Manager, Culinary Innovation - Beverage - Sonic (Food & Beverage)

Location: Atlanta Support Center, United States

Company

A multi-brand restaurant company operating more than 33,000 restaurants across iconic food and beverage brands worldwide.

What you will do

• Lead the development and launch of new beverages and frozen products across segments and dayparts.
• Manage product builds, prototype improvements, vendor collaboration, and commercialization activities.
• Partner with marketing, operations, procurement, commercialization, quality assurance, and brand teams.
• Develop product specifications, raw-material requirements, and accurate food and paper formulas.
• Lead product taste tests and product showings, presenting recommendations based on consumer and stakeholder feedback.
• Manage the Product Innovation segment of the Product Lifecycle Management system and support product showcase events.

Requirements

• Associate degree in culinary arts or a food-related field required; a bachelor's degree in Culinary, Culinary Science, or Food Science is preferred.
• 3–5 years of experience in culinary or product development required; QSR culinary development experience is highly preferred.
• Strong food and beverage development, presentation, communication, project management, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, changing environment with limited supervision.
• Strong creativity, attention to detail, decision-making, multitasking, and follow-through skills.
• Proficiency in Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and other relevant software.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time position in an open-concept support-center office environment.
• Collaborative work with multiple restaurant brands and cross-functional teams.
• Opportunities to present products to senior management, franchisees, shareholders, and other stakeholders.
• Emphasis on innovation, teamwork, intelligent change, and consumer-focused food experiences.