Freelance Manager Culinary Innovation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Pizza Hut is looking for a creative culinary talent with a passion for pizza to join our team as Culinary Innovation Specialist, Corporate Chef. This position works on consumer-inspired culinary innovation. Work will focus on our core menu as well and dive into new areas of inspiration such as sides, snacks, desserts, wings, and beverages. You will work on front-end Culinary Design and Menu Innovation for the brand and work cross-functionally and collaboratively to bring traffic-driving innovation from idea to culinary "gold standard" for hand-off to Development & Commercialization teams around the globe. This position will be on a team of 3 Innovation Chefs as the culinary "heartbeat" of Pizza Hut and reports to the Sr. Manager, Culinary Innovation, Corporate Chef.

Who We Are
Founded in 1958, Pizza Hut - a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. - now operates more than 18,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Pizza Hut is leading the way in providing customers with great experiences, innovating with technology and new products, as well as delivering exceptional service.

Our People & Culture

We're looking for people who LOVE pizza and thrive in a fun, past paced, and customer-centric environment. At our corporate campuses, Pizza Hut has created the perfect place for you to grow your career. Every day, you'll work to support our franchisees and teams across the U.S., continuously challenging yourself to feed more possibilities. In return, we'll provide professional development and career growth opportunities so that you can become your best and achieve your goals. And we'll sweeten the deal by immersing you in our world-class recognition culture and providing a robust array of benefits, some highlights include:

• Hybrid work schedule and year-round half day Fridays 
• Onsite childcare through Bright Horizons 
• Onsite dining center
• Onsite gym with fitness classes and personal trainer sessions 
• 4 weeks of vacation per year plus holidays and time off for volunteering 
• Tuition reimbursement and education benefits 
• Generous parental leave for all new parents and adoption assistance program 
• 401(k) with a 6% matching contribution fromYum! 
• Comprehensive medical & dental including prescription drug benefits and 100% preventive care

Giving Back

As a global company, Pizza Hut aims to make the world better by acting responsibly with respect to food, planet and people. Whether it's donating food through the Harvest Program or supporting literacy with the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program - the company, our franchisees and our team members are committed to improving the communities we serve.

Pizza Hut is an equal opportunity workplace and committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability and genetic information (including family medical history).

Required Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of progressive culinary experience being 'hands on' in a kitchen. 
• A passion for global food trends and new culinary directions with breadth and depth of culinary experience. Highly curious and creative.
•  Consumer centric and growth mindset. An open and inclusive thinker who embraces ideas other than their own.
• Collaborative working style.
• Must reside in DFW area/be in the culinary lab a minimum of 3 days/week.
• Travel: Up to 10%
   

Preferred Qualifications:

• Culinary degree preferred, but not required.
• Familiar with food and culture outside of the United States
• Experience or interest in using generative AI in developing new food concepts

Salary Range: $87,100 to $92,250 annually + bonus eligibility. This is the expected salary range for this position. Ultimately, in determining pay, we'll consider the successful candidate's location, experience, and other job-related factors.

• Lead Culinary Innovation:
  Champion ideation and advanced culinary design, guiding "gold standard" benchtop prototyping to create craveable, iconic menu items that reinforce Pizza Hut's global leadership in pizza innovation.
• Strategic Collaboration:
  Partner closely with Menu Strategy, Brand Marketing, Consumer Insights, Commercialization, and Supplier Partners to translate consumer insights into traffic-driving menu strategies. Influence decision-making through data-driven recommendations.
• Global Culinary Leadership:
  Serve as a core member of a team of three Innovation Chefs-the culinary heartbeat of Pizza Hut worldwide-bringing thought leadership and operational foresight to every initiative.
• Operational Integration:
  Anticipate and address restaurant-level execution challenges by incorporating team member capability, equipment constraints, and operational workflows into the innovation process.
• Project Ownership & Prioritization:
  Independently manage multiple high-impact projects (typically 2-3 concurrently) with moderate-to-high complexity. Set priorities, allocate resources, and ensure timely delivery of milestones.
• Cross-Functional Influence:
  Co-lead major initiatives and drive alignment across diverse teams. Build strong relationships to expand influence and accelerate decision-making across functions and geographies.
• Proactive Communication & Reporting:
  Deliver clear, concise updates to leadership, highlighting progress, insights, and recommendations. Communicate effectively at all organizational levels, internally and externally.
• Data-Driven Decision Making:
  Leverage analytics to connect culinary innovation to business objectives. Share actionable insights that inform strategy and optimize outcomes.
• Continuous Improvement & Leadership Development:
  Actively contribute to team culture by fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and mentoring peers where appropriate.