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