Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or related field preferred
Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort building systems and processes from the ground up
High attention to detail balanced with strong creative instincts
Willingness to travel across current and future locations as the brand scales
Full description
Elevate an already-strong menu and build the operating model to match our ambitions
Director of Culinary Operations & Product Innovation
Position Summary
Happy Ice is already one of the most recognized and loved frozen dessert brands in Los Angeles — built by a community that keeps coming back, and coming back with friends. That love recently opened a new door: a Happy Ice location inside Disneyland. This role exists to take that momentum to the next level — built on the two things that will determine whether Happy Ice becomes the largest and most beloved frozen dessert brand in the nation.
First: the menu.
The menu is already a strength of the brand. This role will sharpen it further — refining what makes Happy Ice unmistakably unique in the marketplace and elevating the menu to compete head-to-head with the best in the category, in any market in the United States.
Second: the operating model.
This is where the greatest opportunity for impact lies. As Happy Ice looks toward national scale, we need to build and define an operating model equal to that ambition — one engineered around labor efficiency, staff productivity, and a fast, consistent guest experience in every location.
Bringing these two efforts together — elevating an already-strong menu and building the operating model to match our ambitions — is the core mandate of this role. Get both right, and Happy Ice will be positioned to franchise nationally and become the biggest and most beloved frozen dessert brand in the country.
This is a rare ground-floor opportunity to partner directly with the Founder & CEO and shape the operational and culinary DNA of a brand built for aggressive multi-unit growth.
Core Responsibilities
Menu Strategy & Product Innovation
Develop craveable, high-margin menu offerings with broad consumer appeal and strong brand differentiation
Lead R&D for new product development, from concept ideation through menu launch
Design standardized recipes and plating specifications (SOPs) that ensure consistency and replicability across all locations
Build comprehensive training curricula and certification programs for all menu items, ensuring execution fidelity at scale
Operational Systems & Scalability
Design and implement a standardized new-product rollout process, including pilot testing, feedback loops, and phased national deployment
Define optimal kitchen layout and workflow design to maximize throughput, labor efficiency, and guest experience
Evaluate and specify back-of-house equipment to optimize execution speed, consistency, and unit economics
Build forecasting and financial modeling tools to stress-test operational decisions, staffing models, and new concepts prior to implementation
Director of Culinary Operations and Product Innovation at happy-ice-llc-961f282f-03ec-47e6-ad36-ea13e04121ec (Los Angeles, CA) — aijobsearch
Food Safety & Quality Assurance
Elevate and standardize food safety protocols in alignment with HACCP principles and local health code requirements
Develop and enforce quality assurance standards across all locations
Inventory & Supply Chain Management
Design and implement a centralized inventory management system, including FIFO controls, par levels, and waste tracking
Streamline procurement and vendor management processes to drive cost savings, improve supply chain reliability, and strengthen vendor partnerships
Establish cost tracking systems to monitor food cost percentage and identify margin-improvement opportunities
Team Leadership, Culture & Performance Management
Inspire, motivate, and align kitchen and field teams around a shared vision and standard of excellence
Build a culture of accountability, pride, and continuous improvement across all locations
Serve as a visible, hands-on leader who sets the tone for how the brand operates day to day
Develop KPI dashboards for real-time visibility into unit-level and company-wide profitability, labor cost, and food cost metrics
Drive continuous improvement initiatives against defined performance benchmarks
Establish structured communication systems and reporting cadences to ensure accountability across all locations and levels of the organization
Design and implement an employee recognition and rewards program to strengthen culture, retention, and engagement
Facilities, Fleet & Catering Operations
Establish preventive maintenance schedules across all locations to ensure equipment readiness and facility cleanliness standards
Develop policies and systems governing staff use of company vehicles, including safety protocols and accountability measures
Optimize catering operations and execution standards to support off-premise revenue growth
Executive Support & Communication
Develop and deliver executive-level presentations to align leadership and field teams around strategic priorities
Serve as a key operational partner to the CEO, enabling executive bandwidth to focus on enterprise-level growth and expansion strategy
Qualifications & Requirements
Deep pastry and frozen dessert product knowledge, paired with the creativity to turn concepts into scalable, replicable recipes
7+ years of progressive culinary and operations leadership experience, including multi-unit or multi-location oversight
Experience operating in a founder-led, high-growth, fast-paced environment
Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or related field preferred
Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort building systems and processes from the ground up
High attention to detail balanced with strong creative instincts
Willingness to travel across current and future locations as the brand scales
A Note From the Founder and CEO
Hello, and thank you for considering the opportunity to become part of Happy Ice.
I am not simply looking to fill a position. I am looking for an experienced culinary leader who wants to help build something extraordinary.
This person must know how to take bold ideas and turn them into exceptional products, disciplined systems, strong teams, and consistent execution. I am looking for a builder, an operator, and an innovator who believes good is only the starting point and who is committed to pursuing excellence with focus, humility, and determination.
I did not come from the restaurant industry or a traditional professional background. What I had was grit, faith, creativity, and an unwavering belief that Happy Ice could become the greatest frozen dessert brand in the world.
With those things, and with the support of an incredible team and community, we have grown Happy Ice into a recognized and loved Los Angeles brand. However, I believe we are still only at the beginning.
I have a clear vision for where this company can go, but I also understand that reaching that vision requires experience beyond my own. I am looking for a Director of Culinary Operations and Product Innovation who can work closely with me, strengthen the vision, challenge my thinking, and help turn our ideas into products, systems, standards, and teams that can scale. I am looking for a trusted leader whose expertise will meaningfully shape the future of Happy Ice.
If this message stirs something in you, and you feel excited by the opportunity to help build a category defining brand from the inside, I would be honored to speak with you about where Happy Ice is going and the role you could play in shaping its future.