Project Lead, Menu Process Development

Chick-fil-A Plainfield, Indiana; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Chick-fil-A is seeking a senior professional to lead menu development and process solutions across restaurants, suppliers, and manufacturing facilities. You will create production methods, ensure quality, and align with leadership on a data-driven strategy.

The role requires strong culinary expertise, Lean Six Sigma knowledge, and exceptional communication to partner with Operators, Owners/Operators, and cross-functional teams; travel ~20%.

Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge of fundamental culinary techniques.
• Strong understanding of food production in a franchised restaurant.
• Basic understanding of Lean Six Sigma or other process improvement principles.
• Ability to think critically about challenges and opportunities and identify solutions.
• Experience designing and executing experiments and processes.
• Excellent communication to senior leadership and partners.

Responsibilities

• Understand the food production process and its impact on quality and team experience.
• Lead projects to develop and validate menu processes, ingredients, tools, and systems.
• Present content and recipes to leadership and ensure stakeholder alignment.
• Create production methods for menu development, including tools, packaging, and safety requirements.
• Collaborate with other departments to uphold product quality and execution standards.

Skills

Culinary techniques

Food production

Lean Six Sigma

Process improvement

Critical thinking

Experiment design

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

How We Work At Chick-fil-A

Chick‑fil‑A, Inc. ('Chick‑fil‑A' or 'the Company') Staff members play a vital role in achieving our strategic goals by developing their skills, fostering inclusive teamwork, and embracing innovation. All Staff are expected to contribute to a compelling future by inspiring and motivating those around them. Growth and development are essential at Chick‑fil‑A. We want Staff to seek new perspectives and adopt new methods to drive continuous improvement and adaptation to evolving business needs. Lastly, we ask Staff to seek wisdom, expect the best, accept responsibility, respond with courage, and think others first. Our Flexible Futures Model offers a healthy mix of working in person (currently a minimum of 8-10 days per month) and virtually, strengthening key elements of the Chick‑fil‑A culture by fostering collaboration and community.

Overview

The Menu Commercialization Team is responsible for cultivating remarkable food that drives Customer trust, brand value, and can be consistently executed with excellence in our restaurants. This includes the process development of new menu items, identifying process improvements of existing menu items, and consulting on organizational partner initiatives to protect food quality and menu systems.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for deep understanding of the food production process, the impact to food quality and team member experience, and representing the restaurant reality during the innovation process
• Lead and manage various aspects of projects, including the development and validation of menu process solutions, ingredients, tools, and systems needed to execute new menu items consistently and efficiently.
• Lead complex projects, as a subject matter expert, effectively and professionally to ensure stakeholders are informed and aligned while also ensuring Restaurant Operator and customer expectations are met.
• Create the production methods for all menu development, including identifying the process and tools needed, product and packaging needs, and addressing all operational, quality, and safety requirements.
• Serve as a Menu & Packaging liaison to other departments to ensure product quality and product execution standards are upheld.
• Set operational feasibility guidelines for menu development and track throughout the development and testing process, identifying opportunities to optimize operations and quality.
  
• Support culinary evaluations and identify opportunities and solutions to maintain quality expectations
• Create data-driven operational recommendations during the menu development process and clearly communicate to organizational leaders the customer benefits and operational challenges of adding new menu items to the Chick‑fil‑A menu.
• Foster cross-organizational relationships and support operational efforts to support larger scale process and system simplification initiatives with data-driven decision making.
  
• Work with autonomy to drive outcomes while managing relationships with suppliers, internal and external partners.
• Work hands‑on in a kitchen/R&D facility, as well as in Restaurants, at suppliers or in manufacturing facilities.
  
• Responsible for spending time engaging in Chick‑fil‑A Restaurants, learning from Operators and Team Members on operational opportunities.
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, benchmarking state-of-the-art practices, and participating in professional societies.
  
• Demonstrate Enterprise‑Wide thinking and decision‑making skills.
  
• Exhibit the ability to present content and recipes to multiple levels of leadership – Executive Committee, Strategy Teams, Operators, Team Members, etc.

Required Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities)

• In-depth knowledge and experience with fundamental culinary techniques
• Strong technical understanding of food production, particularly in a franchised restaurant environment
• A basic understanding of Lean Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, or other process improvement principles.
• Ability to think critically about challenges and opportunities and identify solutions and options.
• Experience in designing and execution of experiments and process.
• Strong executive presence and communication skills to present to senior leadership and work effectively with internal and external international business partners.
• Sound relational and feedback gathering skills that enable valuable interactions with restaurant level Team Members, Owner/Operators, and project stakeholders in a restaurant business environment
• Commitment to maintain and guard confidential proprietary company information as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities)

• Mastery of fundamental culinary techniques
• Successful track record of creating, developing, and executing new menu items in a restaurant environment.
• A deep understanding of Lean Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, or other process improvement principles.
• Ability to think critically about challenges and opportunities and identify solutions and options.
• Experience in designing and execution experiments, process, Sensory, or consumer testing.
• Strong executive presence and communication skills to present to senior leadership and work effectively with internal and external international business partners.
• Sound relational and feedback gathering skills that enable valuable interactions with restaurant level Team Members, Owner/Operators, and project stakeholders in a restaurant business environment
• Proficient at Project Management

Required Years of Experience

3

Preferred Years of Experience

10

Travel Requirements

20%

Required Level of Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Preferred Level of Education

Bachelor's Degree

Required Major/Concentration

Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Food & Beverage Management, Culinology, Food Science, Food Manufacturing, Quality Assurance or similar

Preferred Major/Concentration

Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Food & Beverage Management, Culinology, Food Science, Food Manufacturing, Quality Assurance or similar

Relocation Assistance Provided

No