Director - Culinary Innovation, Sonic

Location: Atlanta Support Center, United States; up to 50% travel may be required for taste testing and vendor work.

Company

hirify.global is a multi-brand restaurant company operating more than 33,300 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC restaurants worldwide.

What you will do

• Lead SONIC’s culinary innovation agenda and develop a consumer-relevant pipeline across core menu items, platforms, beverages, limited-time offers, and ingredients.
• Own product development from concept through testing, validation, commercialization, and launch.
• Translate consumer, market, and business insights into differentiated menu solutions.
• Partner with Operations, Training, Supply Chain, Commercialization, Quality Assurance, Equipment, Marketing, Category Management, and Consumer Insights.
• Manage product specifications, recipes, documentation, priorities, resources, timelines, budgets, and vendor relationships.
• Lead, coach, and develop the culinary team while strengthening innovation capabilities and processes.

Requirements

• Four-year degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in culinary or product development; QSR culinary development experience is highly preferred.
• Experience with ingredients, product development processes, specifications, and recipe writing.
• Ability to manage 50–75+ projects at different stages in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, organization, prioritization, project management, and decision-making skills.
• Proficiency with Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and other relevant software.

Culture & Benefits

• Open-concept office environment.
• Leadership role overseeing the culinary team.
• Work includes taste testing and vendor collaboration, with up to 50% travel.
• Culture focused on creativity, accountability, continuous improvement, and intelligent change.