Senior Director, Culinary Research & Development

Church's Texas Chicken; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Church’s Texas Chicken is seeking a highly creative and commercially minded culinary leader to drive the next era of menu innovation. Reporting to the Vice President of Culinary & Calendar, the Senior Director of Culinary Innovation & R&D will lead the development of breakthrough menu concepts that generate guest excitement, increase frequency, and support profitable growth across the U.S.

business. This role is not about maintaining the menu—it is about creating the future of the menu.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of culinary innovation, product development, or restaurant R&D experience.
• Experience in QSR, chicken, fast casual, or highly franchised restaurant systems preferred.
• Deep understanding of flavor development, menu trends, and consumer behavior.
• Strong leadership, collaboration, and commercialization capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a robust multi-year pipeline of LTO products and menu innovation.
• Develop breakthrough LTOs, flavor platforms, sides, desserts, beverages, and core menu enhancements.
• Translate consumer insights and food trends into commercially viable products.
• Lead concept development through testing, validation, and commercialization.
• Organize and track culinary projects, ensuring clear milestones, timelines, and accountability.
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Insights to ensure successful launches.
• Showcase culinary innovations with persuasive storytelling to inspire executive leadership, franchisees, investors and board members.
• Balance innovation with operational simplicity and restaurant profitability.
• Stay current with culinary trends via industry research, conferences and supplier networks.
• Collaborate with the International Culinary Team on innovation ideas, food tastings and test-kitchen management.
• Manage culinary budget including product testing and test kitchen equipment, inventory, cleaning and maintenance
• Lead and develop a team of two culinary professionals.

Skills

Culinary innovation

Leadership

Collaboration

Commercialization

Job description

Church’s Texas Chicken is seeking a highly creative and commercially minded culinary leader to drive the next era of menu innovation. Reporting to the Vice President of Culinary & Calendar, the Senior Director of Culinary Innovation & R&D will lead the development of breakthrough menu concepts that generate guest excitement, increase frequency, and support profitable growth across the U.S. business. This role is not about maintaining the menu—it is about creating the future of the menu. The successful candidate will bring deep culinary expertise, a pulse on emerging consumer trends, and a proven ability to transform insights into craveable products that guests talk about, seek out, and return for.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Build and lead a robust multi-year pipeline of LTO products and menu innovation.
• Develop breakthrough LTOs, flavor platforms, sides, desserts, beverages, and core menu enhancements.
• Translate consumer insights and food trends into commercially viable products.
• Lead concept development through testing, validation, and commercialization.
• Organize and track culinary projects, ensuring clear milestones, timelines, and accountability.
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Insights to ensure successful launches.
• Showcase culinary innovations with persuasive storytelling to inspire executive leadership, franchisees, investors and board members.
• Balance innovation with operational simplicity and restaurant profitability.
• Stay current with culinary trends via industry research, conferences and supplier networks.
• Collaborate with the International Culinary Team on innovation ideas, food tastings and test-kitchen management.
• Manage culinary budget including product testing and test kitchen equipment, inventory, cleaning and maintenance
• Lead and develop a team of two culinary professionals.

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

• 10+ years of culinary innovation, product development, or restaurant R&D experience.
• Proven track record of launching products that drive traffic and repeat visits.
• Experience in QSR, chicken, fast casual, or highly franchised restaurant systems preferred.
• Deep understanding of flavor development, menu trends, and consumer behavior.
• Strong leadership, collaboration, and commercialization capabilities.

LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES

• Consumer Obsessed
• Culinary Visionary
• Commercially Minded
• Collaborative Influencer
• Results Driven

SUCCESS MEASURES

• Innovation-driven sales growth
• Traffic and frequency impact
• Successful LTO performance
• Speed-to-market improvements
• Franchisee adoption and operational execution
• Strengthened brand relevance and guest engagement

1. If you’re hungry for a career that’s fun, fast-paced and loaded with opportunity, then you’ve come to the right place. At Church’s®, we’re not your typical quick service restaurant. We make real comfort food that makes a difference in peoples’ lives. And for over 60 years, our restaurant has been a place where hard-working people can get ahead and go on to do amazing things by serving others.

2. Church’s Chicken is an equal employment opportunity employer and makes hiring and employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or any other factor prohibited by applicable law.