Director, Research & Development - Beverage & Food

About the role

At Philz, every item on our menu is an opportunity to create something memorable and deepen our connection with customers. We're looking for a Director of Research & Development, Beverage & Food, who brings culinary creativity, a passion for flavor, and strong product development expertise to shape what's next. You'll elevate our menu, build a strong product pipeline, and transform ideas into delicious, high-quality offerings that can be consistently executed across our stores.

This role is currently remote and must be based within the Greater Los Angeles area. Our teams will return to a hybrid office environment in Long Beach, CA in Q1 of 2027.

What You'll Do

Strategic Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Shape the long-term culinary development strategy and product pipeline, aligning new innovations, seasonal offerings, and menu improvements with Philz's brand and business growth objectives.
• Serve as a culinary subject matter expert, advising senior leadership on menu opportunities, product quality, ingredient selection, feasibility, and investment priorities.
• Collaborate with leaders across Product Innovation, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Finance to align culinary innovation with business priorities and operational capabilities.
• Build and strengthen Philz's culinary development capabilities, including processes, standards, supplier partnerships, and external resources to support future growth.
• Lead, coach, and develop the Product team, fostering creativity, collaboration, culinary excellence, and continuous improvement

Culinary Innovation & Product Development

• Lead the culinary development of new beverages and food, translating customer insights, emerging trends, and creative concepts into distinctive, high-quality products that reflect the Philz brand.
• Drive the end-to-end culinary development process, from market and flavor research, recipe creation, ingredient exploration, and experimentation through tasting, refinement, marketing testing, and launch.
• Partner with Product Innovation, Supply Chain, Finance, and Store Operations to develop products that balance culinary creativity, customer preferences, business and operational capability, and company objectives.
• Continuously evaluate and enhance existing menu offerings to improve flavor, quality, consistency, and drive sales

Product Execution, Quality & Commercialization

• Lead the commercialization of new products, ensuring recipes, ingredients, and preparation methods deliver consistent quality and can be executed efficiently and seamlessly across Philz stores.
• Establish product specifications, preparation standards, and development processes that support quality, food safety, operational efficiency, and scalability.
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to assess ingredient sourcing, costs, equipment, storage, labor, waste, and operational readiness.
• Oversee product tastings, store trials, and post-launch evaluations to validate product quality, execution, and performance, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.

What You'll Need

• 7+ years of leadership experience in culinary innovation, food and beverage/menu development, in a high growth, fast paced, hospitality business.
• Coffee, tea, and specialty beverage experience is highly preferred.
• Proven experience bringing new products to consistent execution across multiple locations.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to develop budgets, understanding costing and pricing.
• A track record of developing distinctive products that resonate with customers, strengthen brand identity, and grow sales.
• Strong understanding of food safety, product quality, ingredient sourcing, cost management, and operational considerations involved in developing and scaling food and beverage offerings.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, with the ability to build, coach, and develop teams
• Strong project management, problem-solving, and excellent communication skills
• Willingness and ability to travel as needed to support product development, supplier partnerships, store testing, and product launches.
• Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science, Hospitality, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience is preferred.

Compensation & Benefits

A reasonable estimate of the annual salary for this role is $150,000 to $170,000. Please note that the salary will vary based on qualifications, previous experience, and work location.

When you join our team, we better your days through our benefits and support programs - we offer our team members medical, dental, and vision insurance, company-paid basic life insurance, optional family life insurance, 401(k) with company match, flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits, mental health support, holiday pay, Flexible Time Off & Sick Time, Team Member discounts, freebie drinks and discounted beans, fun Philz swag, opportunities for growth and advancement, and more!

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