Manager, Product Development Commercialization

$111,000 - $154,500/Yr

Chipotle - Newport Beach, CA

Full-time - Mid Level

Newport Beach, CA

Food Services and Drinking Places

About the position

The Culinary Innovation Manager at Chipotle plays a pivotal role in managing the Culinary Test Kitchen, overseeing Consumer Testing, and leading the Commercialization (Scale-up) Process for menu innovation efforts. This position is responsible for the end-to-end management of the ideation, development, and commercialization of food and beverage items for Chipotle's core menu and innovation initiatives. The role requires collaboration with external vendor partners and internal cross-functional teams to ensure that new menu items meet the company's high standards and are successfully brought to market. In this role, you will be a key partner in supporting all Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) core menu commercial projects, both domestically and internationally. You will manage new ingredient testing, including hold, yield, and portioning, as well as new ingredient validation for menu innovation. Additionally, you will be accountable for alternate vendor testing, validation, and approval processes for new menu items. The position also involves managing a team of direct and indirect reports, which includes overseeing consumer testing and the culinary test kitchen operations. Collaboration is essential in this role, as you will work closely with Culinary R&D chefs to ensure that core menu items meet CMG standards. You will also drive innovation sessions, including internal showcases and external presentations. Furthermore, you will collaborate with various cross-functional partners, including Marketing, Supply Chain, FSQA (Food Safety and Quality Assurance), Training, and Consumer Insight Teams, to ensure the successful launch of new menu items.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Culinary Test Kitchen and oversee Consumer Testing and Commercialization processes for menu innovation.
• Support all CMG Core menu commercial projects domestically and internationally.
• Manage new ingredient testing and validation for new menu innovation.
• Accountable for alternate vendor testing, validation, and approval for new menu items.
• Manage a team of direct and indirect reports, including accountability for Consumer Testing and Culinary Test Kitchen management.
• Partner with Culinary R&D chefs to ensure core menu items meet CMG standards and drive innovation sessions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners including Marketing, Supply Chain, FSQA, Training, and Consumer Insight Teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree (BA/BS) from a 4-year college or university required; degree in Food Science or Culinary preferred.
• 8 years of experience in the Food and Beverage Industry required.
• 1-3 years of supervisory experience.
• Knowledge of food manufacturing with an emphasis on commercialized processes for cooking proteins, kettle-cooked sauces, fresh salsas, and bakery/tortilla products.
• Ability to create technical specifications for process controls and organoleptic properties that ensure consistency across processes.
• Ability to manage commercialization trials at vendor partners and provide clear expectations of success criteria and thorough reports of trial results.
• Knowledge of service restaurants and their related support needs required.
• Project Management Training, Servsafe, and Culinology certification preferred.
• Experience working in BOH in restaurants and traveling to vendor facilities.

Nice-to-haves

• Project Management Training
• Servsafe certification
• Culinology certification

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401k
• Sick leave
• Vacation time
• Annual cash bonuses
• Equity awards based on performance