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Director Culinary Innovation Jobs in Georgia (NOW HIRING)

Preserve Life Corp

Pastry Chef

Douglasville, GA

$20 - $28/hr

Career path to Head Pastry Chef, Culinary Innovation Lead, or Education Director * Continuing education support in nutrition, pastry, and wellness certifications * Access to wellness programs and ...

Preserve Life Corp

Pastry Chef

Douglasville, GA

$20 - $28/hr

Career path to Head Pastry Chef, Culinary Innovation Lead, or Education Director * Continuing education support in nutrition, pastry, and wellness certifications * Access to wellness programs and ...

Preserve Life Corp

Pastry Chef

Douglasville, GA · On-site

$20 - $28/hr

Career path to Head Pastry Chef, Culinary Innovation Lead, or Education Director * Continuing education support in nutrition, pastry, and wellness certifications * Access to wellness programs and ...

Parker Hospitality

Executive Chef - Atlanta

Dunwoody, GA · On-site

$70K - $96K/yr

The Executive Chef will collaborate with venue leadership and Regional Directors to uphold brand ... Enhance operational efficiency/improve guest satisfaction through culinary innovation/process ...

Parker Hospitality

Executive Chef - Atlanta

Dunwoody, GA

$70K - $96K/yr

The Executive Chef will collaborate with venue leadership and Regional Directors to uphold brand ... Enhance operational efficiency/improve guest satisfaction through culinary innovation/process ...

Comunidadlift

Director, Performance Nutrition

Atlanta, GA · On-site

$140 - $210/hr

... innovation. Primary Responsibilities Leadership, Culinary Operations & Network Management * Lead and oversee U.S. Soccer's Performance Nutrition & Culinary Services strategy across all National Team ...

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All JobsCulinary Innovation JobsDirector Culinary Innovation JobsDirector Culinary Innovation Jobs in Georgia

Director Culinary Innovation information

See Georgia salary details

$22.7K

$82K

$180.5K

How much do director culinary innovation jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for director culinary innovation in Georgia is $82,040.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $52,500.00 and $105,400.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a director of culinary innovation?

To thrive as a Director of Culinary Innovation, you need extensive culinary expertise, menu development experience, and a degree in culinary arts or a related field. Familiarity with food safety standards, R&D processes, and kitchen management systems is typically required, along with certifications such as ServSafe. Creativity, leadership, and strong communication skills set standout candidates apart by enabling effective team collaboration and trend-setting ideation. These skills are crucial to successfully leading culinary teams, developing market-responsive menus, and ensuring operational excellence.

What does a director of culinary innovation do?

A Director of Culinary Innovation leads the development of new food concepts, recipes, and menu items within a restaurant group, food company, or hospitality organization. They research food trends, collaborate with chefs and product developers, and oversee the testing and implementation of new culinary offerings. This role combines creativity with business strategy to ensure that new menu items are both appealing to customers and aligned with the brand's goals. Additionally, they may work closely with marketing, supply chain, and operations teams to ensure successful product launches and consistent quality.

How does a director of culinary innovation typically collaborate with other departments within a food service organization?

A Director of Culinary Innovation frequently partners with teams such as marketing, supply chain, and operations to ensure new menu items align with brand strategy, ingredient availability, and kitchen workflows. This role often leads cross-functional meetings to gather feedback, address operational concerns, and refine recipes based on input from chefs, nutritionists, and customer insights teams. Effective collaboration is essential to successfully launch innovative concepts that are both exciting for customers and feasible for large-scale implementation.

What is the difference between Director Culinary Innovation vs Executive Chef?

AspectDirector Culinary InnovationExecutive Chef
Primary FocusDeveloping new culinary concepts, product innovation, and culinary strategyOverseeing kitchen operations, menu creation, and food preparation
Work EnvironmentCorporate kitchens, R&D labs, product development settingsRestaurant kitchens, hotel kitchens, culinary establishments
CredentialsOften requires culinary degree, experience in innovation or R&DCulinary degree, extensive kitchen experience, culinary certifications
Industry UsageCommon in food manufacturing, hospitality chains, and corporate food servicesPrimarily in restaurants, hotels, and culinary establishments

The main difference is that the Director of Culinary Innovation focuses on creating new culinary concepts and product development within a corporate or industry setting, while the Executive Chef manages daily kitchen operations and menu execution in a restaurant or hospitality environment. Both roles require culinary expertise, but their responsibilities and work environments differ significantly.

What are the most commonly searched types of Culinary Innovation jobs in Georgia? The most popular types of Culinary Innovation jobs in Georgia are:
What are popular job titles related to Director Culinary Innovation jobs in Georgia? For Director Culinary Innovation jobs in Georgia, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Director Culinary Innovation jobs in Georgia look for? The top searched job categories for Director Culinary Innovation jobs in Georgia are:
What cities in Georgia are hiring for Director Culinary Innovation jobs? Cities in Georgia with the most Director Culinary Innovation job openings:
Director Culinary Innovation jobs near you
Infographic showing various Director Culinary Innovation job openings in Georgia as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $82,040 per year, or $39.4 per hour.

Culinary Innovation Manager (Sonic)

Sonic

Atlanta, GA

Full-time

Re-posted 8 hours ago

Sonic Drive-In rating

4.6

Company rating: 4.6 out of 10

Based on 1,624 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

86th of 106 rated fast food restaurants

Job description

The Culinary Innovation Manager should bring a creative viewpoint to all new product development, while delivering relevant food and beverage concepts to the SONIC guest.  This position will lead and manage product development of new products and execution of strategic initiatives as it relates to all segments and dayparts from concept approval to product launch, including bringing concepts to life through consumer and in-store testing. It will be critical for this role to partner with cross-functional teams to deliver products that best meet successful criteria for consumer, operations & financial goals.


Responsibilities:

  • Support the Product Innovation team and Director of Culinary in delivering against organizational and personal goals, objectives, and strategies

  • Work independently on development projects, with check-ins and guidance from supervisor as needed 

  • Participate in the creation of new product development objectives while collaborating with cross functional teams including Category Management, Brand Experience, Operations, Procurement, Commercialization, Quality Assurance, and others as appropriate

  • Independently work with vendor partners to develop new products from gold-standard products to initial benchtop samples and through commercialization process. Own development of products.

  • Make recommendations for improvements to current prototypes. Collaborate with cross-functional teams in the development and creation of product specifications on commercialized products with vendor partners, Commercialization Quality Assurance, and other teams as necessary

  • Lead product taste tests and new product showings

  • Present product improvement/change recommendations based on taste test results and/or feedback to Culinary Innovation leadership Partner with Procurement Team to develop accurate food & paper formulas.

  • Plan and execute Product Showcase events to (and not limited to) SONIC Senior Management, Board of Directors, Franchise Community, Marketing Leadership, Shareholders & SONIC National Convention

  • Provide guidance and support to other product developers

  • Other duties assigned as needed

Requirements:

  • 2 Year Degree Preferred - A culinary or Food related degree is preferred for this position

  • 3-5 years’ experience in a culinary or product development role required. Experience in QSR culinary development highly preferred

  • Ability to think strategically, be detail oriented and respond quickly to business needs

  • Bring creativity to menu development and trend dives for the team

  • Excellent communication and presentation skills, especially the ability to explain difficult concepts and insights in applicable business terms. Ability to summarize insights into PowerPoint presentations in clear and understandable calls to action.

  • Ability to collaborate and motivate across the operations, supply chain, field, and marketing teams.

  • Self-starter with the ability to project manage and handle multiple assignments simultaneously and meet all desired deadlines.

  • Strong leadership, sales support, project management and training skills

  • Understanding how to take products or programs through a development and testing process

  • Effective problem-solving skills and ability to listen and translate details accurately

  • Should possess an innate curiosity and growth mindset

At SONIC, we encourage and attract wildly creative people. Bold, unique personalities whose passion for what they do shows in the food, the experience and the culture of our brand. Sound like you? Join us as we deliver delightful and delicious moments to our guests!


     

    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.

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