Head of Food Innovation & Commercialisation

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC); Woking; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - GBP 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading fast-food chain is seeking a Head of Innovation & Commercialisation to shape the future of food in Europe. This role involves leading the innovation strategy, coaching a high-performing team, and collaborating with marketing and operations. Ideal candidates should have 10+ years of experience in food innovation and a proven record of successful product launches. The position offers hybrid working, a company bonus, and significant employee benefits including healthcare and generous holiday allowance.

Benefits

Company and performance-related bonus

Generous pension with up to 11% company contribution

Private healthcare

Annual holiday allowance starting at 25 days

Wellbeing reimbursement fund

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in food innovation or similar roles.
• Proven track record in creating and scaling breakthrough innovation.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Europe food innovation strategy.
• Coach and develop a world class food innovation and safety regional team.
• Build and manage a robust multi-year innovation pipeline.

Skills

Food innovation

Product development

Menu innovation

Strategic thinking

Strong storytelling

Job description

Welcome to Taco Bell

Taco Bell was born and raised in California and has been around since 1962. We went from selling everyone’s favourite Crunchy Tacos on the West Coast to a global brand with 8,200+ restaurants, 350 franchise organizations, that serve 42+ million fans each week around the globe. That’s right… Taco Bell has 8,200+ restaurants in over 32 countries around the world, with offices in the U.S., Canada, UK, India, Australia, and Singapore. And we don’t plan to stop there.

We’re not only the largest Mexican-inspired quick service brand (QSR) in the world, we’re also part of the biggest restaurant group in the world: Yum! Brands.

Much of our fan love and authentic connection with our communities are rooted in being rebels with a cause. From ensuring we use high quality, sustainable ingredients to elevating restaurant technology in ways that hasn’t been done before… we will continue to be inclusive, bold, challenge the status quo and push industryboundaries.

We’re a company that celebrates and advocates for different, has bold self-expression, strives for a better future, and brings the fun while we’re at it. We fuel our culture with real people who bring unique experiences. We inspire and enable our teams and the world to Live Más.

And all of that comes with fun, year-round events like holiday and cultural festivities, development opportunities you can take advantage of from anywhere you are, and random recharge days – just to name a few. We truly believe that where you work matters and taking care of our employees matters as much to us as taking care of our fans.

At Taco Bell, we’re Cultural Rebels. Want to join in on the passion-fuelled fun? Learn more about the career below.

THE ROLE: WHAT YOU’LL OWN

This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of Taco Bell’s food in Europe. As the Head of Innovation & Commercialisation, you will lead the regional food vision, maintain brand food standards and core menu integrity, set the multi-year innovation strategy, and bring breakthrough, craveable, brand-defining ideas to life. You’ll oversee the full end-to-end innovation process—from insights and ideation through operational validation and launch—while building and developing a high-performing FIT team. In short you will be a Taco Bell Innovation Powerhouse.

This role partners at the most senior levels across Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, QA/FS, and Franchise Partners, and represents Europe into Global FIT. If you are passionate about disruptive innovation, bold flavours, and bringing culture to the menu, this role puts you at the centre of shaping the next chapter of Taco Bell in Europe.

The Day-to-Day:

• Sitting on the regional leadership team and reporting directly to the General Manager you will lead the Europe food innovation strategy, setting a clear vision for how the brand shows up on the menu over the next 3–5 years.
• Coach and develop a world class food innovation and safety regional team.
• Build and manage a robust multi-year innovation pipeline including breakthrough innovation, sustaining platforms, value propositions, and market-specific solutions informed by insights, global consumer trends, culinary inspiration, and brand storytelling.
• Accountable for upholding Taco Bell’s brand food standards, ensuring all core ingredients and menu builds consistently meet the highest quality, safety, and established brand expectations.
• Oversee the regional commercialisation process: supplier engagement, costing, operational validation, complexity evaluation, and launch readiness.
• Partner at a senior level with Marketing to bring innovation narratives to life and ensure brand-right menu strategy across markets.
• Engage and influence franchise partners, building capability and alignment around food strategy, operational execution, ensure consistent execution of brand food standards, and innovation adoption.
• Collaborate with Operations to ensure products meet global safety and quality standards and land consistently across restaurants.
• Represent Europe within Global FIT, providing regional perspectives and influencing global pipelines, frameworks, and capability initiatives.

Is this you?

• 10+ years of experience in food innovation, product development, culinary strategy, menu innovation or similar roles within QSR, CPG, FMCG, or food-centric consumer brands.
• Proven track record in creating and scaling breakthrough innovation and delivering commercially successful launches across markets.
• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to connect consumer insights, culinary trends, and operational realities into distinctive menu propositions.
• Demonstrated experience influencing senior stakeholders and franchise networks, with strong storytelling and communication skills.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams; able to inspire creativity, challenge norms, and cultivate an innovation culture.
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with shifting priorities and competing demands.

Preferred:

• Some understanding of restaurant food safety and supplier QA systems and processes.
• Culinary innovation background, global brand exposure, or experience in multi-country QSR and/or franchised environments.

Work-Hard, Play-Hard:

• Hybrid working - 2 days required in our office at Woking
• Company and performance-related bonus
• Generous pension with up to 11% company contribution
• Private healthcare with the option to increase to include family cover
• Annual holiday allowance starts at 25 days with the option to buy or sell up to 5 extra days per year. After 5 years’ service, annual holiday allowance increases to 30 days
• Competitive parental leave and flexible return to work options
• Wellbeing Reimbursement - A fund to claim back costs throughout the year that support your well-being such as vitamins subscriptions, language lessons, gym membership
• Flexible and Voluntary benefits including Dental Insurance, Health Screening and Gym Discounts

We’re looking for someone who doesn’t just like tacos…They live for culture, crave growth, and want to build a brand that refuses to blend in.

Sound like you – then go on…? Apply now. Bring your boldest ideas. Leave the beige at the door.

Beware of fake job postings using Yum! and/or our brand logos -- KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill -- on fraudulent sites. Yum! Brands only posts jobs on official careers pages and never asks for money during onboarding. Avoid unsolicited contacts via Telegram, WhatsApp or similar social apps.