Manager, Culinary Innovation, Burger King, Canada

The TDL Group Corp./ Groupe TDL Corporation; Toronto; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Burger King Canada is seeking a Manager of Culinary Innovation to own the culinary pipeline with a strong profitability lens, driving product development, cost optimization and commercialization. The ideal candidate will blend culinary excellence with strategic and financial insight to keep Burger King Canada a leader in taste, quality, and profitability.

This in‑office role requires collaboration with RBI and RSI teams, leadership of cross‑functional projects, end‑to‑end development from

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science, Marketing, or Business Administration preferred.
• Approximately 5 years of experience in culinary development, commercialization, R&D, or foodservice product management, ideally within QSR or full-service restaurant.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end new product development from concept to rollout, ensuring alignment with brand standards and Canadian market needs.
• Develop and execute Limited Time Offers (LTOs) and core menu items, collaborating with USA culinary teams.
• Own packaging development and optimization to enhance guest experience and profitability across channels.
• Build and manage a rolling 3-year culinary pipeline strategy and act as Canada's test market lead for selected USA initiatives.
• Lead cross-functional project teams across culinary, marketing, operations, QA, packaging, finance and procurement to ensure launch readiness.

Skills

Culinary development

Product management

R&D

Foodservice

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Culinary Arts or related field

Job description

Ready to make your next big professional move? Join us on our journey to achieve our big dream of building the most loved restaurant brands in the world.

Restaurant Brands International Inc. is one of the world's largest quick service restaurant companies with nearly $49 billion in annual system-wide sales and over 33,000 restaurants in more than 120 countries and territories.

RBI owns four of the world's most prominent and iconic quick service restaurant brands - TIM HORTONS®, BURGER KING®, POPEYES®, and FIREHOUSE SUBS®. These independently operated brands have been serving their respective guests, franchisee and communities for decades. Through its Restaurant Brands for Good framework, RBI is improving sustainable outcomes related to its food, the planet, and people and communities.

RBI is committed to growing the TIM HORTONS®, BURGER KING®, POPEYES® and FIREHOUSE SUBS® brands by leveraging their respective core values, employee and franchisee relationships, and long track records of community support. Each brand benefits from the global scale and shared best practices that come from ownership by Restaurant Brands International Inc.

Job Overview:

The Manager, Culinary Innovation for Canada will own the culinary pipeline with a strong profitability lens, driving product development, cost optimization and commercialization for Burger King Canada. The ideal candidate will be passionate about culinary excellence and innovation, blending creativity with strategic and financial insight to ensure Burger King remains a leader in taste, quality, choice and profitability.

RBI follows a 5 day, in-office work schedule to support collaboration. Successful candidates will be expected to work onsite 5 days per week out of our Toronto, ON office.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Profitability & Cost Optimization:

With Operations team support, lead recipe and yield validation for the core menu and new high-priority projects, ensuring claims, cost, quality and operational feasibility are aligned before market commitment.

Partner with procurement on supplier opportunities, cost-down options and alternate sourcing to unlock savings without compromising guest experience.

Engineer menu items for savings where needed, including quality and spec optimization, component simplification and menu architecture adjustments.

Lead ongoing work with RBI/RSI procurement, marketing and operations teams to address Canada's COGs priorities and support continued franchisee profitability.

Culinary Development & Execution:

Lead end-to-end new product development, from concept to rollout, ensuring alignment with brand standards and Canadian market needs.

Develop and execute Limited Time Offers (LTOs) and core menu items, collaborating with the USA culinary team to ensure product quality and consistency.

Own packaging development and optimization, an increasingly important area of guest experience and profitability across digital and drive-thru channels.

Prepare Burger King menu items and new culinary creations for product showings, research sessions, and leadership presentations.

Innovation Strategy & Pipeline Management:

Build and maintain a rolling 3-year culinary pipeline strategy that ties near-term commercialization to longer-term innovation and calendar planning.

Act as Canada's test market lead for selected USA initiatives, translating learnings into clear, actionable recommendations on scale, rework or stop decisions.

Develop the roadmap for new categories, managing projects across all phases from consumer insights to execution.

Lead and manage cross-functional project teams, engaging stakeholders across culinary, marketing, operations, QA, packaging, finance and procurement to keep development, testing and launch readiness synchronized.

Ensure alignment with sustainability targets by leading projects that advance Burger King's commitment to environmental responsibility.

Consumer Insights & Market Trends:

Translate consumer insights into actionable product innovations and enhancements to strengthen brand equity and guest satisfaction.

With Marketing support, conduct consumer research, including taste tests and market analysis, to refine product offerings and drive innovation.

Cultivate relationships with partners, suppliers, and culinary trendsetters to stay informed of emerging trends, technology, and market developments.

Quality Assurance & Process Optimization:

Oversee product testing and quality standards, ensuring consistency and superiority in taste and presentation.

Attend manufacturing production runs and work with franchisees to ensure that culinary standards are met during commercialization.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

Education:

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science, Marketing, or Business Administration preferred.

Experience:

Approximately 5 years of experience in culinary development, commercialization, R&D, or foodservice product management, ideally within QSR or Full-Service Restaur