Associate Operations Manager, Kitchen Innovation

About the role

The Kitchen Innovation Associate Manager supports the development, testing, and operational validation of next-generation kitchen solutions for Taco Bell. This role partners closely with Architecture & Design, Engineering, Food Product Development, and Yum! Red Labs to help evaluate kitchen systems that reduce team member workload, expand capacity, improve throughput, protect margins, and work effectively in restaurants.

Responsibilities

• Supports the development of the business, operational, and economic case for next-generation kitchen solutions, partnering with cross-functional teams (A&D, Engineering, FIT, Food Ops, Red Labs, Field Leaders & Finance) to bring concepts from pilot to scale.
• Translates Kitchen 2030 strategy into clear problem statements, success metrics, and test plans, protecting accuracy, speed, quality, and consistency.
• Coordinates real-world testing and validation of kitchen equipment, technologies, layouts, and processes.
• Analyzes pilot results and quantifies impact across labor, throughput, order accuracy, and unit economics, ensuring scalability across 7,500+ restaurants.
• Presents test results to leaders and franchisees to support pilot-to-scale execution, defining rollout criteria, and building clear business cases and roadmaps.

Requirements

• Minimum of 6 years of experience in QSR, multi-unit restaurant operations, restaurant innovation, or adjacent foodservice environments, with direct exposure to kitchen operations at scale.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred or equivalent practical experience.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and communicate compelling business cases that connect operational solutions to P&L impact, including labor, throughput, capex, margin, and scalability considerations.
• Exercise strong judgment operating in tradeoff-heavy environments, balancing speed, quality, consistency, complexity, and cost to deliver solutions that work in restaurants.
• Proven track record of leading pilots and tests in real restaurant environments, with a clear understanding of the gap between lab concepts and field-ready, operationally viable solutions.
• Practical, operator-minded approach to innovation, with an ability to identify when ideas that look strong on paper do not scale operationally or economically and adjust course accordingly.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and influence skills, including translating complex ideas into clear, executive-ready narratives and driving alignment across cross-functional leaders and franchisee stakeholders without direct authority in a fast-paced, matrixed organization.
• Strong project and program management capability, partnering effectively with Engineering, Product Development, and Operations with clarity on shared ownership, handoffs, decision rights, prioritization, and risk management.

Qualifications

• Experience in QSR, multi-unit restaurant operations, restaurant innovation, or adjacent foodservice environments.
• Direct exposure to kitchen operations at scale.
• Minimum of 6 years of relevant experience.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong business acumen and ability to develop and communicate compelling business cases.
• Experience leading pilots and tests in real restaurant environments.
• Strong project and program management skills.

Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Benefits

• Work-Hard, Play-Hard Hybrid work schedule (onsite expectation Tues, Wed, Thurs)
• Year-round flex day Friday
• Onsite childcare through Bright Horizons
• Onsite dining center and game room (yes, there is a Taco Bell inside the building)
• Onsite dry cleaning, laundry services, and carwash
• Onsite gym with fitness classes and personal trainer sessions
• Up to 4 weeks of vacation per year plus holidays and time off for volunteering
• Generous parental leave for all new parents and adoption assistance program
• 401(k) with a 6% matching contribution from Yum! Brands with immediate vesting
• Comprehensive medical & dental including prescription drug benefits and 100% preventive care
• Discounts, free food, swag and… honestly, too many good benefits to name

Pay

Salary Range: $109,400 to $125,000 annually + bonus eligibility + benefits

Schedule

Work-Hard, Play-Hard Hybrid work schedule (onsite expectation Tues, Wed, Thurs)