Senior Culinary Innovations Leader

Compass Group USA; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Life Insurance/ AD

Disability Insurance

Retirement Plan

Flexible Time Off Plan

Holiday Time Off (varies by site/state

Personal Leave

Associate Shopping Program

Health and Wellness Programs

Discount Marketplace

Identity Theft Protection

Pet Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Job summary

Levy is seeking a Senior Executive - Culinary Innovations to shape forward-thinking culinary strategies, lead menu and product innovation, and collaborate with operations, purchasing, and finance to drive scalable, financially successful programs.

The role focuses on elevating guest experiences, strengthening culinary reputation, and supporting revenue growth through innovative concepts across service channels.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience.
• Multi-unit foodservice, hospitality, sport/entertainment experience preferred.
• Experience with menu development, culinary innovation initiatives.
• Proven data-driven culinary leadership.
• Experience with culinary trend forecasting, menu engineering, recipe development, and product development.
• Proficiency in financial analysis, menu costing, and contribution-margin analysis.
• Experience with project management, vendor management, and strategic planning.
• Ability to work event-based hours as needed.

Responsibilities

• Leads development of innovative food and beverage concepts and guest experiences.
• Identifies emerging culinary, beverage, wellness, and sustainability trends.
• Designs, tests, costs, and standardizes new menu offerings across channels.
• Develops seasonal, promotional, signature, and limited-time menus.
• Optimizes menus using guest feedback, market trends, sales performance, and margins.
• Creates visually compelling dishes and culinary experiences that support brand storytelling.
• Incorporates local flavors and chef collaborations into culinary programming.
• Develops training materials and implementation guides for consistent execution.
• Analyzes food costs, sales, menu mix, and profitability to identify opportunities.
• Builds relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, culinary innovators, and key partners.
• Evaluates new ingredients, products, equipment, and culinary technologies.
• Leads vendor tastings, innovation showcases, workshops, and ideation sessions.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, Business, or related field

7–10+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience

Multi-unit foodservice, hospitality, sports/entertainment experience

Experience leading menu development and culinary innovation initiatives

Data-driven culinary leadership

Culinary trend forecasting, menu engineering, recipe development

Financial analysis, menu costing, contribution-margin analysis

Project management, vendor management, strategic planning

Ability to work event-based hours as needed

Job description

Levy is seeking a Senior Executive - Culinary Innovations to shape forward-thinking culinary strategies, lead menu and product innovation, and collaborate with operations, purchasing, and finance to drive scalable, financially successful programs.

The role focuses on elevating guest experiences, strengthening culinary reputation, and supporting revenue growth through innovative concepts across service channels.