Manager, Kitchen Innovation
Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence
full-time
Posted on:
Location Type: Hybrid
Location: Irvine • California • United States
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Salary
💰 $137,900 - $162,300 per year
About the role
- Own the business, operational, and economic case for next-generation kitchen solutions, partnering with cross-functional teams (A&D, Engineering, FIT, Food Ops, Red Labs, Field Leaders & Finance) to bring concepts from pilot to scale.
- Translate Kitchen 2030 strategy into clear problem statements, success metrics, and test plans, protecting accuracy, speed, quality, and consistency.
- Lead real-world testing and validation of kitchen equipment, technologies, layouts, and processes.
- Prioritize initiatives based on quantified impact to labor, throughput, order accuracy, and unit economics, ensuring scalability across 7,500+ restaurants.
- Own pilot-to-scale execution by translating test results into deployment decisions, defining rollout criteria, and building clear business cases and roadmaps for leaders and franchisees.
Requirements
- Minimum of 8 years of experience in QSR, multi-unit restaurant operations, restaurant innovation, or adjacent foodservice environments, with direct exposure to kitchen operations at scale
- Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred or equivalent practical experience
- Demonstrated ability to develop and communicate compelling business cases that connect operational solutions to P&L impact, including labor, throughput, capex, margin, and scalability considerations
- Exercise strong judgment operating in tradeoff‑heavy environments, balancing speed, quality, consistency, complexity, and cost to deliver solutions that work in restaurants
- Proven track record of leading pilots and tests in real restaurant environments, with a clear understanding of the gap between lab concepts and field‑ready, operationally viable solutions
- Practical, operator‑minded approach to innovation, with an ability to identify when ideas that look strong on paper do not scale operationally or economically and adjust course accordingly
- Excellent communication, organizational, and influence skills, including translating complex ideas into clear, executive‑ready narratives and driving alignment across cross‑functional leaders and franchisee stakeholders without direct authority in a fast-paced, matrixed organization
- Strong project and program management capability, partnering effectively with Engineering, Product Development, and Operations with clarity on shared ownership, handoffs, decision rights, prioritization, and risk management.
Benefits
- Hybrid work schedule (onsite expectation Tues, Wed, Thurs) and year-round flex day Friday
- Onsite childcare through Bright Horizons
- Onsite dining center and game room (yes, there is a Taco Bell inside the building)
- Onsite dry cleaning, laundry services, and carwash
- Onsite gym with fitness classes and personal trainer sessions
- Up to 4 weeks of vacation per year plus holidays and time off for volunteering
- Generous parental leave for all new parents and adoption assistance program
- 401(k) with a 6% matching contribution from Yum! Brands with immediate vesting
- Comprehensive medical & dental including prescription drug benefits and 100% preventive care
- Discounts, free food, swag and… honestly, too many good benefits to name
Applicant Tracking System Keywords
Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.
Hard Skills & Tools
kitchen operationsrestaurant innovationbusiness case developmentP&L impact analysisproject managementprogram managementtest planningdata analysisoperational scalabilityreal-world testing
Soft Skills
communicationorganizational skillsinfluence skillsjudgmentproblem-solvingcross-functional collaborationadaptabilityleadershipstrategic thinkingalignment driving
Certifications
Bachelor's degreeMaster's degree (preferred)