Overview

Chick-fil-A is seeking a Principal Category Leader dedicated to provide strategic leadership & enterprise influence to new menu offerings, menu simplification, and equipment projects from initialization through launch.  This individual must be an exceptional communicator with strong executive presence, the ability to influence others, make decisions, and represent recommendations across all levels of the organization including Operators, leaders across the organization, and the Executive Committee. Additionally, he or she must be able to lead multiple projects simultaneously with excellence, ensuring that milestones and deliverables are met.  He or she will work closely with Menu Strategy, Culinary Developers, Commercialization Leads, Menu Services, Packaging, Marketing Engineering, Facilities & Equipment, Brand Strategy, and others across the organization, as well as with Operators and Team Members to achieve scope objectives. This person must be extremely agile, adaptable, and a problem solver. This leader must excel at listening to multiple perspectives and ideas and then provide a Customer centric, enterprise-minded, and comprehensive recommendation to leadership on how to move forward. They must hold partners and stakeholders accountable to decisions, dates and timelines. This individual must be comfortable confronting others and having tense conversations while maintaining authentic and trusted relationships – always showing up with warmth and competence. This individual requires a high-level of self-direction, grit, and a proactive mindset that can provide innovative solutions to drive business growth.

Responsibilities

Leadership Skill Sets and Capabilities: 

• High enterprise influence and trust 
• Navigates tense and challenging situations with authenticity, partnership, grace and wisdom
• Adaptable and leads through change well providing clarity for stakeholders
• Demonstrates enterprise wide, holistic business thinking skills
• Has a passion for the Restaurant business and Chick-fil-A Operators; eager and willing to work in Chick-fil-A Restaurants breading chicken, cooking waffle fries, etc.to gain perspective and appreciation for the business, the Operator’s role, and Customer expectations
• Leads projects effectively and professionally to ensure stakeholders and Operators are informed and supportive and Customer expectations are met
• Create annual business plans, including scope, human capital needs, and budget requirements for all projects
• Identify and implement cost savings and continuous improvement initiatives
• Exhibit strong people skills and the ability to accomplish work effectively with, alongside, and through others
• Understands the relationship between the Operator/Restaurant and the Chick-fil-A Support Center, vendors, and partners
• Demonstrates ability to mine for and leverage data to make sound business decisions and recommendations

 

Competence Development:

• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, benchmarking state-of-the-art practices, and participating in professional societies
• Actively explore trends to stay abreast of the trends in the marketplace
• Exhibit strong knowledge and awareness of historical and competitive marketplace
• Displays a curious and continuous mindset seeking to improve self, others, and the work/processes

Required Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities)

• Proven success in influencing at multiple levels across an organization
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills: highly collaborative with ability to build solid working partnerships across functional groups
• Comfortable and confident presenting recommendations and answering questions to multiple levels of leadership – EC, Strategy Teams, Operators, Team Members, etc. 
• Analytical depth and technical expertise in project management, processes, systems and equipment interface
• Demonstrated expertise in the product development process
• Exceptional relational skills to enable interaction with a variety of stakeholders 
• Excellent planning, organizing and project management abilities
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Tools and Windows Operating Systems
• Strong desire to learn industry trends
• Sense of urgency
• Highly self-motivated, grit, and able to work both collaboratively as well as independently 
• Demonstrates high-level, strategic and low, in-the-weeds altitudes

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities)

• Previous Experience at Chick-fil-A, Inc. Sr. Project Leader on Category Leader Team
• Experience in leading work in product development, brand management, consumer packaged goods or related field
• Restaurant experience (corporate or restaurant level)

Required Years of Experience6 Travel Requirements35% Required Level of EducationBachelor's degree or equivalent experience Preferred Level of EducationMaster's Degree Preferred Major/ConcentrationBusiness Administration or related field of study Relocation Assistance ProvidedNo