipe/inventory systems
Active Food Handler Certification; ServSafe Manager preferred

Responsibilities

Lead long-term culinary strategy, roadmap, and menu evolution
Build a strong innovation pipeline (core menu, LTOs, new categories, growth platforms)
Serve as the brand’s senior culinary voice
Translate trends, insights, and operational needs into differentiated menu innovation
Set and uphold culinary standards, flavor profiles, and product specs
Lead concepting, bench development, testing, rollout, and lifecycle management
Drive sensory evaluation, refinement, and operational feasibility
Partner with vendors on sourcing and commercialization
Improve existing items for quality, consistency, and profitability
Ensure alignment with clean ingredients and brand standards
Design innovation for multi-unit execution
Partner with Operations/Training on SOPs, prep, rollout plans, and standards
Support openings, field testing, and culinary audits
Balance creativity with labor efficiency, speed, equipment capacity, and economics
Ensure consistency across all restaurants
Align with Marketing on storytelling, campaigns, and LTO calendars
Collaborate with Finance on costing, margins, and menu architecture
Partner with QA/Food Safety on compliance, allergens, and nutrition
Work with Supply Chain and Operations on specs and execution
Present strategies and business cases to executive leadership
Build and mentor a high-performing culinary innovation/R&D team
Create scalable processes and stage-gate systems
Foster a culture of creativity, accountability, and excellence
Maintain recipe databases and documentation
Lead with professionalism, humility, and hospitality