Director, NPD Commercialization, International

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI) is one of the world’s largest quick‑service restaurant companies, operating the TIM HORTONS®, BURGER KING®, POPEYES®, and FIREHOUSE SUBS® brands in more than 120 countries. RBI is looking for a Director of New Product Development & Commercialization to lead culinary innovation, product localization, and product scalability initiatives across all international regions.

• Product Commercialization – Lead the commercialization of culinary products for new country entries, product innovations, and core product improvements. Support ingredient functionality, process capability, and scale‑up decisions. Conduct statistical process control assessments and identify optimization opportunities to improve consistency, yield, quality, and cost.
• Product Launch Execution – Translate concepts into marketable menu items, working with suppliers and internal teams to evaluate ingredient functionality, formulation adjustments, and manufacturing capabilities. Ensure products meet brand culinary expectations while remaining operationally executable.
• Supplier Collaboration & Culinary Insights – Facilitate technical discussions with supplier leadership teams to drive continuous improvement. Collaborate with supplier culinary and R&D teams to explore new ingredients, processes, and taste improvements. Lead specification development alongside QA and Procurement.
• Cross‑Functional Support – Partner with Regional Innovation and Marketing teams to translate consumer insights into product opportunities. Support Operations with validation of preparation methods, equipment settings, and holding procedures. Work with Procurement and QA to evaluate sourcing options, ingredient substitutions, and specifications.
• Project & Test Kitchen Support – Coordinate culinary testing, supplier engagement, and product validation. Manage internal culinary demonstrations, product testing sessions, and innovation workshops. Track innovation and commercialization projects across multiple markets and brands.
• Commercialization & Risk Management – Identify technical, manufacturing, and supply chain risks for new product launches. Develop mitigation plans, support supplier validation and approval activities, and drive dual‑sourcing and contingency planning initiatives.
• Operate on a 5‑day, in‑office schedule. Travel up to 40% of the time as required.

• Education in Food Science, Food Technology, Nutrition, or related fields.
• 10+ years of experience in food commercialization, manufacturing, or QSR innovation, with a proven track record of leading projects from concept through launch.
• Strong culinary foundation and interest in food science, ingredient functionality, and product development.
• Experience in a commercial kitchen, culinary lab, or food innovation environment.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders, including internal functions, franchise organizations, and supplier partners.
• Familiarity with recipe development, prototyping, and culinary testing methods.
• Understanding of large‑scale food service manufacturing and operations.
• Experience working directly with food manufacturers, co‑packers, and ingredient suppliers for scale‑up.
• Strong organizational skills and capacity to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Fluent in English; knowledge of Spanish, French, German, or Portuguese is a plus.
• Willingness to travel up to 40% of the time in some periods.

Restaurant Brands International and all of its affiliated companies are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers that do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, provincial or federal laws. Accommodation is available for applicants with disabilities upon request.