To assist with commercialization documentation and support the process of commercializing or updating new and existing food or beverage products for the US market, ensuring products are developed in a manner that is operationally feasible in our restaurants. To support all stakeholders in bringing new and existing products to market by working with suppliers, distributors, co-packers, plants, and internal cross-functional teams represented by Culinary, Marketing, QA, SC, and Operations. Work with approved distributors and suppliers on optimizing the costs of goods.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supports commercialization documentation creation, review, and approval processes (specification manuals, labels, ingredient specifications, project reports) for the category of responsibility.

• Coordinates regular ingredient and product reviews of bench and production samples with cross-functional teams to ensure that the conceptual goals of the project are met during the scale-up process.

• Assists with some product development and ingredient testing/validation across categories.

• Provides support to the culinary team in investigating new product concepts to determine ideal pathways for product commercialization including Regulatory claims substantiation.

• Conducts product evaluations to assess product manufacturing capability through measurements and the use of basic lab instruments.

• Provides input into key procurement decisions on ingredient substitution to ensure supply and mitigate obsolescence.

• Utilizes project management tools and disciplines to complete project assignments and meet deadlines.

• Management of retained samples (dry and refrigerated/frozen storage)

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATIONS

• 4 Year Degree in Culinary Arts, Science, Food Science, or Food Engineering degrees preferred.

• Minimum 1-3 years experience with food product development in QA, R&D, Commercialization, Food Engineering, or Food Product Development.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, OR ABILITIES

• Strong Communication and Problem Solving/Troubleshooting skills

• Technical Skills - computer competency and analytical skills including Excel, Word, PowerPoint

• Functional Technical Skills may include specific industry/category knowledge (i.e., logistics, commodities, ingredients, purchasing, distribution, forecasting, relationship management, etc.)

• Organizational Skills/Process Management - the ability to manage an extensive project list of at least 20-25 projects at various stages of completion.

• Ability to build effective relationships

• Knowledge of regulatory requirements and ability to commercialize products in a wide variety of food categories (i.e. dairy, bakery, beverages, toppings, confectionery, etc.)

Inspire Brands is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes nearly 32,000 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC Drive-In 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.