director, Culinary Innovation

Now Brewing - director, Culinary Innovation! #ToBeAPartner

From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection. We are known for developing extraordinary leaders who share this passion and are guided by their service to others.

The Director of Culinary Innovation contributes to Starbucks success by leading the creation and advancement of innovative food products from concept through early-stage commercialization. This role owns the end-to-end product design process while setting a compelling long-term vision grounded in Starbucks business priorities. The job requires a leader that can seamlessly blend culinary art and food science with strong business acumen, human centered design and operational rigor. As a trusted partner across the enterprise and with external suppliers, the director drives innovation that is desirable to customers, feasible to execute and commercially successful at scale.

As a director, Culinary Innovation, you will...

• Champion culinary excellence by translating trends, inspiration, and sensory intent into scalable product concepts.

• Oversee the product development process in the design phase and supports R&D (research & development) through development and commercialization, prioritizing and allocating work to meet business & brand goals.

• Build inclusive and high-performing teams that maximize individual strengths and foster innovation.

Leadership and Team Building -

• Sets goals for a work group consisting of culinary leaders, product developers, and other support functions.

• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders, lead cross functional teams and successfully collaborate internally and externally.

• Inspire and coach partners to deliver their best work while building meaningful, long-term careers.

• Build inclusive and high-performing teams that maximize individual strengths and foster innovation.

• Champion change and actively guide teams through ambiguity with clarity and confidence.

• Create accessible and equitable forums for collaboration, shared ownership, and multiple perspectives.

• Set an inspiring tone by modeling Starbucks mission, values, and expectations for how results are achieved.

• Partner closely with R&D, quality, packaging, regulatory, and operations to ensure products meet safety, regulatory, and manufacturing requirements.

• Partner with insights, sensory, marketing, and brand teams to design and interpret qualitative and quantitative consumer testing.

• Partner with cross functional teams to ensure readiness for pilots, regional tests, and early launches.

Business Acumen & Innovation -

• Balance creativity and rigor - pairing chef led intuition with data, science, and disciplined decision-making.

• Set standards for culinary quality, flavor architecture, and overall product experience.

• Build and maintain trusted partnerships with strategic suppliers and external development partners.

• Co-create products with suppliers to unlock new ingredients, technologies, and processes while upholding Starbucks standards.

• Design supplier innovation pipelines to support both near-term launches and long-term platform strategies.

• Lead hands-on benchtop development, including formulation, prototyping, ingredient selection, and process exploration.

• Guide iterative development through sensory evaluation, reformulation, and performance testing to unlock optimal outcomes.

• Translate consumer feedback and business insights into actionable culinary and technical refinements.

• Balance consumer desirability with cost, complexity, and operational feasibility.

• Oversee the product development process in the design phase and supports R&D through development and commercialization, prioritizing and allocating work to meet business & brand goals.

• Identify risks early and drive mitigation plans to support successful scale-up.

We'd love to hear from people with:

· Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Culinary Arts, or related discipline

· 15+ years of leadership experience in culinary innovation, product development, or R&D within a multiunit, global food or beverage organization

· 5+ years of experience in a food manufacturing facility

· Extensive knowledge of food technology, ingredient functionality, processing, manufacturing, food safety, and quality assurance.

· Deep culinary expertise with strong sensory and flavor development capabilities.

· Strong business acumen with the ability to lead in uncertainty, prioritize effectively, and make sound trade-off decisions.

· Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders, lead cross-functional teams, and collaborate internally and externally.

· Proficient in human-centered design principles and consumer-led innovation approaches.

As a Starbucks partner, you (and your family) will have access to medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, and other voluntary insurance benefits. Partners have access to short-term and long-term disability, paid parental leave, family expansion reimbursement, paid vacation from date of hire*, sick time (accrued at 1 hour for every 25 hours worked), eight paid holidays, and two personal days per year. Starbucks also offers eligible partners participation in a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, a discounted company stock program (S.I.P.), Starbucks equity program (Bean Stock), incentivized emergency savings, and financial well-being tools. Additionally, Starbucks offers 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor's degree through Arizona State University's online program via the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, student loan management resources, and access to other educational opportunities. You will also have access to backup care and DACA reimbursement. Starbucks will comply with any applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, and in accordance with its plans and policies. This list is subject to change depending on collective bargaining in locations where partners have a certified bargaining representative. For additional information regarding partner perks and more detailed information about benefits, go to starbucksbenefits.com (file:///C:/Users/rofunk/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/EHRXPAYM/starbucksbenefits.com) .

*If you are working in CA, CO, IL, LA, ME, MA, NE, ND or RI, you will accrue vacation up to a maximum of 120 hours (190 in CA) for roles below director and 200 hours (316 in CA) for roles at director or above. For roles in other states, you will be granted vacation time starting at 120 hours annually for roles below director and 200 hours annually for roles director and above.

The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate will be based on multiple factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge/skills, experience, geographical location, and internal equity. At Starbucks, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the high end of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.

We believe we do our best work when we're together, which is why we're onsite four days a week.

Join us and inspire with every cup. Apply today!

Starbucks Coffee Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with all federal, state and local ordinances.

Starbucks Coffee Company is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at View email address on click.appcast.io or View phone number on click.appcast.io.