Texas Chicken 

Employee Job Description 

Job Title:         International Culinary Manager 

Reports To:     Director, International Culinary 

Department:    International Marketing 

Location:         RSC (R&D)

Job Summary: 

The International Culinary Manager is responsible for overseeing all day-to-day test kitchen operations for the Church’s Texas Chicken / Texas Chicken International research and development team. The International Culinary Manager plays a pivotal role partnering with cross-functional teams in marketing, quality assurance, operations, and supply chain to support new product development, testing and commercialization of menu items, and evaluating operational procedures. This role combines culinary acumen with disciplined project management to ensure that new product and menu innovation aligns with operational feasibility, profitability targets, and brand culinary identity across global markets. This individuals work will be based in the restaurant support center test kitchen with focus on the development of new products, evaluating existing products, and making menu and new product recommendations for consumer testing and menu launch. The International Culinary Manager will assist in organizing Central Location Tests, product showings, ideation sessions, and other culinary activities, and will travel as required for the role.

Key Duties/Responsibilities:

Brand-Led Menu Development Pipeline of Bold Texas Flavor

• Collaborate with internal teams to develop, plan, test, and launch innovative and brand centric new menus and LTO’s
• New product ideation – develop and perform multiple ideation sessions each year to generate new product concepts with suppliers, franchisees and field and restaurant support center stakeholders
• Deliver new menu item presentations and tasting sessions for new product ideas from concept through launch phases
• Work with marketing managers to plan and launch yearly marketing calendars
• Organize and execute product concept tests and field based central location tests to receive consumer input and feedback for new product development
• Conduct in person global tasting sessions for new product ideation and development with franchisee teams and local team members.
• Conduct in person global product development and innovation sessions on new flavors, ingredients or products with vendors and ingredient suppliers.
• Coordinate regular reviews and/or showings of new product pipeline with key stakeholders
• Collaborate with internal and franchisee marketing teams to use consumer feedback for LTO and Marketing Calendar planning
• Finalize concept recipes/ingredients with internal and franchisee Marketing, Supply Chain, Ops Teams, and Leadership teams
• Coordinate ops testing process to ensure food products meet operations requirements.
• Recommend and develop packaging options for all new products consistent with global standards
• Participate in and contribute to global marketing and supply chain menu and calendar planning meetings as required

This role is responsible for four primary areas:

Brand-Led Menu Development Pipeline of Bold Texas Flavor

Manage brand culinary strategy initiatives by identifying menu and new product opportunities. Subject matter expert on emerging culinary and flavor trends, and source of education for internal and franchisee teams for bringing these trends and innovations to the menu while managing an effective product development and approval process. Follow a stage gate progression process of ideation, recipe formulation, consumer testing and validation, commercialization, and launch of new limited time offers (LTO’s). Collaborate with internal and franchisee marketing teams to plan, promote, and launch new menu items on yearly marketing calendars. Identify ways to differentiate Church’s Texas Chicken / Texas Chicken menu items from competitors. Develop menu items aimed at raising consumer interest and trial, and generating increased traffic, revenue and profit growth for our brand and international franchisees.

Global Menu and Product Calendar Tracking

Maintain up-to-date database of country-by-country LTO launches. Provide communication to internal and franchisee supply chain and operations teams of required new ingredients and production specifications. Communicate with quality assurance teams as needed for providing approvals to franchisees for localized ingredients and menu substitutions.

Maintain Brand Culinary Identity in Menu Design, Food Styling, Key Visual Creation and Presentation

Collaborate with internal marketing, franchisee, and creative agency teams to generate product identity, food photography, key visual assets, and menu designs to support global new product launches, menu updates, new market entries. Represent all culinary aspects of the brand to internal and external stakeholders.

Uphold and Advance Brand Culinary Standards

Protect, maintain or improve the integrity of our menu, brand, and culinary product standards for menu items internationally, including food costs and profits, ingredients, recipes, nutrition, operational procedures and systems, packaging, cultural acceptance and legal/import/shelf life and other regulatory requirements.

Global Menu and Product Calendar Tracking

• Ensure internal and franchisee team communications for yearly marketing LTO calendars
• Manage international review and approval process of menu, ingredient, and LTO requests
• Coordinate the review and approval process with internal and franchisee R&D, Marketing, and Supply Chain teams
• Provide feedback and request any necessary changes in an iterative process
• Confirm field team tastings and request samples and conduct tasting internally at RSC kitchen
• Communicate and disseminate the approval of new products
• Ensure menu and product database for new and existing markets is complete and up to date

Maintain Brand Culinary Identity in Menu Design, Food Styling, Key Visual Creation, and Presentation

• Subject matter expert for maintaining, delivering, and evolving the Bold Taste of Texas through brand led photography and key visual asset campaigns.
• Work with internal and franchisee marketing in the creating of LTO and menu photography briefs
• Lead brand creative agency through expectations and deliverables of key visual and product photography
• Organize the product builds, ingredient lists, necessary supplies to execute and new product photo sessions for the global menu and new products assets
• Communicate and deliver photography and required campaign assets to international regional marketing managers and franchisees
• Present all culinary aspects of the brand to internal teams, franchisees, and key stakeholders including but limited to new product, menu development, and LTO presentations and food tastings.

Uphold and Advance Brand Culinary Standards

• Test and develop new ingredient technologies and formulations
• Manage supplier development of ingredients to improve customer acceptance of menu items
• Evaluate new back of house preparation methods and operational efficiencies
• Constant assessment and evaluation of menu and ingredients to ensure best in class offerings
• Ensure product standards are met and are within parameters for food costs and profits, operational procedures and systems, packaging, cultural acceptance and legal/import/shelf life and other regulatory requirements.
• Communicate and collaborate with brand and franchisee supply chain and quality assurance teams to ensure products and menu items meet the brand standards for taste, quality, and wholesomeness.

Position Requirements (Education, Qualifications, Experience): 

General Requirements

Strong formal culinary knowledge. Ability to manage kitchen operations individually and as part of a team. Recipe and new product development experience. Ability to provide feedback to suppliers and ingredient vendors. Familiar with stage gate process of new product development from ideation to launch. Ability to influence, collaborate and guide cross-functional team members and franchisees through NPD process.  

Specific Requirements

• Culinary degree (BA) or related field
• Technical menu and new product development skills
• Minimum 3 years back of the house / culinary restaurant experience. Leadership as sous-chef or above preferred
• Minimum of 3 years of menu and new product development experience with a restaurant company or ingredient supplier to QSR/FSR industry
• Demonstrated experience managing stage gate new product and menu approval process
• Strong knowledge of new culinary and flavor trends with ability to synthesize diverse sources of new culinary ideas into interesting and imaginative new product concepts and menu items
• Demonstrated ability for technical problem solving and understanding of food systems and ingredient functionality
• Understands requirements for nutritional data and knowledge of international health, food safety and other regulatory requirements (Halal, GMO free, etc.)
• Understanding of cultural nuances –knowledge of what ingredients have specific meaning in various countries that may impact formulas and recipes
• Project management and organization skills critical 
• Strong vendor management skills 
• Strong computer and Microsoft skills - Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills with internal, external stakeholders
• Strong verbal, written communication and presentations skills
• Quality assurance processes at vendor level and store operations level including food safety, HACCP, SOP’s, GMP’s
• Must be able to travel 10-20% internationally, including but not limited to the Asia, Middle East, Latin America, and Canada/U.S.

. 

Competencies: 

• Critical Thinking – Defines and resolves a situation or problem by analyzing issues involved, weighing options, and evaluating alternatives; maintains objective attitude; approaches situations and problems systematically; uses observation, experience, reflection, and/or reasoning to drive business forward.
• Initiative – Takes action proactively; addresses issues or opportunities without supervision; focuses on desired results and accomplishments; demonstrates clear purpose, enthusiasm, and a “can-do” attitude.
• Innovative and Creative – Looks for ways to improve oneself, the job, the project, the system, and the organization; challenges conventional practices, generates new ideas to create novel solutions to problems.
• Managing Execution – Manages multiple projects and effectively prioritizes tasks and goals; uses goals to guide actions and create detailed action plans; organizes and schedules people and tasks; utilizes resources effectively to meet goals.
• Relationship Management – Initiates and develops relationships with others; demonstrates credibility; confronts conflict quickly and professionally; inspires confidence in others.

Physical Requirements: 

Must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. 

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.