To lead a team and process of commercializing new food and beverage products for the international markets in accordance with Inspire International strategic business targets, Brand Marketing calendars, and Supply Chain optimization plans and market regulation and operational requirements.
To support all stakeholders in bringing new and changed existing products to market by managing supplier relationships and acting as the key brand contact between all constituents, both external (i.e. suppliers, distributors, co-packers, plants, and licensees) and cross functional project teams (i.e. Culinary, Brand teams, QA, Manufacturing and Operations.) Work with Inspire International supply chain, logistics and suppliers to ensure we deliver a timely and uninterrupted source of supply, and optimal costs of goods.
To oversee market specific food additive, nutritional and food labelling regulatory intelligence and development of regulatory & religious certification compliance solutions within the International Supply Chain Organization
This position sits within our Atlanta based Global Support Center with an expectation to be onsite 80% of the time.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develops, supervises, coordinates, prioritizes, and communicates commercialization projects from development through to after action review.
- Build, develop and manage a team that supports all commercialization related initiatives.
- Leads project execution with cross functional teams from moment of culinary bench approval to supplier delivery including communicating supplier capability, MOQ and all other product information required for item set-up in Internal procurement management and financial systems.
- Supports new supplier discovery and due diligence, assesses supplier capability and production cost parameters. Works with Supply Chain and Quality Assurance to support Supplier facility Approval.
- Supports strategic cost and supply chain optimization (examples include local sourcing/JV/compliance reformulation/ingredient substitution/process optimization/Mfg best practice implementation/contingency development) based on Supply Chain priorities and requirements.
- Other duties as assigned.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATIONS
- 4-Year degree in Food Science/Food Engineering.
- 5 years of food manufacturing, production, research and development, quality assurance, regulatory and compliance or related food industry role.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS or ABILITIES
- Specific industry/category knowledge (i.e., food manufacturing, product development, ingredients, regulatory and compliance, relationship management, etc.)
- Product formula/recipe specification creation.
- Primary food processing methodologies, equipment, and controls.
- Principles of Food cost accounting
- Principles of quality and food safety risk assessment and management
- US and International food safety regulation
- Managing direct reports
- Negotiation and influencing
- Relationship development
- Principles and practice of change management
- Principles and applied application of continuous improvement
- Systems development and deployment in food manufacturing industry
- Data analysis
- Project management
- Technical writing
- Interaction with Regulators
- Communication at all levels and across cultures
- Prioritization and organization
- Critical thinking
- Problem solving
- Global Mindset
DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY
- Supplier Approval
- Product Approval
- Work assignment and prioritization within team
- Team Travel
DIRECT REPORTS
TRAVEL REQUIRED
- Frequent travel to international and domestic destinations as required by the business.
Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,000 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC restaurants worldwide.
We’re made up of some of the world’s most iconic restaurant brands, but we’re much more than just a restaurant company. We’re a team of hundreds of thousands who individually and collectively are changing the way people eat, drink, and gather around the table. We know that food is much more than a staple—it’s an experience. At Inspire, that’s our purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences.