Director - International Culinary Innovation

Why Wendy's

When our square shaped burgers made their first sizzle on the scene more than 50 years ago, people knew our approach wasn't like any other. Same goes for the way we support our employees. Our culture of openness, flexibility, and inclusiveness allows everybody to flourish in their own way. If you're looking for a career where you can be part of the action as we continue to grow our iconic brand - We got you!

The Director, International Research & Development leads the strategic direction, innovation agenda, and global culinary pipeline for more than 30 international markets. This position oversees the full lifecycle of product development-from ideation and concept development through consumer testing, operational validation, and commercialization-ensuring that all solutions support the organization's international brand strategy and accelerate global business growth. This leader is the organization's foremost ambassador of global culinary innovation, responsible for setting vision, inspiring creativity, and elevating the brand's international food credibility.

The role requires exceptional cross-functional leadership, supports global market insight, and the ability to balance creative innovation with operational and supply-chain reality.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

* Establishes the long-term global culinary innovation strategy aligned with international growth objectives and brand positioning.

* Shapes the vision for best‑in‑class R&D processes, capabilities, and infrastructure across global markets.

* Identifies and prioritizes breakthrough concepts, platforms, and innovation pathways that strengthen competitive advantage.

Global R&D Excellence

* Oversees end-to-end innovation, including ideation, concept refinement, prototyping, consumer and sensory testing, and market scaling.

* Ensures products meet brand standards while accounting for diverse regional tastes, operational needs, and supply-chain feasibility.

* Champions disciplined experimentation, data-informed decision-making, and trend-forward product development.

Team & Talent Leadership

* Leads, inspires, and develops a global network of in-country chefs to support culinary innovation.

* Builds a culture of creativity, accountability, and collaboration, promoting shared standards and best practices across markets.

* Identifies capability gaps and fosters strong talent pipelines across international culinary and R&D functions.

* Understand business dynamics that impact each region's menu through relationships with cross-functional team members and franchisee's.

Cross-Functional Partnership

* Serves as a strategic partner to Brand Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, QA, Engineering, Finance, and Franchise leadership.

* Ensures seamless integration of culinary innovation into operational systems, supply channels, and go‑to‑market processes.

* Influences and supports regional leadership teams to ensure alignment of innovation priorities with broader business strategies.

* Partners with supply chain and QA leaders to assess risks, validate manufacturing readiness, and protect global product quality.

* Translates sensory insights into actionable direction for product optimization, consumer acceptance, and market success.

* Ensures global consistency in sensory methodologies while allowing for culturally relevant adjustments.

Brand Stewardship & Executive Representation

* Acts as a global culinary spokesperson and brand ambassador across media engagements, industry forums, and innovation showcases.

* Represents the brand with franchisees, suppliers, senior leadership, and external partners to inspire confidence and alignment.

* Leads internal innovation sessions, workshops, and global forums to activate organizational excitement around culinary strategy.

Education:

Bachelor's Degree

Travel: 30%

Pay Range: $ - $ Annually

What we expect from you

* Education:

Bachelors Degree Food Science, Culinary, or Nutrition (Technical background and expertise necessary)

* 15 years' combined experience in product development, restaurants and education

* Proficient computer skills including outlook, word, excel and power point

* Strong organizational, communication,…