Our Opportunity
Restaurant Brands International (RBI) is searching for a Director of New Product Development & Commercialization to drive culinary innovation, product localization, and scalability through commercialization initiatives with suppliers in all international regions. This role provides technical support and expertise to our global Culinary, Quality, and Procurement teams, assisting in the execution of culinary and procurement strategies across RBI’s esteemed brands, including Burger King, Popeyes, Tim Hortons, and Firehouse Subs.
The successful candidate will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including Innovation, Marketing, Quality Assurance, Procurement, Operations, and suppliers. This role will transform culinary benchtop products into commercially viable, high-quality menu items that can be successfully executed and replicated in multiple markets.
Your Roles & Responsibilities
Product Commercialization
- Commercialize culinary products for New Country Entries (NCEs), new product innovations, and core product improvements.
- Demonstrate expertise in ingredient functionality and application to support product quality, consistency, and operational efficiency.
- Attend trial production runs and assist suppliers in scaling up RBI branded products.
- Assess supplier manufacturing readiness, process capability, and scale-up risks to ensure successful commercialization and launch execution.
- Complete statistical process control assessments and data analysis to support the technical development of processing specifications.
- Identify process optimization opportunities to enhance consistency, yield, quality, and cost performance.
Product Launch Execution
- Assist in executing the launch of new and existing menu items from concept through rollout across applicable regions.
- Collaborate with suppliers and internal teams to evaluate ingredient functionality, formulate adjustments, and assess manufacturing capabilities.
- Ensure products meet brand culinary expectations while being operationally executable in restaurant environments.
Supplier Collaboration & Culinary Insights
- Lead technical discussions with supplier leadership teams to foster continuous improvement in product quality, innovation, and operational efficiency.
- Work alongside supplier culinary and R&D teams to explore new or alternative ingredients, processes, and product taste enhancements.
- Oversee specification development activities in collaboration with Quality Assurance and Procurement teams.
Cross-Functional Support
- Partner with Regional (EMEA, LAC, APAC) Innovation and Marketing teams to translate consumer insights into product development opportunities.
- Support Operations teams in validating preparation methods, equipment settings, and holding procedures.
- Collaborate with Procurement to assess sourcing options, supplier capabilities, and ingredient substitutions impacting commercialization projects.
- Assist in developing and refining ingredient specifications with Quality Assurance.
- Align with Procurement and Quality Assurance to ensure commercialization decisions support supply continuity, cost objectives, and quality standards.
Project & Test Kitchen Support
- Facilitate coordination of culinary testing, supplier engagement, and product validation.
- Support internal culinary demonstrations, product testing sessions, and innovation workshops.
- Help track innovation and commercialization projects across various markets and brands.
Commercialization & Risk Management
- Identify technical, manufacturing, and supply chain risks associated with new product launches and develop mitigation strategies.
- Assist in supplier validation and approval activities for new products and ingredients.
- Support dual sourcing and contingency planning initiatives where necessary.
Your Skills & Experience
- Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Nutrition, or related fields.
- Over 10 years of experience in food commercialization, food manufacturing, or QSR innovation, with a proven track record in leading projects from concept to launch.
- A culinary foundation with a strong interest in food science, ingredient functionality, and product development, with experience in a commercial kitchen, culinary lab, or food innovation environment.
- Demonstrated ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders across internal functions, franchise organizations, and supplier partners.
- Familiarity with recipe development, product prototyping, and culinary testing methods.
- Understanding of food manufacturing or large-scale foodservice operations.
- Experience working directly with food manufacturers, co-packers, and ingredient suppliers to commercialize products at scale.
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Passion for global cuisines and emerging food trends.
- Fluent in English, both written and spoken; additional language skills in Spanish, French, German, or Portuguese are advantageous.
- Willingness to travel up to 40% of the time during certain periods.
Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.