Culinary Innovation Manager - Jimmy John's

The Culinary Innovation Manager drives the development of new menu items and strategic culinary initiatives for Jimmy John’s, from concept approval through launch. This role leads hands‑on product development across all segments and dayparts, bringing ideas to life through bench work, consumer insights, and in‑store testing, with a strong focus on LTOs, core menu evolution, and product improvements. This role helps shape Jimmy John’s innovation pipeline by influencing product roadmaps, prioritization decisions, and launch readiness across multiple initiatives.

This position plays a key role in strengthening current business performance and fueling future growth by turning food and beverage trends into simple, craveable, on‑brand products that drive sales and franchisee profitability. The Culinary Innovation Manager partners closely with Category Management, Marketing, Operations, Procurement, QA, and Commercialization to deliver products that work for our customers, our shops, and our bottom line—fast, focused, and built to win.

Responsibilities:

• Own and lead end‑to‑end culinary innovation projects for Jimmy John’s, including LTOs, core menu evolution, and product improvement initiatives, from concept approval through commercialization

• Translate consumer insights, business needs, and brand strategy into clear product briefs and development priorities that drive sales, relevance, and franchisee profitability

• Lead hands‑on product development, including benchtop builds, gold‑standard development, and iterative refinement based on sensory evaluation, operational feasibility, and financial targets

• Partner closely with Category Management, Marketing, Operations, Procurement, Quality Assurance, Commercialization, and vendor partners to deliver on time and on target

• Influence key stakeholders across functions and franchise partners to align direction, timelines, and launch decisions

• Independently manage vendor development workstreams, including product ideation, formulation refinement, specification development, and readiness for scale

• Drive decision‑making through disciplined testing, taste panels, and in‑store trials; clearly synthesize learnings and make recommendations to Culinary Innovation leadership

• Influence trade‑offs across consumer appeal, operational simplicity, and cost, ensuring final products meet Jimmy John’s standards for speed, quality, and execution

• Partner with Procurement to develop accurate food and paper formulas and support cost targets while maintaining product integrity

• Own and manage culinary documentation and processes within the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system to support speed, accuracy, and cross‑functional alignment

• Contribute to continuous improvement of the innovation process, incorporating a “best‑first” mindset to accelerate development timelines and improve outcomes

• Support broader Culinary Innovation initiatives as needed

Requirements:

• 2 Year or 4 Year Degree in Culinary Science, Food Science or related field Minimum of 4-6 years of experience culinary innovation, product development, or restaurant menu development with increasing scope and responsibility.

• True passion for food, with a willingness and enthusiasm to taste and evaluate a wide variety of foods from different cultures, including seafood, various proteins, dairy, fruits, and vegetables

• Ability to objectively taste food and clearly articulate constructive, actionable feedback to vendors

• Strong foundation in recipe creation with an understanding of food safety, supply chain logistics, and restaurant operations

• Strong business acumen with the ability to evaluate concepts through a commercial, operational and financial lens

• Incorporates a “best‑first” mentality that continues to accelerate the innovation process

• Highly creative, flexible, and open to new ideas

• Team-oriented, collegial, and effective at supporting cross‑functional teams toward shared goals

• Excellent oral and written communication skills with strong presentation capabilities

• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, with the ability to create executive‑ready documents and presentations

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to set goals, determine priorities, plan, organize, and follow through on assigned responsibilities

• Ability to make sound recommendations and decisions in a timely manner

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision as well as collaboratively as part of a team

• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously

• Effective in a fast‑paced, ever‑changing environment

• Exceptional accuracy and attention to detail

• Flexibility to work within an open‑concept office environment and established organizational guidelines

• Ability to lift, carry and move items up to 40 pounds regularly (food cases, equipment, ingredients)

• Ability to stand and work on feet for extended periods of time (6-8 hours) in a test kitchen environment

• Ability to safely work with knives, slicers and other kitchen equipment and perform repetitive motions (slicing, chopping, plating food)

• Must be able to work safely around hot surfaces (ovens, fryers, heated cooking surfaces) sharp equipment (knives, slicers) and tolerate varying temperatures (cold storage, freezer environments)

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, test kitchen environment

• This is not a fully remote or desk-based role, hands-on execution is a core function of the position

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.