NPD & Menu Innovation Lead

Americana Restaurants; Sharjah; On-site; AED 240,000 - 340,000; Full time

Job summary

Americana Restaurants in the United Arab Emirates (Sharjah) seeks an NPD Manager to lead end-to-end product development of new menu items and improvements, ensuring alignment with brand strategy, consumer insights, feasibility, food safety, and commercial objectives.

You will collaborate with Marketing, Supply Chain, QA, Finance, and external suppliers, manage multiple projects in a fast-paced QSR environment, and translate trends into scalable concepts while maintaining quality and cost targets.

Qualifications

• Experience leading end-to-end NPD in a QSR/restaurant setting.
• Ability to translate consumer insights into actionable concepts.
• Strong business case development including costings and pricing.
• Knowledge of food safety and regulatory compliance.
• Excellent stakeholder management and project delivery in fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end NPD lifecycle: concept creation, feasibility, development, testing, launch, and post-launch evaluation.
• Develop new menu items, limited time offers (LTOs), and product renovations aligned with brand and business goals.
• Translate consumer insights and market trends into compelling product concepts that are scalable
• Ensure products can be executed consistently across restaurants.
• Pizza product development expertise – technical aspects of dough-making, seasonings, sauces, toppings and meat toppings is essential
• Work closely with NPD Director, Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations Excellence, Quality Assurance, Finance, Franchisor and external suppliers.
• Coordinate product trials, kitchen tests, sensory evaluations, and consumer testing.
• Build strong business cases, including costings, margins, and pricing recommendations.
• Support annual innovation calendars and long-term product roadmaps by developing concepts and planning ahead.
• Monitor product performance and recommend optimizations.
• Ensure all products meet food safety, quality, and regulatory standards.
• Manage specifications, ingredient approvals, and supplier compliance.
• Manage multiple short timeline projects simultaneously, meeting deadlines and budget requirements.
• Prepare presentations and updates for senior stakeholders.
• Manages multiple NDP projects simultaneously, often across different timelines and complexity levels.
• Balances consumer appeal, brand standards, operational feasibility, and cost constraints.
• Operates in a fast-paced, high-volume QSR environment with frequent innovation cycles.

Skills

NPD lifecycle management

Menu development

Consumer insights

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Food safety & regulatory standards

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science/Culinary or related field

Job description

Americana Restaurants in the United Arab Emirates (Sharjah) seeks an NPD Manager to lead end-to-end product development of new menu items and improvements, ensuring alignment with brand strategy, consumer insights, feasibility, food safety, and commercial objectives.

You will collaborate with Marketing, Supply Chain, QA, Finance, and external suppliers, manage multiple projects in a fast-paced QSR environment, and translate trends into scalable concepts while maintaining quality and cost targets.