Director, Beverage Innovation

Job Purpose

The purpose of the Director, Beverage Innovation, is to lead the culinary and R&D side of the Panera beverage category.  This position will be primarily responsible for helping to craft and bring the beverage strategy to life, through development of dynamic beverage products across all Panera beverage categories.  This position will require significant cross-functional engagement with many partners, including (but not limited to) the operations, equipment, sourcing, marketing, customer insights and food safety/QA teams.

Location: Newton, MA/Hybrid

Duties & Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of this job include, but are not limited to:

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Define and lead the multi-year beverage innovation strategy in alignment with brand, culinary, and business goals.
• Champion a culture of innovation, creativity, and continuous improvement across the beverage category.

Innovation & Product Development

• Oversee the end-to-end development of beverages across all categories: hot and cold coffee, espresso-based drinks, bubbler beverages, smoothies, frozen drinks, carbonated soft drinks, lemonades, and teas.
• Ensure all products meet Panera’s standards for clean ingredients, quality, and guest satisfaction.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Operations, Category Management, Sourcing, Marketing, Customer Insights, and QA to ensure seamless execution from ideation to commercialization.
• Influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional teams to drive alignment and decision-making.

Supplier & Partner Management

• Build and manage strategic supplier relationships to support innovation and commercialization.
• Negotiate and oversee partnerships with manufacturing and co-packing partners.

Consumer & Market Insights

• Stay ahead of beverage trends, emerging ingredients, and consumer preferences to inform innovation pipelines.
• Leverage insights and data to validate concepts and optimize product performance.

Performance & Impact

• Own key performance indicators including product launch timelines, guest satisfaction, operational execution, and cost targets.
• Drive continuous improvement through post-launch analysis and feedback loops.

Qualifications (Education & Experience)

Qualifications include:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science, or a related field preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in beverage innovation in a high-volume restaurant or foodservice environment.
• Experience in other product categories is a plus.

• Proven track record of leading successful product launches and innovation pipelines.
• Experience managing cross-functional teams and external partners.

Skills & Abilities:

• Strong understanding of beverage formulation, flavor development, and texture optimization.
• Proficient in the stage-gate product development process.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Passionate innovator who thrives in a collaborative, fast-paced environment and shares our commitment to quality and creativity.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Professional, deadline-driven, and adaptable with a collaborative mindset.

Working Conditions

• Required travel – travel is required for product development, validation, testing and reviews.
   

Physical Requirements

• While performing this job, the incumbent is regularly required to stand, sit, talk hear & use hands and fingers to operate keyboards

Direct Reports

• None immediately but possible in the future

Equal Opportunity Employer: Disabled/Veterans

Competitive Pay $155,477- $217,667 annually.

Salary : $155,477 - $217,667