Innovation Strategist

The Culinary Edge, a CORE foodservice company, is the USA’s leading food & beverage innovation consultancy. We work with over 30% of the top 200 restaurant brands in the USA. 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 method is simple:

• Lead with empathy.
• Follow through with know-how.
• See and solve from every angle.
• Inspire action.

TCE has a Innovation Strategist opportunity in San Francisco, CA!

What are WE looking for?

We are looking for creative Strategists who think big, can steer our internal vision, 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. Above all, the Strategist
demonstrates passion for the food and beverage industry and an ability to work
collaboratively, nimbly, and effectively. Sound like you? Read on.

Responsibilities

• Co-create compelling and grounded strategies with a diverse team of
  collaborators to create world-class F&B experiences for the largest and smallest
  brands in the world.
• Support Senior Strategists in guiding the project engagement.
• Guide internal and external client teams through our process.
• Develop deliverables and presentations employing captivating storytelling and a
  keen visual aesthetic.
• Constantly work to make yourself, your team, and the work better.

Your Experience And Skills

• You have 2+ years of agency experience in consulting, corporate/brand strategy,
  or product development (food & beverage experience is a huge plus here).
• You are a passionate brand storyteller, killer with decks, confident with clients.
• You have hands-on experience working in the world of food and beverage, from
  either a restaurant perspective, a brand perspective, or otherwise.
• You have a keen understanding of consumer trends, their business implications and
  the difference between a trend and a fad, particularly in the food world.
• You are versed in design methods & processes needed to produce outstanding
  frameworks and deliverables.
• You are able to synthesize a wealth of primary and secondary research into
  integrated, prioritized insights.
• You have a strong design sensibility and are well-practiced in choosing the right
  presentation content, narrative and supporting imagery.
• You are able to frame information for different audiences, and can edit and build presentations accordingly for maximum impact.

• You are able to write and deliver presentations with content that is to-the-point,
  memorable and impactful.
• You are a dynamic public speaker who is able to deliver presentations with
  composure, confidence and joy.
• You are flexible and comfortable working in a sometimes ambiguous and dynamic
  environment.
• You are comfortable working closely with cross functional teams and eager to
  learn as you go.

In your cover letter, please address the following.

• About you and TCE: Why are you interested in joining our team?
• 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?
  

Remuneration

• Intermediate level: $75,000 - $90,000 Base Salary.
• Senior Brand Strategist level: $90,000 - $105,000 Base Salary.
• Company bonus up to 10% of Base Salary.
• $200/month Culinary Research & Development Stipend for meals & ingredients,
  books, and other culinary research materials.
• Health, Dental and Vision plans.
• Life insurance, short & long-term disability, 401k with
  matching, Legal benefits, employee assistance program, etc.