Product Development & Operations Lead

Product Development & Operations Lead

Firenze Italian Street Food | Chicago, IL

$75,000–$90,000 annually | Full-time | On-site

 Are you the kind of person who loves cooking as much as solving problems?

We’re looking for a strong operator who can lead people, develop great food, and turn ideas into reality.

Maybe you’re already working in food, or maybe you’re great at what you do and looking to bring those skills into the food industry.

You might come from business operations, engineering, project management, consulting, or a professional kitchen. Your background matters less than your ability to take ownership, solve problems, lead people, and get things done.

You must genuinely know how to cook, have good food judgment, and enjoy getting your hands dirty.

This is a hands-on player-coach role. You’ll manage a culinary development assistant while working alongside them in the kitchen, researching, cooking, testing, improving, and turning ideas into great food that can be consistently reproduced.

You'll manage a culinary development assistant while working alongside them in the kitchen, researching, cooking, testing, improving, and turning ideas into great food that can be consistently reproduced.

About Firenze

Firenze Italian Street Food is a growing Chicago-based food company focused on making craveable food using high-quality, clean ingredients.

From Italian sandwiches and freshly baked schiacciata to salads, bowls, breakfast products, and catering, we believe simple food can be extraordinary when every detail is done right.

We're obsessed with the details that turn good food into exceptional food. Take something as simple as a roasted sweet potato. The cut, seasoning, cooking temperature, moisture, and holding method can completely change the experience.

But great flavor is only the beginning. What's the actual yield and waste? How long does it hold at its best? Can we do 90% of the work ahead of time and finish the last 10% right before serving? And can our kitchen team reproduce it consistently?

We don't expect you to know all the answers. We expect you to own finding them.

We work with experienced chef consultants and are willing to bring in additional expertise. Your job is to find answers, test them, and turn what you learn into better food.

First, make it exceptional. Then understand why it's exceptional. Finally, figure out how to reproduce it consistently and profitably at scale.

You'll report directly to our Head of Strategy & Operations.

What You'll Do

Develop Great Food

• Own product development projects, from research and testing through finished, production-ready recipes.
• Cook, test, compare, and refine products until they meet our standards for flavor, texture, and quality.
• Research techniques, troubleshoot challenges, and work with chef consultants and other specialists to find the best solutions.
• Improve existing products while considering ingredient costs, labor, equipment, holding times, and consistency.

Lead by Doing

• Directly manage and develop a culinary assistant, setting priorities, coaching, and providing feedback.
• Work alongside your team member in the kitchen, preparing food, running tests, and solving problems together.
• Independently organize projects, manage priorities, and keep work moving without constant supervision.
• Support kitchen preparation and production when needed.

Build Systems That Scale

• Document recipes, testing results, yields, ingredient specifications, and standard operating procedures.
• Translate successful recipes into repeatable processes that our kitchen team can consistently execute.
• Track progress, communicate findings, and proactively recommend improvements.

Who We're Looking For

We're more interested in how you think, work, and learn than in your job title.

• A proven doer: You've independently owned projects, solved problems, and delivered results.
• A strong communicator: You communicate clearly, document what you're learning, provide regular updates, and know when to ask questions or raise concerns.
• Highly organized: You can manage priorities, document details, and keep multiple projects moving.
• You genuinely know how to cook: Whether you learned professionally or at home, you have strong practical skills, a good palate, and experience improving recipes through trial and error.
• Resourceful and analytical: You're comfortable with Excel, numbers, and basic calculations. You know how to research, experiment, measure results, and learn from people with more expertise.
• Humble and coachable: You welcome feedback, ask good questions, and are comfortable admitting what you don't know.
• A hands-on leader: You can guide another employee, earn the respect of experienced kitchen staff, and work right alongside them.
• Focused on quality: You have high standards, strong follow-through, and know how to balance perfection with practical execution.

Professional chef experience and formal management experience are not required. Genuine cooking ability, good food judgment, and demonstrated ownership are.

What This Role Is — and Isn't

This isn't a traditional executive chef position, and we're not looking for someone to take over our menu. It's also not a desk job.

You'll spend significant time cooking, testing, cleaning, and refining products alongside your assistant. We're looking for someone who enjoys doing the work as much as leading it.

Opportunity to Grow With Us

Firenze is a lean, entrepreneurial company with ambitious growth plans.

Your first priority is to master food development, build great systems, lead your team, and consistently deliver great food.

Once you've established success in that role, you'll have opportunities to wear other hats, potentially spending 10–20% of your time helping with new store openings, marketing and social media, operational improvements, or special projects.

We value versatile people who want to contribute beyond their immediate responsibilities while maintaining ownership of their core work.

Compensation, Benefits & Schedule

• Compensation: $75,000–$90,000 annually, depending on experience.
• Schedule: Primarily weekdays, typically 7:00 AM–3:30 PM, approximately 40–45 hours per week.
• Location: Chicago, IL — full-time, in-person.
• Benefits: Health, dental, and vision insurance; paid time off.
• Growth: Opportunities for expanded responsibilities and compensation as Firenze grows.
• Food safety: Ability to obtain the applicable Illinois/Chicago food protection manager certification within 60 days of starting.

How to Apply

Please apply through LinkedIn and briefly answer these two questions by messaging us or emailing us at View email address on click.appcast.io. We value thoughtful, genuine answers over polished résumés.

1. Tell us about a project or process you independently improved. What was the problem, what did you do, and what was the result?

2. Tell us about something you've cooked or baked that you worked to make noticeably better. What did you change, how did you evaluate the results, and what did you learn?

We welcome applicants from both culinary and nontraditional backgrounds.

If you love food, enjoy solving problems, and want to help build something great, we'd love to hear from you.