Food & Beverage Innovation Consultant – Beverage focus

Company Description

At McDonald’s, we are committed to being the best, and that starts with finding the best people. We have built a team of extraordinary people from around the world. We are problem solvers, risk takers, innovators, and thought leaders that take our work seriously, but have fun doing it. We challenge ourselves to get smarter and sharper every day, we value personal and professional growth, and believe in rewarding and celebrating our successes.

Job Description

Position title:Food & Beverage Innovation Consultant – Beverage focus
Department:Menu Innovation and Management
Reports to:Food & Beverage Innovation Manager
Type of position:Full-time, 12 month Contract

The Opportunity

Our Menu Innovation and Management Team are passionate about food & beverages and committed to constantly improving our menu for our guest. We are committed to exciting our guests with our food and experience with the goal of strengthening the McDonald’s brand position in the market

We currently have an opportunity for a Food & Beverage Innovation Consultant in the Menu Innovation & Management Department. This position requires you to work with the culinary manager and other innovation consultants to work with suppliers to develop new innovation ideas to build a future pipeline for McDonald’s menu.

What’s in it for you?

This is an unparalleled opportunity to join a winning organization during an exciting time of transformational change. You will gain exposure across all levels of the organization, from your team members to the Executives and Franchisees. You are looking for a company with a winning culture where you can grow in depth and breadth while making a tangible impact on strategic initiatives.

Who you are?

If you thrive in a fast-paced and exciting environment where you will see the impact of your work in month’s not years, then this role is for you!

If you like to explore, invent and inspire – we are looking for someone who wants to be part of an ambitious team to work with the culinary and development leads to drive our food ambition.

Principal Accountabilities:

Leadership

• Develops innovative and relevant menu recipes to support the marketing plans that drive business.
• Manages a developing pool of Suppliers through, chef team, trend agencies and supplier account managers
• Supports the development, execution, evaluation and continuous improvement of all menu ingredients and recipes

People Relationships

• Help coach the current Menu Management team, building their technical and influencing skills, and develop them for future opportunities within the system.
• Builds strong relationships and fosters teamwork :
  • among Canadian leadership team, Owner/Operators, cross functional teams – Marketing, National Operations, Strategy and Insights, Supply Chain, Quality Systems, Communications, Legal
  • among the suppliers
  • among the Global teams – Menu, Marketing and Supply Chain

Process Management

• Leads the development, testing and execution of food & beverage projects, permanent and promotional, staying abreast of emerging trends in the IEO markets and beyond
• Develops longer term product pipelines based on categories plans and company Food & Beverage Strategy.
• Liaise with equipment and operations on future equipment development in line with the company Strategy.
• Works with the Menu operations team to ensure robust testing and execution of all products.
• Supports and manage product and ingredients improvements to meet our Food Quality Strategy.
• Liaises with McDonald’s Menu Management teams in Global markets and support on global projects.
• Ensures the consistency of development to meet brief and suppliers meet McDonald’s standards.

Core competencies:

The successful candidate must display the following core competencies:

• Stand with the Customer
• Inspire Others to Shine
• Collaborate Across Boundaries
• Focus on a Shared Purpose
• Seek New Ways

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and qualifications:

• Minimum 4+ years of experience working in Food & Beverage Development or culinary development
• Bachelor degree in a food/beverage related subject or culinary equivalent
• Must be a natural leader with a strong desire to learn and the ability to inspire and influence at all levels
• Must be able to lead many development/optimization initiatives at the same time.
• Excellent palette for tasting
• Project Management Skills
• Keen interest and desire to learn from consumer research
• Good cost development knowledge

Additional Information

McDonald’s Canada and Owner/Operators are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace for all. Our workplaces have a long-standing policy of providing fair, equitable, and accessible opportunities for all employees and prospective employees. Accommodations during the application process are available upon request.