Principal Category Lead

How We Work At Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A,  Inc. ('Chick-fil-A' or 'the Company') Staff members play a vital role in achieving our strategic goals by developing their skills,  fostering inclusive teamwork,  and embracing innovation. All Staff are expected to contribute to a compelling future by inspiring and motivating those around them. Growth and development are essential at Chick-fil-A. We want Staff to seek new perspectives and adopt new methods to drive continuous improvement and adaptation to evolving business needs. Lastly,  we ask Staff to seek wisdom,  expect the best,  accept responsibility,  respond with courage,  and think others first. Our Flexible Futures Model offers a healthy mix of working in person (currently a minimum of 8-10 days per month) and virtually,  strengthening key elements of the Chick-fil-A culture by fostering collaboration and community.

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.

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