Director - Culinary Innovation, Sonic

Lead SONIC's culinary innovation efforts to drive traffic, revenue, and guest satisfaction through differentiated menu solutions. This role serves as a key partner to the VP, Product Category Management & Culinary, helping bring the brand's culinary vision and menu strategy to life through consumer-relevant innovation, product development excellence, and strong cross-functional leadership.

Responsible for leading product development initiatives from concept through commercialization, partnering across Category Management, Consumer Insights, Operations, Supply Chain, Commercialization, and Quality Assurance to deliver products that strengthen SONIC's competitive position and support business growth.

Lead and develop the culinary team, establish priorities, build capabilities and strengthen processes to accelerate innovation, optimize the core menu and deliver a robust pipeline products and platforms.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Menu Development & Product Innovation

Partner with the VP to execute SONIC's innovation agenda and support the evolution of the brand's culinary identity

Lead development of a consumer-relevant innovation pipeline across core menu, platforms, beverages, LTOs, and ingredients

Collaborate with Category Management and Insights to translate consumer, market, and business insights into winning menu solutions

Own product development from concept through commercialization and launch

Lead culinary ideation sessions, product tastings, and innovation workshops with internal and external partners

Manage development priorities, resources, and timelines to ensure successful delivery of innovation initiatives

Cross Functional Leadership & Commercialization / Collaboration

Partner with Operations, Training, Supply Chain, Commercialization, QA, Equipment, and Marketing teams to deliver successful product launches

Balance culinary innovation with operational feasibility, quality standards, and financial objectives

Lead culinary workstreams during testing, validation, commercialization and launch readinness

Own product specifications, recipes and product development documentation

Support development of training materials, procedures, and operational solutions that enable consistent restaurant execution

Team Leadership & Talent Development

Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing culinary team while fostering a culture of accountability, creativity and continuous improvement

Build the capabilities, process, and talent needed to establish SONIC as a destination for best-in-class QSR culinary talent

Strengthening culinary ways of working and development capabilities across the organization

Manage departmental budgets and external vendor relationships

Requirements:

4 Year Degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science or related degree is required for this position

10+ Years experience in a culinary or product development role required. Experience in QSR culinary development highly preferred

True Passion for food & beverage - a Food Storyteller

Leader and team player

Highly creative with an ability to be flexible & open to new ideas

Incorporate a ‘best first’ mentality and mindset that continues to accelerate innovation process

Excellent communication skills (oral and written) in multiple mediums to multiple audiences including public speaking & written (including electronic communications)

Ability to set goals, determine priorities, plan, organize & follow through on assigned responsibilities

Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment managing 50-75+ projects at various stages of completion.

Ability to make recommendations & decisions in a timely manner

Accuracy & attention to detail an absolute must

Proven ability to multi-task with little direct supervision, effective time & project management skills

Strong Problem Solving / Troubleshooting skills

Strong interpersonal skills & an understanding of the importance of embracing & fitting into company culture to achieve success with the ability to earn the trust of people devoted to the SONIC way of doing things; empowering people to accept intelligent change as a subtle but effective agent of change

Functional Technical Skills may include specific industry/category knowledge (i.e. logistics, commodities, ingredients, purchasing, distribution, forecasting, relationship management, etc.); knowledge of ingredients and product development processes including basic specification and recipe writing for new products

Flexibility to work within an open concept office environment

Ability to build effective relationships

Proficient in using Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel & other relevant software programs.

May be up to 50% travel based on taste testing and vendor work

This position oversees the culinary team

Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,300 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC restaurants worldwide. We’re made up of some of the world’s most iconic restaurant brands, but we’re much more than just a restaurant company. We’re a team of hundreds of thousands who individually and collectively are changing the way people eat, drink, and gather around the table. We know that food is much more than a staple—it’s an experience. At Inspire, that’s our purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences.