DIRECTOR OF CULINARY INNOVATION

Director Of Culinary Innovation

Morrison Healthcare is a leading national food and nutrition services company exclusively dedicated to serving more than 600 hospitals and healthcare systems. Morrison's hospital kitchens, restaurants, and cafs feature socially responsible practices and exceptional guest experiences. The company's comprehensive Mindful Choices wellness and sustainability platform includes the latest in healthful eating and an understanding of behavioral change in food consumption. Morrison's alignment with Partnership for a Healthier America's (PHA) Hospital Healthy Food Initiative positively impacts up to 41 million patients and 500 million hospital meals annually. Morrison has been named one of Modern Healthcare's "Top 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare" for the past five years, and Training Magazine's Top 125 organizations for the past six consecutive years. The company is a division of Compass Group and has more than 1,200 registered dietitians, 300 executive chefs, and 17,000 professional food service team members.

Job Summary

The Director of Culinary Innovation leads culinary research and development, menu strategy, and retail caf programming for Morrison Healthcare. This role is responsible for creating, testing, documenting, training, implementing, and optimizing innovative recipes, food concepts, wellness-focused programs, and promotional offerings that support patient dining, retail, and caregiver experiences across multi-unit healthcare operations. Salary 120 - 140K + bonus + relocation assistance, must live w / in a commutable distance to Atlanta, GA.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end culinary R&D for new menu items, platforms, and scalable food programs for patient services, catering, and retail cafs.
• Develop retail caf concepts, seasonal menus, LTOs, and promotional calendars to drive participation, revenue, and guest satisfaction.
• Partner with Regional, Division, Supply Chain, Category Management, Marketing, Clinical Nutrition, Retail Strategy, Operations, and Business Development teams.
• Conduct product evaluations, tastings, sensory panels, and pilot tests to validate quality, consistency, cost, and operational fit.
• Create and maintain recipes, production records, menu specifications, nutrition data, allergen controls, and SOPs in menu management systems.
• Support new openings, remodels, program rollouts, and key client initiatives with on-site culinary leadership and training.
• Deliver chef and manager training via live, virtual, and on-site sessions; build toolkits, playbooks, and training materials.
• Monitor culinary, healthcare, wellness, and foodservice trends and translate insights into practical programs and solutions.
• Collaborate on kitchen and servery design, equipment selection, and workflow optimization.
• Ensure all culinary programs comply with Compass, local, state, and federal food safety and regulatory standards.
• Promote sustainability initiatives including waste reduction, responsible sourcing, and efficient production practices.
• Represent Morrison Healthcare as a culinary subject-matter expert at internal meetings, client presentations, and industry events.

Preferred Qualifications

Associates at Morrison Healthcare are offered many fantastic benefits including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan, flexible time off, paid parental leave, holiday time off, personal leave, associate shopping program, health and wellness programs, discount marketplace, identity theft protection, pet insurance, commuter benefits, employee assistance program, and flexible spending accounts. Associates may also be eligible for paid and / or unpaid time off benefits in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Compass Group is an equal opportunity employer. At Compass, we are committed to treating all applicants and associates fairly based on their abilities, achievements, and experience without regard to race, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other classification protected by law. Qualified candidates must be able to perform the essential functions of this position satisfactorily with or without a reasonable accommodation. We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with a criminal history (including relevant driving history), in a manner consistent with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.