Innovation Strategist, Director-Level Jobs

Location.

Hybrid, evenly split between WFH and our HQ in San Francisco. Candidates must be located within commuting distance of our HQ in San Francisco. Current policy offers the opportunity for occasional remote work for up to 2 weeks at a time.

About us.

Founded in 2002, TCE is the USA’s leading food & beverage innovation consultancy. We work with, or have worked with, over 30% of the top 200 restaurant brands in the USA. We create the f&b brands of the future, and sometimes we create and operate our own, like Starbird.

At TCE you’ll find classically trained chefs working alongside designers, branding experts and food anthropologists. We fuse culinary excellence with human-centered design, to forge the future of how we eat and drink.

We work at a fast pace on multiple projects, simultaneously traveling, exploring, tasting, learning, communicating and planning. If this sounds like the food & beverage adventure of your dreams, we want to hear from you.

Our work is complex, but our method is simple:

• Solve from every angle.
• Lead with empathy. Follow through with know-how.
• Inspire action.

Join us.

We are committed to creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. Our goals and commitments are shaped and strengthened by our team. There is more work to be done. Join us, and help us build a future where all voices are heard and everyone can feel they belong.

About the role.

We are looking for a Director-level Innovation Strategist who can think big, steer our team and the visions of our clients. The Strategist is a multi-talented professional who is practiced in thinking critically about brands and businesses, crafting inspiring strategic narratives, and developing clear solutions to ambiguous problems.

This position encompasses the training and coaching of team members in our method and process, leading key business development pursuits, and leading strategy on top-tier accounts. In addition, the role serves as a platform for promoting thought leadership in culinary, brand, and experience strategy on a national and industry-wide scale.

Above all, Strategy Directors demonstrate a passion for the food and beverage industry and an ability to work collaboratively, nimbly, and effectively. Sound like you? Read on.

Responsibilities.

As a Strategy Leader, you will...

• Support the leadership team in business development pursuits, including coaching the prospects, leading the creation of pitch materials, presenting, and proposal writing.
• Develop deliverables and presentations employing captivating storytelling and a keen visual aesthetic.
• Build high-functioning relationships with partner consultancies, vendors and agencies, to optimize business capability and opportunity.
• Maintain a global best-in-class toolkit of frameworks and methods; in innovation, business, brand, experience, culinary and operational strategy.
• Support the vision and path for the growth of the Strategy Discipline, and support the strategic growth of the business.
• Co-create compelling and grounded strategies with a diverse team of collaborators to shape world-class F&B brand experiences.
• Support team members on projects across multiple workstreams including menu strategy and architecture, culinary creative, positioning, and brand strategy.

Requirements:

• You apply empathy to frame information for different audiences and can edit and build presentations accordingly for maximum impact.
• You have a strong narrative sensibility and are well-practiced in choosing the right presentation content, visual and verbal.
• You have 8+ years of agency experience in consulting, corporate/brand strategy, or product development (food & beverage experience, from either a restaurant perspective or a brand perspective, is a huge plus here).
• You are killer with decks, but moreso a compelling storyteller and confident with clients.
• You have an intuitive grasp of consumer trends in the food world, and their business implications.
• You understand the difference between a truth and an insight - and are able to synthesize these from a wealth of primary and/or secondary research.
• You have led cross-functional teams and managed professional growth and development.
• You are flexible and comfortable working with ambiguity and in a fast-moving, dynamic environment.

Please add a cover letter to page 1 of your resume, and tell us about the following.

• About business strategy: Describe a challenging strategy project or problem that you were involved with. What made it challenging for you? How did you approach the problem? And what was the ultimate insight and outcome?
• About F&B innovation: If you came to work at TCE, which company, product or service would you want to redesign?
• About you and TCE: Why are you interested in joining our team?

Remuneration:

Director Level:

• $145,000 - $160,000 Base Salary (commensurate with experience).
• $200/month Culinary Research & Development Stipend for meals & ingredients, books and other culinary research materials.
• Contributory Safe Harbor 401k plan
• Daily Family Meal served by our Culinary R&D team
• Company bonus up to 10% of Base Salary.
• Health, Dental and Vision plan.

Associate Director Level:

• Daily Family Meal served by our Culinary R&D team
• Contributory Safe Harbor 401k plan
• Company bonus up to 10% of Base Salary.
• Health, Dental and Vision plan.
• $200/month Culinary Research & Development Stipend for meals & ingredients, books and other culinary research materials.
• $120,000 - $145,000 Base Salary (commensurate with experience).