Job Overview
Employment Type
Full-time
Work Schedule
Standard Hours
Flexible
Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Paid Time Off
Retirement Plan
Employee Discounts
Professional development opportunities
Flexible work schedule
Job Description
Chick-fil-A, Inc., commonly referred to as Chick-fil-A, is a prominent American fast-food restaurant chain specializing in chicken sandwiches. Founded in 1946, Chick-fil-A has grown into one of the most successful and recognized brands in the quick-service restaurant industry, known not only for its delicious food but also for its commitment to customer service and community involvement. The company prides itself on fostering a positive and inclusive work environment, promoting teamwork, innovation, and continuous learning among its staff members. Chick-fil-A emphasizes values such as seeking wisdom, expecting the best, accepting responsibility, responding with courage, and prioritizing others. The company operates with a unique Flexible Futures Model that blends in-person collaboration at least 8-10 days a month with virtual work, enhancing its culture and community connection.
The Sr. Culinary Lead position within Chick-fil-A is a critical role located on the Menu and Packaging Team in the Marketing department. This role focuses on Menu and Supply Chain innovation projects, striving to cultivate remarkable food offerings that build customer trust and enhance brand value. The Sr. Culinary Lead is responsible for developing new menu items, improving existing offerings, and ensuring these items meet rigorous quality and operational standards. With a heavy emphasis on innovation, this role requires a proactive and self-directed individual who can provide insightful and creative solutions to drive business growth while maintaining the integrity and appeal of the Chick-fil-A brand.
This senior-level culinary position demands expertise in food science and culinary development, particularly within a quick-service restaurant environment. The successful candidate will lead a variety of projects—from conceptual menu development to optimizing production methods and costs in collaboration with the Supply Chain Innovation team. Hands-on experience and the ability to navigate operational realities in restaurants, manufacturing, and supplier facilities are essential to this role. The Sr. Culinary Lead also serves as a subject matter expert, communicating effectively with internal and external partners, including senior leadership and restaurant operators, to ensure alignment and excellence in product execution.
Additional responsibilities include leading field tests, product showings, and customer taste tests to validate new creations before chainwide launches. This position requires an ongoing commitment to staying current with food trends and industry developments, attending workshops, engaging in professional networks, and benchmarking best practices. The Sr. Culinary Lead is also tasked with simplifying food production processes to enhance operational feasibility and team member experience while safeguarding product quality.
Chick-fil-A strives for continuous growth and development among its staff, encouraging innovative thinking and a passion for exceeding customer expectations. This role exemplifies that mission by blending culinary expertise with strategic leadership and operational insight. The Sr. Culinary Lead plays a vital part in shaping the future of the company’s menu and supply chain capabilities, ensuring Chick-fil-A remains a leader in the highly competitive fast-food sector. The position requires a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Food & Beverage Management, or Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering, and offers opportunities to influence projects at an enterprise-wide level, impacting various leadership teams and operational units throughout the organization. This is a full-time role with an expectation of up to 20 percent travel, supporting Chick-fil-A’s commitment to innovation and excellence in food service.
The Sr. Culinary Lead position within Chick-fil-A is a critical role located on the Menu and Packaging Team in the Marketing department. This role focuses on Menu and Supply Chain innovation projects, striving to cultivate remarkable food offerings that build customer trust and enhance brand value. The Sr. Culinary Lead is responsible for developing new menu items, improving existing offerings, and ensuring these items meet rigorous quality and operational standards. With a heavy emphasis on innovation, this role requires a proactive and self-directed individual who can provide insightful and creative solutions to drive business growth while maintaining the integrity and appeal of the Chick-fil-A brand.
This senior-level culinary position demands expertise in food science and culinary development, particularly within a quick-service restaurant environment. The successful candidate will lead a variety of projects—from conceptual menu development to optimizing production methods and costs in collaboration with the Supply Chain Innovation team. Hands-on experience and the ability to navigate operational realities in restaurants, manufacturing, and supplier facilities are essential to this role. The Sr. Culinary Lead also serves as a subject matter expert, communicating effectively with internal and external partners, including senior leadership and restaurant operators, to ensure alignment and excellence in product execution.
Additional responsibilities include leading field tests, product showings, and customer taste tests to validate new creations before chainwide launches. This position requires an ongoing commitment to staying current with food trends and industry developments, attending workshops, engaging in professional networks, and benchmarking best practices. The Sr. Culinary Lead is also tasked with simplifying food production processes to enhance operational feasibility and team member experience while safeguarding product quality.
Chick-fil-A strives for continuous growth and development among its staff, encouraging innovative thinking and a passion for exceeding customer expectations. This role exemplifies that mission by blending culinary expertise with strategic leadership and operational insight. The Sr. Culinary Lead plays a vital part in shaping the future of the company’s menu and supply chain capabilities, ensuring Chick-fil-A remains a leader in the highly competitive fast-food sector. The position requires a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Food & Beverage Management, or Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering, and offers opportunities to influence projects at an enterprise-wide level, impacting various leadership teams and operational units throughout the organization. This is a full-time role with an expectation of up to 20 percent travel, supporting Chick-fil-A’s commitment to innovation and excellence in food service.
Job Requirements
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
- Minimum of 4 years of culinary development experience
- Proven experience in quick service restaurant food production
- Strong culinary and technical skills
- Ability to work independently and take initiative
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills
- Willingness to travel up to 20 percent
- Ability to maintain confidentiality
- Commitment to Chick-fil-A's values and culture
Job Qualifications
- Mastery of fundamental culinary techniques
- Strong technical understanding of food production particularly in a quick service restaurant environment
- Successful track record of creating, developing and executing new menu items in a restaurant environment
- Demonstrates contagious energy and passion for food and the Chick-fil-A brand
- Ability to think critically about issues and opportunities and identify solutions and options
- Experience in designing and executing experiments, processes, sensory or consumer testing
- Strong communication skills to present to senior leadership and to work effectively with internal and external international business partners
- Commitment to maintain and guard confidential proprietary company information
- Proficient at project management
Job Duties
- Drive growth through leading new menu development projects and protecting the core menu
- Lead development of cost improvement solutions in partnership with Supply Chain Innovation while maintaining or improving quality
- Manage projects including conceptualizing, designing, developing, and evaluating menu item solutions
- Work autonomously to drive outcomes while managing relationships with suppliers and internal and external partners
- Lead complex projects as a subject matter expert ensuring stakeholders are informed and aligned and that restaurant operator and customer expectations are met
- Develop recipes or applications and convert them to final formulations for products and production
- Coordinate field tests in Chick-fil-A restaurants and analyze results prior to chainwide launch
- Organize and lead product showings and customer taste tests
- Work hands-on in kitchen/R&D facilities, restaurants, supplier, or manufacturing locations
- Design food production methods and integrate simplification techniques ensuring operational feasibility and culinary standards
- Engage with Chick-fil-A restaurants, learning from operators and team members on operational opportunities
- Explore and stay abreast of food trends and marketplace changes
- Maintain professional and technical knowledge via educational workshops, professional publications, personal networks, benchmarking, and participation in professional societies
- Demonstrate enterprise-wide thinking and decision-making skills
- Present content and recipes to multiple levels of leadership including executive committee, strategy teams, operators, and team members
Job Criteria
Experience
Expert Level (7+ years)
Job Location
Your Profile Is Visible To Hiring Managers Across OysterLink.
We'll match you with best jobs
Get job offers faster
Search For More Opportunities:
How Candidates Get Hired Faster
Apply to 2–3 similar roles
Complete profile & get best matches
Check new opportunities daily
