Project Lead, Menu Process Development

Chick-fil-A, Inc.•Atlanta, GA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Menu Commercialization Team is responsible for cultivating remarkable food that drives Customer trust, brand value, and can be consistently executed with excellence in our restaurants. This includes the process development of new menu items, identifying process improvements of existing menu items, and consulting on organizational partner initiatives to protect food quality and menu systems.

Requirements

In-depth knowledge and experience with fundamental culinary techniques
Strong technical understanding of food production, particularly in a franchised restaurant environment
A basic understanding of Lean Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, or other process improvement principles.
Ability to think critically about challenges and opportunities and identify solutions and options.
Experience in designing and execution of experiments and process.
Strong executive presence and communication skills to present to senior leadership and work effectively with internal and external international business partners.
Sound relational and feedback gathering skills that enable valuable interactions with restaurant level Team Members, Owner/Operators, and project stakeholders in a restaurant business environment
Commitment to maintain and guard confidential proprietary company information as appropriate.

Nice To Haves

Mastery of fundamental culinary techniques
Successful track record of creating, developing, and executing new menu items in a restaurant environment.
A deep understanding of Lean Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, or other process improvement principles.
Ability to think critically about challenges and opportunities and identify solutions and options.
Experience in designing and execution experiments, process, Sensory, or consumer testing.
Strong executive presence and communication skills to present to senior leadership and work effectively with internal and external international business partners.
Sound relational and feedback gathering skills that enable valuable interactions with restaurant level Team Members, Owner/Operators, and project stakeholders in a restaurant business environment
Proficient at Project Management

Responsibilities

Responsible for deep understanding of the food production process, the impact to food quality and team member experience, and representing the restaurant reality during the innovation process
Lead and manage various aspects of projects, including the development and validation of menu process solutions, ingredients, tools, and systems needed to execute new menu items consistently and efficiently.
Lead complex projects, as a subject matter expert, effectively and professionally to ensure stakeholders are informed and aligned while also ensuring Restaurant Operator and customer expectations are met.
Create the production methods for all menu development, including identifying the process and tools needed, product and packaging needs, and addressing all operational, quality, and safety requirements.
Serve as a Menu & Packaging liaison to other departments to ensure product quality and product execution standards are upheld.
Set operational feasibility guidelines for menu development and track throughout the development and testing process, identifying opportunities to optimize operations and quality.
Support culinary evaluations and identify opportunities and solutions to maintain quality expectations
Create data-driven operational recommendations during the menu development process and clearly communicate to organizational leaders the customer benefits and operational challenges of adding new menu items to the Chick-fil-A menu.
Foster cross-organizational relationships and support operational efforts to support larger scale process and system simplification initiatives with data-driven decision making.
Work with autonomy to drive outcomes while managing relationships with suppliers, internal and external partners.
Work hands-on in a kitchen/R&D facility, as well as in Restaurants, at suppliers or in manufacturing facilities.
Responsible for spending time engaging in Chick-fil-A Restaurants, learning from Operators and Team Members on operational opportunities.
Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, benchmarking state-of-the-art practices, and participating in professional societies.
Demonstrate Enterprise-Wide thinking and decision-making skills.
Exhibit the ability to present content and recipes to multiple levels of leadership – Executive Committee, Strategy Teams, Operators, Team Members, etc.