Job Summary
Kettle Cuisine is seeking a strong, dynamic Innovation/Culinary leader to drive the next chapter of growth for the Business. The Vice President of Innovation & Culinary Development will be a customer-first advocate responsible for leading innovation, culinary and menu R&D for Business in alignment with the Brand and business strategy to achieve customer, sales, and growth targets. He/she will be responsible for developing differentiated and customer-focused culinary strategies that improve Kettle’s perception and maximize long-term sales growth, while driving increased brand equity and customer lifetime value. This role will join the Sales & Marketing leadership team and oversee the Culinary Team, Continuous Product/Recipe Improvement, and Innovative Platform Development.
Duties and Responsibilities (other duties as assigned)
- Create an environment that inspires innovation and consistent execution while addressing the needs of the business.
- Be recognized as a culinary subject matter expert with an insatiable appetite for culinary innovation and recipe development, always staying ahead of culinary trends.
- Serve as a primary leader of culinary direction for the company by continually evolving our brand through recipe optimization, revitalization, and innovation.
- Ensure Kettle Cuisine can grow, evolve, and connect with new and existing consumers by focusing on craveable food with our marketable differentiation across all Plants, Platforms and Capabilities.
- Lead the development of Kettle Cuisine’s product pipeline (concepts & product platforms) that is grounded in the Company Values and strategic business framework. Working closely with the VP of Sales & Marketing, he/she will support Kettle’s Stage Gate/New Product Development process.
- Act as the culinary ambassador representing Kettle’s culinary principles and values; provide leadership and creative thinking in concept design, food trends, development and implementation of new products and services.
- Manage consistent standards around recipes development and culinary training.
- Lead the design and deployment of culinary standards, concepts, and standard recipe development that will ensure optimized costs, financial performance, operational consistency, as well as customer resonance.
- Work with supply chain to identify quality products that meet business needs and leverage volume.
- Lead on existing product improvements, formulary changes or enhancements, and cost improvement initiatives, this includes complete product evaluations, refinements, and documentation.
- Align with Marketing to lead the connectivity between consumer insights, innovation, strategic prioritization, and execution.
- Understand current and future trends in the industry to ensure the company stays ahead of trends and leads with innovation and change.
The Qualifications:
- Enterprise Culinary leadership experience with a professional reputation for innovation.
- Proven experience utilizing data from multiple sources to drive clear culinary and new product/platform objectives.
- Proven leadership experience, with keen self-awareness and the ability to lead by example.
- Ability to command respect through leadership presence and professional maturity.
- Impeccable judgment and ability to make sound decisions in a fast-paced, dynamic setting.
- Executive-level presentation skills and ability to handle high-level internal and external communications.
- Highly persuasive leader, and a natural relationship builder with strong interpersonal, relationship-building, and negotiating skills.
- Strong financial performance tracking skills & operations mindset.
- High level of proficiency with culinary systems, programs & digital tools.
- Demonstrated perseverance when faced with challenges and a commitment to the highest standards in the industry.
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to maintain a stationary position to be able to operate a computer and other office equipment
- Must be able to identify, analyze and assess details.
- For certain positions, one must be able to occasionally move or transport items up to 50 pounds.
- Ability to communicate with others and exchange information accurately and effectively.
- Constantly positions self and move about to support ordinary restaurant or food production support or office operations, as applicable.
- Ability to work in a constant state of alertness and in a safe manner.
- Travel 40%+
