Pizza Hut is looking for a creative culinary talent with a passion for pizza to join our team as Culinary Innovation Specialist, Corporate Chef. This position works on consumer-inspired culinary innovation. Work will focus on our core menu as well and dive into new areas of inspiration such as sides, snacks, desserts, wings, and beverages. You will work on front-end Culinary Design and Menu Innovation for the brand and work cross-functionally and collaboratively to bring traffic-driving innovation from idea to culinary “gold standard” for hand-off to Development & Commercialization teams around the globe. This position will be on a team of 3 Innovation Chefs as the culinary “heartbeat” of Pizza Hut and reports to the Sr. Manager, Culinary Innovation, Corporate Chef.

Required Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of progressive culinary experience being ‘hands on’ in a kitchen.
• A passion for global food trends and new culinary directions with breadth and depth of culinary experience. Highly curious and creative.
• Consumer centric and growth mindset. An open and inclusive thinker who embraces ideas other than their own.
• Collaborative working style.
• Must reside in DFW area/be in the culinary lab a minimum of 3 days/week.
• Travel: Up to 10%

Preferred Qualifications:

• Culinary degree preferred, but not required.
• Familiar with food and culture outside of the United States
• Experience or interest in using generative AI in developing new food concepts

Salary Range: $89,3000 to $94,590 annually + bonus eligibility. This is the expected salary range for this position. Ultimately, in determining pay, we'll consider the successful candidate’s location, experience, and other job-related factors.

• Lead Culinary Innovation:
• Champion ideation and advanced culinary design, guiding “gold standard” benchtop prototyping to create craveable, iconic menu items that reinforce Pizza Hut’s global leadership in pizza innovation.
• Strategic Collaboration:
• Partner closely with Menu Strategy, Brand Marketing, Consumer Insights, Commercialization, and Supplier Partners to translate consumer insights into traffic-driving menu strategies. Influence decision-making through data-driven recommendations.
• Global Culinary Leadership:
• Serve as a core member of a team of three Innovation Chefs—the culinary heartbeat of Pizza Hut worldwide—bringing thought leadership and operational foresight to every initiative.
• Operational Integration:
• Anticipate and address restaurant-level execution challenges by incorporating team member capability, equipment constraints, and operational workflows into the innovation process.
• Project Ownership & Prioritization:
• Independently manage multiple high-impact projects (typically 2–3 concurrently) with moderate-to-high complexity. Set priorities, allocate resources, and ensure timely delivery of milestones.
• Cross-Functional Influence:
• Co-lead major initiatives and drive alignment across diverse teams. Build strong relationships to expand influence and accelerate decision-making across functions and geographies.
• Proactive Communication & Reporting:
• Deliver clear, concise updates to leadership, highlighting progress, insights, and recommendations. Communicate effectively at all organizational levels, internally and externally.
• Data-Driven Decision Making:
• Leverage analytics to connect culinary innovation to business objectives. Share actionable insights that inform strategy and optimize outcomes.
• Continuous Improvement & Leadership Development:
  Actively contribute to team culture by fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and mentoring peers where appropriate.