Menu Planner

**Reports To**: Manager, Menu & Service Innovation
**Direct Supports**: N/A
**Works Closely With**: Recipe Innovation, Product Innovation, Master Scheduler, ITS, Finance, Client Experience, Supply Chain
**Job Status**: Full Time
**Work Hours**: Monday to Friday, 40 hours per week, flexible schedule with core hours of 9am to 3pm
**Work Location**: Hybrid of on-site and remote work
The Position
The Menu Planner is the architect behind RFRK’s seasonal menu systems, transforming insights and innovation into food experiences that serve and delight thousands of children each day. Working at the intersection of culinary creativity, operational feasibility, and data-informed strategy, this role balances design thinking with executional excellence - all while upholding our Real Food Promise.
The Menu Planner has a thorough understanding of the complexities of the entire value chain at RFRK, with a strong understanding of client needs and production scheduling in particular. The Menu Planner not only collects feedback on potential improvements to menus, but also offers suggestions to increase efficiency, decrease costs and improve client satisfaction. The Menu Planner must often act under pressure and on tight timelines.
Key Responsibilities
Menu Strategy & Development
- Design and maintain seasonal and quarterly menu matrices that reflect core offerings and planned changes.
- Strategically schedule menus across all service models, including standard, special diet, and event-based offerings.
- Design menus that reflect holiday themes and special events in a cost-effective and brand-aligned manner.
- Build menus that reflect RFRK’s Real Food Promise, nutritional guidelines, production capacity, and client expectations.
- Operates across multiple planning horizons by making day-to-day decisions and real-time menu updates or substitutions, while simultaneously optimizing upcoming seasonal launches and contributing to long-term menu and service innovations, ensuring alignment with RFRK’s operational needs and growth strategy.

Operational & Financial Performance
- Partner with Production Planning to align menu cycles with kitchen operations, labour considerations, and packing constraints.
- Analyze actual vs. targeted food costs, propose improvements, and develop cost-saving initiatives.
- Use planning techniques to identify inefficiencies and reduce cost-to-serve across services.
- Collaborate with Recipe Innovation and Product Innovation teams to assign appropriate portions and quantities based on user needs.

Innovation & Service Model Development
- Design and adapt menus for new and evolving RFRK service models
- Collaborate cross-functionally on pilots and menu innovations in support of RFRK’s long-term growth strategy.
- Contribute to menu-based elements of new delivery formats or client models in alignment with the Manager’s innovation roadmap.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Integrate internal supply chain, production and logistics feedback, seasonal considerations, and client insights into future menu planning.
- Work closely with the Menu Planning Coordinator to ensure the successful execution of menu documentation, client feedback loops, and compliance updates.
- Serve as a key connector between Recipe & Product Innovation, Production, Client Experience, and Supply Chain to ensure menus are not only delicious and compliant, but also deliverable, delightful, and differentiated

Governance, Compliance & Standards
- Ensure all menus comply with applicable nutrition, safety, and allergen guidelines in partnership with the RD.
- Uphold and actively contribute to RFRK’s Real Food Promise, food cost parameters, and quality expectations.

Required Education & Experience
- Undergraduate degree in a related field (e.g., Food Science, Business, Nutrition, Public Health).
- Minimum 3-5 years in a food strategy, product development or menu planning role — ideally within a start-up or high-growth food company, catering organization, or service innovation environment
- Strong understanding of menu development, service operations, and food education for children.
- Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to interpret food cost data, customer insights and feedback, and operational impact/efficiencies
- Proven ability to toggle between short-term execution and long-term planning — moving fluidly from tactical day-to-day decision-making to strategic foresight.
- Proficient in planning software, spreadsheets, and collaborative tools (Excel, Google Suite, etc.).
- Demonstrated ability to lead projects and manage complex, cross-functional initiatives.
- Familiarity with compliance requirements for child-focused food programs is a strong asset.

Additional Skills
- Curious, detail-oriented, and energized by designing systems that balance creative solutions with constraints.
- Excels in environments where agility, collaboration, and feedback are core to innovation.
- Balances passion for food and health with analytical r