Menu Innovation Lead (14-Month Contract)

KFC Adco Limited; Australia; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

KFC Australia is seeking an Innovation Development Manager on a 14-month fixed-term contract to lead cutting-edge menu and packaging initiatives from concept to launch. You will join the Food & Innovation Team (FIT), partnering with suppliers and cross-functional teams to deliver taste, quality and commercial success.

Responsibilities include building a bold innovation pipeline, running kitchen trials, and ensuring implementations meet brand and operational standards while driving sustainability

Qualifications

• Experience in product development within food service, retail or manufacturing.
• Proven ability to manage projects spanning optimisation, research and launches.
• Ability to communicate technical, production and operational topics to diverse stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal, planning, organisation and time-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead new product development and continuous improvement across menu items and packaging.
• Build the forward innovation pipeline and support the marketing calendar.
• Develop and evaluate concepts using customer insights, technical expertise, research and testing.
• Create clear recommendations and project updates for governance forums.
• Partner with suppliers to deliver products that meet brand, nutrition and commercial requirements.
• Improve packaging to enhance customer experience, sustainability, functionality and restaurant simplicity.
• Work with Operations to improve procedures, product consistency and back-of-house execution.
• Evaluate equipment changes and their impact on product quality and restaurant operations.
• Lead hands-on trials in the innovation kitchen and demonstrate how products will work in restaurants.
• Manage multiple projects, shifting priorities and tight deadlines while maintaining ownership and momentum.

Skills

Product development

Food processing

Packaging innovation

Quality programs

Project-management

Communication to stakeholders

Interpersonal skills

Planning

Time-management

Education

Degree in Food Science/Technology or related discipline

Job description

KFC Australia is seeking an Innovation Development Manager on a 14-month fixed-term contract to lead cutting-edge menu and packaging initiatives from concept to launch. You will join the Food & Innovation Team (FIT), partnering with suppliers and cross-functional teams to deliver taste, quality and commercial success.

Responsibilities include building a bold innovation pipeline, running kitchen trials, and ensuring implementations meet brand and operational standards while driving sustainability