Sr Scientist – Innovation Chef

KFC Corporation; Plano (TX); On-site; USD 99,200 - 105,030; Full time

Job summary

KFC Corporation is seeking a Culinary Innovation Manager in Plano, TX. This role involves driving menu innovations, requiring 5-7 years in culinary and food innovation. The successful candidate will collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop new menu items, ensuring taste and operational excellence. Candidates should have strong communication and project management skills. The position offers a competitive salary range of $99,200 to $105,030 annually with bonus eligibility, and a hybrid work schedule three days a week in the Plano office.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5-7 years of professional culinary experience.
• Experience in New Product Development/Food Innovation.
• QSR experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead product development to ensure flavors perform in the restaurant.
• Gather and translate technical inputs for strong supplier partnerships.
• Evaluate data to improve product quality and consistency.
• Collaborate across functions and present findings.
• Track culinary and menu trends for strategic insights.
• Act as a culinary expert in cross-functional forums.
• Own end-to-end innovation workstreams.

Skills

Excellent oral and written communication skills

Strong analytical skills

Proven project management capabilities

Education

Bachelor’s degree or Culinary Degree

Job description

You will play a critical role in fueling KFC US’ pipeline of finger lickin’ good innovations by helping develop new menu items that deliver crave-worthy, guest-delighting experiences. Your mission is to support and lead portions of the innovation process—from early concept development to testing and validation—by contributing technical expertise, coordinating cross-functional input, and advancing new products toward commercialization. You will help ensure that every new menu item meets KFC’s high standards for taste, quality, operational ease, and brand relevance.

Responsibilities

• Advance menu and ingredient innovation by leading hands‑on product development, structured testing, data analysis, and sensory evaluation to ensure flavors perform from kitchen to restaurant.
• Enable strong supplier partnerships by gathering and translating technical inputs, validating compliance to specs, and coordinating ingredients to support scalable, craveable, commercially viable solutions.
• Evaluate consumer, operational, and cost data to identify opportunities that improve product quality, consistency, executional ease, and overall value.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Ops, QA, Supply Chain, and Finance; synthesize findings into clear recommendations, trial readouts, and storytelling materials that support decision‑making.
• Track culinary, menu, and ingredient trends—both within QSR and adjacent segments—to inform forward‑looking menu evolution and ingredient strategy.
• Represent the FIT team as a culinary subject‑matter expert in cross‑functional forums by sharing progress, surfacing risks, resolving roadblocks, and guiding solutions.
• Drive transformative impact for KFC US by owning end‑to‑end innovation workstreams—from concept ideation through initial commercialization—ensuring ideas translate into real, executable menu wins.

Qualifications

Education:

• You will be required to attend the Plano, TX office 3 days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited 4‑year university, Culinary Degree or relevant work experience

Experience:

• 5-7+ years of professional culinary experience.
• Experience in New Product Development/Food Innovation in the restaurant industry is required.
• QSR experience is preferred but not required

Skills:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills to engage and align cross‑functional stakeholders; ability to present effectively.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret data and form action‑able recommendations.
• Proven project management capabilities, including driving great outcomes in a fast‑paced environment.

Mindset:

• Passion for creating craveable, high‑quality food experiences.
• Curious, resourceful, and energized by innovation and experimentation.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and iterating quickly to move ideas forward.
• Collaborative team player who inspires others and contributes positively to team culture.
• Resilient and persistent in driving development work through technical and operational challenges.

Salary Range: $99,200 to $105,030 annually + bonus eligibility. This is the expected salary range for this position. Ultimately, in determining pay, we'll consider the successful candidate’s location, experience, and other job‑related factors.

Job Info

• Job Identification 5109
• Posting Date 04/30/2026, 02:12 PM
• Job Schedule Full time
• Locations Plano, TX, United States (Hybrid)