Associate Manager, Food Innovation Technology (FIT)

Assoc Manager, FIT is responsible for supporting the initiatives and strategic objectives associated with innovation plans for LA&C as a region. Responsible for supporting key business initiatives throughout the region including development and implementation of new products in a highly competitive fast-paced environment. Major job functions include: • Lead commercialization for innovation windows at regional calendar – develop product guides, add ingredients information, lead calls with markets for rollout, support training and OPS with training materials • Lead test kitchen management – support buying and receiving ingredients, cleaning material and managing test kitchen cook. Manage along with Marcela all services that must be done in the kitchen • Responsible for Caribbean innovation process – supporting markets to finalize their calendars and technical projects (core products/ win on taste) • Lead cross functionally Pipeline meeting – tracking all regional innovation and supporting RSCS and Calendar to run smoothly and lead approval of all local innovation requests • Support on developing new concepts for testing (gathering ideas from global, suppliers or food trends/ social, developing concepts description and testing with MDI) • Innovation Hub – add all LA&C products in the system and get global ideas to be tested • Lead consolidating all nutritional information data from markets to send global • Support CPT tests we will do in markets – sending and tracking ingredients and preparing material for testing • Proactively align with Quality Assurance and Supply Chain to use approved suppliers and develop key ingredients as needed. • Demonstrate ability to analyze technical data, anticipate project next step and make recommendations. • Partner with KFC Global to cascade Beverage platform for the region. • Project Manage local innovations, validating samples from local innovation products, sharing feedback if necessary to franchisees or suppliers • Co-lead annual Planning Meeting product showing execution for Franchisees • B.S. or higher in Food Science or related subject. Master degree preferred. • Minimum five (5) years’ experience in food related industry. • Ability to communicate effectively, work with a wide range of people, and influence teams. Strong leadership and coaching skills. • Demonstrated experience and success in product development/roll-outs. • Ability to prioritize and successfully manage multiple projects simultaneously within aggressive timetables. • Fluent in English and Spanish preferred. Salary Range: $99,200 to $146,360 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.