Culinary Innovation Lead: New Concepts & Product Launch

Inspire; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Inspire, in partnership with SONIC, seeks a Culinary Innovation Manager to drive new menu concepts from concept through launch. You will lead cross-functional teams, manage development projects, and oversee consumer and in-store testing to ensure products meet consumer, operational, and financial goals.

You will partner with Procurement, QA, Marketing, and Commercialization teams to translate insights into market-ready products, plan product showcases, and guide junior developers.

Qualifications

• 2-5 years’ experience in culinary or product development
• Ability to think strategically and respond quickly to business needs
• Strong communication and presentation skills; able to summarize insights into actionable calls to action

Responsibilities

• Support the Product Innovation team and Director of Culinary in delivering goals and strategies
• Work independently on development projects with guidance as needed
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Category Management, Brand Experience, Operations, Procurement, Commercialization, QA
• Lead vendor partnerships to develop products from benchtop samples through commercialization
• Present product improvement recommendations based on testing results to Culinary Innovation leadership
• Plan and execute Product Showcase events for senior leadership and stakeholders
• Provide guidance and support to other product developers
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

Strategic thinking

Detail oriented

Communication

Project management

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Culinary degree or food-related degree

Job description

Inspire, in partnership with SONIC, seeks a Culinary Innovation Manager to drive new menu concepts from concept through launch. You will lead cross-functional teams, manage development projects, and oversee consumer and in-store testing to ensure products meet consumer, operational, and financial goals.

You will partner with Procurement, QA, Marketing, and Commercialization teams to translate insights into market-ready products, plan product showcases, and guide junior developers.