Sr. Manager, Culinary Innovation, Corporate Chef

Job Description

The Sr. Manager, Culinary Innovation, Corporate Chef is a newly created position with a critical role to play in accelerating front-end, culinary innovation at Pizza Hut around the globe.

This managing Chef will be accountable for all front-end Culinary Design and Menu Innovation, developing a culinary point-of-view for the brand while leveraging trends, consumer insights and supplier partnerships.

The Sr. Manager, Culinary Innovation, Corporate Chef will work cross-functionally and collaboratively with Menu Strategists, Brand Marketers, Consumer Insights Experts, trusted Supplier Partners, and others to bring traffic-driving innovation from idea to culinary "gold standard" for hand-off to Development & Commercialization teams around the globe.

The Sr. Manager, Culinary Innovation, Corporate Chef, reports to the Global Chief Food Innovation Officer.

Job Functions :

• Leads ideation, culinary design, and "gold standard" benchtop prototyping to deliver a craveable, iconic menu that connects people through the joy of pizza.
• Partners collaboratively with Menu Strategy, Brand Marketing, Consumer Insights, Menu Development / Commercialization Teams, and Supplier Partners to identify, prioritize and deliver consumer-informed, traffic-driving menu innovation.
• Coaches a team of 2 Innovation Chefs to be the culinary "heartbeat" of Pizza Hut globally; collaborates closely with a team of 20+ R&D leaders around the globe to understand the unique needs of their markets and deliver an innovation pipeline with true global relevance.
• Leads a community of corporate supplier chefs to collaboratively ideate new innovations.
• Develops an ecosystem of internal and external Subject Matter Experts to bring creative stimulus to the innovation process.
• Pioneers new agile design and innovation processes and methodologies to speed up the pace and success of innovation, including evolution of a rapid testing model to gain early learning on innovation viability.
• Considers restaurant operations, team member capability and equipment capability throughout the innovation design process to enable restaurant-level execution excellence.
• Creates a broader team environment that encourages open communication and sharing of ideas.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIRED :

Required :

• 10+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience including a minimum of 3-4 years in corporate innovation in a food forward multi-unit restaurant / retail brand or CPG / manufacturing equivalent.
• Demonstrated ability to develop an innovation pipeline.
• Strong understanding of the business drivers behind successful restaurant innovation.
• Demonstrated ability to translate data from many sources (traditional consumer insights, syndicated trend data, pop culture, social influencers) into a strong culinary and business insight to underpin all innovation.
• People-focused leader, able to attract top talent and build, develop and inspire a world-class Culinary Innovation team.
• A passion for food trends and new culinary directions with breadth and depth of culinary experience. Highly curious and creative.
• Consumer centric and growth mindset. Experience building capabilities and implementing new ways of thinking. An open and inclusive thinker who embraces ideas other than their own.
• Collaborative working style; experience leading and influencing cross-functional teams.
• The ability to organize, manage and complete multiple projects efficiently and on-time with tight deadlines.
• Must reside in DFW area / be in the culinary lab a minimum of 4 days / week.
• Travel : Up to 10%

Preferred :

• Culinary degree preferred, but not required.
• Experience with dough systems, cheese / dairy and sauces preferred, but not required.

About Us

Who We Are

Founded in 1958, Pizza Hut - a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. - now operates more than 18,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries.

Pizza Hut is leading the way in providing customers with great experiences, innovating with technology and new products, as well as delivering exceptional service.

Our People & Culture

We're looking for people who LOVE pizza and thrive in a fun, past paced, and customer-centric environment. At our corporate campuses, Pizza Hut has created the perfect place for you to grow your career.

Every day, you'll work to support our franchisees and teams across the U.S., continuously challenging yourself to feed more possibilities.

In return, we'll provide professional development and career growth opportunities so that you can become your best and achieve your goals.

And we'll sweeten the deal by immersing you in our world-class recognition culture and providing a robust array of benefits, some highlights include :

• Hybrid work schedule and year-round half day Fridays
• Onsite childcare through Bright Horizons
• Onsite dining center
• Onsite gym with fitness classes and personal trainer sessions
• 4 weeks of vacation per year plus holidays and time off for volunteering
• Tuition reimbursement and education benefits
• Generous parental leave for all new parents and adoption assistance program
• 401(k) with a 6% matching contribution from Yum!
• Comprehensive medical & dental including prescription drug benefits and 100% preventive care

Giving Back

As a global company, Pizza Hut aims to make the world better by acting responsibly with respect to food, planet and people.

Whether it's donating food through the Harvest Program or supporting literacy with the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program - the company, our franchisees and our team members are committed to improving the communities we serve.

Pizza Hut is an equal opportunity workplace and committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability and genetic information (including family medical history).