Director, Culinary

CULTIVATE A BETTER WORLD

Food served fast does not have to be a typical fast-food experience. Chipotle has always done things differently, both in and out of our restaurants. We are changing the face of fast food, starting conversations, and directly supporting efforts to shift the future of farming and food. We hope you will join us as we continue to learn, evolve, and shape what comes next on our mission to make better food accessible to everyone.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As the Director of Culinary for Chipotle you will execute and support Chipotle’s Culinary Strategy. The culinary strategy includes delivering on our commitment of being Guest Obsessed, serving Real Food with Integrity, Culinary Excellence, Core Menu Leadership, Product R&D, Diversification of Supply, Innovation of New Menu Offerings, supporting Culinary Operations and new BOH modernization efforts.

You will lead a dynamic culinary team and partner actively with cross functional partners and suppliers to deliver on Chipotle’s key growth strategies.  This is a leadership role involving fluency in Chipotle’s Food with Integrity (FWI) ethos, New Product Innovation, Product R&D, and Chipotle’s BOH Culinary program. This role reports directly into the Vice President of Culinary and will partner with the cross functional leadership teams to ensure we are championing Chipotle’s mission to Cultivate a Better Worlds on all culinary initiatives.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Culinary Leadership – Fluent in Chipotle BOH Culinary Operations, Menu Innovation, Product Development and R&D. Leads a culinary team to execute established objectives and priorities using the Stage Gate Process for Innovation and Core Improvement projects
• Core Ingredients & Food with Integrity Stewardship - Partners closely with CMG cross functional teams including suppliers to ensure CMG core menu and Innovation ingredients meet our Classic Culinary, Real Food, and Food with Integrity (FWI) standards.
• Champions Exceptional Food & Chipotle’s Culinary Standards – Is a Subject Matter Expert and Culinary voice for Strategic Projects impacting Culinary at CMG. These projects include CMG BOH efforts involving equipment & recipes, Product Specification Updates, Supplier Diversification Efforts, Product Development Initiatives, Product Commercialization, Establishing Product Standards & Attributes, Approving Products and more.
• Teach & Taste Chipotle - As the Director of Culinary, you will be an expert in Chipotle’s FWI mission and our Real Food proposition. Our value of Teaching and Tasting is critical and is supported with restaurant visits, food demonstrations, delivering strategic feedback, and providing support to enhance the FWI ethos, skills, knowledge, and performance of restaurant culinary for regional teams.
• Core Menu Optimization - Partners with cross functional members to validate new and updated Core menu ingredients via the Stage-Gate Process. Oversees the Culinary R&D for Core optimization efforts.
• New Menu Innovation – Leads the team executing New Product Innovation projets at CMG
• Consumer Testing and Product Validation – Responsible for planning and executing key consumer and cross functional validations of optimized core or innovative items. This includes In-store Testing, Focus Groups, CLT’s, Concept Development, Operations Testing, Market Pilots, and more.
• WHAT YOU’LL BRING TO THE TABLE

• A Passion for Exceptional People, Exceptional Food, and Cultivating a Better World
• Dynamic leader with proven track record of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, focused on collaboration, accountability, and results.
• Culinary Arts Degree required.
• 4- year bachelor’s degree required with master’s degree preferred.
• Language skills (English + 1 preferred)
• 15+ years of active culinary experience, including diverse restaurant service segment experience. including experience in leadership roles.
• 7+ years supervisory experience leading high performing culinary and technical teams.
• Ability to manage teams working on multiple projects simultaneously with key deliverables.
• Experienced Culinary Palette and food tasting experience to support product evaluations.
• Fluent in Menu Innovation, Product R&D, and Core Product Optimization.
• Experience in multi-unit operations for corporate or franchised systems
• Experienced in large scale production and commercialization, core product benchmarking, gap analysis, critical action planning, and reverse engineering of products.
• Strong understanding of food science, food safety, regulations and quality assurance standards
• Highly articulate and able to present to diverse audiences including leadership with proficiency in food tastings, PowerPoint, and other impactful presentation formats.
• Strong business acumen, with experience in budgeting, cost control, and financial analysis
• Nimble, dynamic, critical thinker to deliver on fast paced dynamic projects.
• Strong Project Management and People skills
• Travel subject to business needs. Approximately 25-35% travel domestic.
• 5-Day in-person work week at Chipotle Newport Beach-Irvine offices.

PAY TRANSPARENCY

A reasonable estimate of the current base pay range for this position is $178,000.00–$259,000.00. You are also eligible for annual cash bonuses and equity awards based upon performance and other factors. Actual compensation offered may vary depending on skill level, experience, and/or education. Chipotle offers a competitive total rewards package, which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401k, sick leave, vacation time, and much more. Visit https://jobs.chipotle.com/benefits for more details.

WHO WE ARE

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle has restaurants in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants in North America and Europe. With employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. For more information or to place an order online, visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM

Chipotle Mexican Grill is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity at all levels. As a people-first company rooted in values, our purpose extends beyond serving nutritious food using real ingredients. It means hiring world-class individuals and fostering a culture that champions diversity, ensures equity, and celebrates inclusion. All qualified applicants, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply.  

Qualified applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and/or certain state or local laws. Please contact ADAaccommodations@chipotle.comif you need an accommodation due to a disability to complete an application, job interview, and/or to otherwise participate in the hiring process. This email does not respond to non-accommodations related requests.