director, Culinary Innovation

Starbucks Coffee Company is a globally recognized coffeehouse chain known not only for its high-quality coffee but also for creating a unique sense of community and connection around the world. Founded with the goal of being a different kind of company, Starbucks has grown into a leading multinational brand that places a strong emphasis on the rich traditions of coffee culture and exceptional customer experiences. The company is also celebrated for its leadership development programs and its commitment to social responsibility, diversity, and inclusivity. Starbucks values passionate leaders who are guided by their dedication to serving others, ensuring the highest standards in product quality and customer engagement throughout its global operations.

The Director of Culinary Innovation at Starbucks plays a pivotal role in driving the company's success by leading the innovation and advancement of new food products from concept to early commercialization stages. This is an executive-level position that requires a combination of creative culinary expertise and scientific knowledge, alongside strong business acumen and strategic vision aligned with Starbucks' business priorities. The director is responsible for overseeing the end-to-end product design process, setting a compelling long-term vision for culinary innovation that aligns with brand goals while managing cross-functional teams and partnerships both internally and externally.

In this role, the Director will champion culinary excellence by identifying current trends, sensory inspirations, and translating these into scalable and commercially viable product concepts. They lead product development through close collaboration with research and development (R&D), quality assurance, packaging, regulatory, and operations teams, ensuring all food products meet safety and manufacturing standards. This position requires the ability to build high-performing, inclusive teams, foster a culture of innovation, and effectively communicate with senior leaders to influence strategic decision-making.

The Director balances creativity with operational rigor, applying human-centered design principles and leveraging consumer insights to innovate in a way that meets both customer expectations and business objectives. They also maintain strong relationships with suppliers and external development partners to co-create innovative ingredients, technologies, and processes that uphold Starbucks' rigorous standards. Hands-on involvement in benchtop development — including formulation, prototyping, sensory evaluation, and process exploration — is essential for this role.

Starbucks offers a full suite of benefits for this role, including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, paid parental leave, vacation, sick time, holidays, and personal days. They also provide robust retirement and equity programs, educational opportunities such as full tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor's degree through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, and other financial well-being tools. This role operates onsite four days a week and is suited for someone who thrives in a collaborative, dynamic environment where innovation meets operational excellence. Starbucks is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion and provides accommodations for applicants with disabilities.