Head of Culinary

SUMMARY :

The position is responsible for leading the culinary and R&D functions through the identification, ideation, development and implementation of new product initiatives and innovation pipelines in support of the brand vision and growth strategy.

Additionally, this position will bring core menu brand positioning to life through the optimization, benchmarking, testing and validation of current menu offerings.

Skills required include a blend of highly developed culinary creativity with an in-depth and demonstrated knowledge of food (a well-developed understanding of Tex-Mex or Latin American inspired food is required) Practical operational capabilities must include : food costing and related financial skills, practical experience with both quantitative and qualitative evaluation of foods and food equipment / procedures, effective utilization of vendor / supplier assets against strategic goals and a demonstrated ability to effectively train peers and unit-level internal partners in support of new product roll-outs.

This position reports directly to the COO.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Identification and presentation of opportunities to optimize core menu products, procedures or workflow.
• Develop a 12-month product pipeline across categories in order to achieve sales goals.
• Works with the Marketing team to ensure all products fulfill the appropriate briefs and fit the proper calendar windows.
• Function as a liaison with Operations to provide culinary / R&D solutions and improvements to in-restaurant performance.
• Support Training with the development and execution of Operations Procedure Manuals, job aids and training sessions.
• Regularly audit unit-level execution of food and beverage initiatives, providing feedback and solutions for improvement.
• Maintain and regularly update the internal recipe and recipe costing databases, yield calculations and vendor portfolio.
• Partner with Operations and Supply Chain on the development of packaging and procedural solutions for all products.
• Prepare appropriate documentation and materials to ensure a seamless transition from Research and Development to key business partners, including cost analysis.
• Interact in partnership with Operations, Supply Chain and Marketing to refine product specifications to deliver executional consistency, viability and recipe yields.
• Take on additional projects as required by department or concept. Partner with Purchasing on an as-needed basis to validate cost savings opportunities.
• Support Marketing on projects requiring a culinary resource such as photo and video shoots.
• Must demonstrate the ability to successfully manage multiple projects concurrently in a lean, dynamic and fast-paced culture.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES :

Manage a direct report team of 1-3.

QUALIFICATIONS :

10 years minimum progressive experience as an R&D Chef / Executive Chef. Experience and demonstrated creativity in a high quality, casual dining setting.

Chain restaurant (QSR / Fast Casual) segment is a plus.

• Creativity : ability to identify opportunities and create new, innovative solutions.
• Culinary expertise : In-depth knowledge of food and theoretical understanding and practical application of culinary principles.
• Ability to create a prototype product solely from an idea. Ability to add creative twists to traditional recipes to make them proprietary and unique.

Can reverse engineer a finished product back to its source ingredients. Well-developed sense of taste, aesthetics, and value-drivers in food.

Knowledge of Tex-Mex or Latin American cuisine.

• Operations experience is familiar and comfortable with the level of operational capabilities and equipment platforms within our category and is able to design products for success within those parameters.
• Financial acumen : has experience in food costing, yield analysis and financial reporting.
• Consumer-driven : integrates consumer feedback, trends and insights into product development process.
• Demonstrated ability to take direction, formulate a plan and execute that plan with limited direct supervision.
• Demonstrates the exceptional attention to detail required when documenting formulations, inputting costs, evaluating products and managing multiple deliverables / timelines.

LANGUAGE SKILLS :

• Written and oral communication skills.
• Must openly engage and leverage knowledge and experience during cross-functional ideations, meetings, planning sessions and specific PR initiatives.
• Good computer skills with advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word and Power Point.
• Graduate of an accredited culinary school (preferred)

PHYSICAL DEMANDS :

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions