Innovation Manager
Our client, a leading foodservice organization is seeking an Innovation Manager to lead the development of new menu items, promotional products, and annual culinary programs. This individual will be responsible for recipe creation, product ideation, prototype development, raw material evaluation, meal presentation, costing, commercialization support, and training.
This role is ideal for a culinary professional who can blend creativity with operational execution, bringing new food concepts from initial idea through testing, commercialization, and launch.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead ideation and development of new menu recipes, promotional food items, and culinary programs from concept through commercialization.
- Create recipes, develop prototypes, conduct testing, and ensure products are practical for restaurant or foodservice execution.
- Evaluate plate presentation, raw materials, product performance, and cost estimates throughout the development process.
- Partner cross-functionally with teams such as Marketing, Finance, Operations, Strategic Sourcing, Training, suppliers, and buyers to bring new products to market.
- Provide culinary and product development expertise to support broader business initiatives, operational improvements, and menu innovation projects.
- Stay current on foodservice trends, competitive activity, supplier capabilities, and operational needs through market research, restaurant visits, supplier meetings, and competitive reviews.
- Support the development, coaching, and training of product development team members.
- Ensure food safety, handling, storage, quality, and service standards are incorporated into all product development work.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Culinary Arts degree, or equivalent professional experience required.
- 5-7 years of culinary experience, ideally with exposure to daily foodservice, restaurant, or multi-unit operations.
- Strong knowledge of culinary arts, food technology, menu development, and foodservice industry trends.
- Experience with consumer research, trend evaluation, product testing, or commercialization preferred.
- Strong understanding of food safety, proper handling/storage practices, service techniques, and basic quality assurance principles.
- Ability to develop products that can scale across operational environments.
- Ability to work cross-functionally and influence internal teams, suppliers, and business partners.
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