Director, Culinary Innovation & Sourcing

Position Summary

The Director of Culinary Innovation & Sourcing is responsible for defining and delivering Circle K’s culinary vision across Prepared Foods, Fresh Foods, and QSR-adjacent offers. This role leads culinary innovation, recipe and product development, ingredient sourcing strategy, and supplier collaboration to ensure Circle K delivers differentiated, high-quality, and operationally executable food programs at scale.

This role partners closely with Food category leadership, Quality Assurance, Procurement, Supply Chain, and Operations to bring innovation from concept through commercialization while maintaining strict standards for food safety, quality, and consistency. Also, any additional duties as assigned.

Key Responsibilities

Culinary Strategy & Innovation

• Define Circle K’s culinary vision and innovation roadmap across Foodservice platforms
• Lead ideation, development, and testing of new recipes, products, and menu concepts
• Identify emerging culinary trends and translate them into scalable offers
• Partner with Food category leaders on long-term portfolio evolution

Product & Recipe Development

• Oversee end-to-end product development from concept through commercialization
• Develop standardized recipes, specifications, and preparation methods
• Ensure products meet taste, quality, cost, shelf-life, and execution requirements
• Lead product cuttings, sensory evaluations, and operator feedback sessions

Sourcing & Supplier Collaboration

• Partner with Procurement to define ingredient and supplier sourcing strategies
• Collaborate with suppliers on ingredient selection, reformulation, and innovation
• Support cost optimization while maintaining culinary integrity
• Evaluate and approve new suppliers and ingredients with QA and FSQA partners

Cross-Functional Execution

• Partner with Category, Training, and Operations teams to support execution
• Support development of preparation guides, training materials, and tools
• Participate in pilots, tests, and phased rollouts
• Conduct field visits to validate product quality and execution

Safety, Quality & Standards

• Ensure compliance with FSQA, HACCP, and regulatory requirements
• Partner with QA to maintain safety, quality, and supplier compliance
• Embed safety and quality into all stages of innovation and sourcing

Qualifications

Required

• 8+ years of experience in culinary innovation, product development, or food sourcing
• Experience in multi-unit foodservice, QSR, retail food, or CPG environments
• Strong understanding of ingredient sourcing and commercialization processes
• Proven cross-functional collaboration skills
• Experience scaling food programs across large networks
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Willingness to travel up to 60%

Preferred

• Culinary degree or food science background
• Experience with national or global food manufacturers
• Private-label or proprietary brand experience
• Familiarity with food safety audits and regulatory frameworks

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Circle K is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The Company complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA) and all state and local disability laws.  Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under the terms of the ADA and certain state or local laws as long as it does not impose an undue hardship on the Company. Please inform the Company’s Human Resources Representative if you need assistance completing any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process.

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