RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, DEL TACO

Core Menu Development Leader

This role leads the strategic execution of the core menu, including writing strategic project briefs to align cross-functional partners, product design and experimentation, leveraging consumer insights throughout development, commercializing with cross functional and supplier partners, and presenting progress to leadership for feedback and alignment throughout the NPD process. Responsible to play a key role in core innovation and delivering quality standards.

Key Duties / Responsibilities :

• Creates Marketing and Research & Development plans and timelines and leads implementation for core development.
• Develops project plans including key tasks and milestones to meet project due dates.
• Contributes to an innovative, curiosity-driven, food forward mindset in the organization by leading and coaching other employees in R&D best practices such as developing a culinary gold standard, writing a strategic culinary project brief, writing a product specification, determining and entering nutritional data, and basic experimental design.
• Independently designs, develops, and tests core product projects (renovation, innovation, or margin improvement) to ensure they meet ideal customer experience in restaurant including hold time, temperature, product yields, shelf life, texture, etc.
• Independently leads the development and alignment of core product culinary briefs, gold standards, and specifications to ensure high quality standards throughout commercialization.
• Partners with Finance to determine cost for new products.
• Collaborates effectively with cross functional partners and suppliers (Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, Consumer Insights, Finance) to move projects forward and to work through identified issues.
• Presents product updates to key stakeholders.
• Accesses emerging culinary and industry trends to explore ways to apply the learning to Del Taco projects.
• Performs other related duties, tasks, and responsibilities as required, assigned, and directed.

Qualifications :

Reasonable Accommodation :

Jack in the Box, Inc. and its affiliates will make reasonable accommodations to allow a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities and to perform the essential functions of the job. This position description should be applied accordingly. This description of duties is not intended to be all-inclusive or to limit management's discretion to assign other duties or responsibilities as necessary.

The range for this position is $90,000-$127,000 and is based on an employee located at our corporate headquarters in Lake Forest. If the candidate is hired in a different city to work remote, we will apply a geographic pay differential based on the cost of labor in the market in which the employee resides.