Executive Director of Food Programs and Offers

RaceTrac Company Overview

Job Description:

As a hands‑on, “player‑coach” leader, this individual partners closely with the executive team and cross‑functional partners to build a differentiated foodservice roadmap that grows guest counts, strengthens unit performance, and delivers strong financial results.

This leader owns the full P&L for all Food and Dispensed Beverage categories and oversees the Category Management, Culinary Innovation, and Innovation Project Management teams. The role requires deep collaboration with Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing, FSQA, and other key partners to bring new concepts to life and continuously improve how we deliver food at RaceTrac. 

Up to 20% travel required. Role is based in RaceTrac's Atlanta Store Support Center. Relocation is an option.

What You'll Do:

Strategic Planning

• Builds long‑term and annual growth strategies for all Food and Dispensed Beverage categories, grounded in consumer trends, guest behavior, and competitive insights.

• Defines clear objectives and strategic priorities in partnership with cross‑functional leaders and the VP of Merchandise.

Financial Delivery

• Owns the full P&L for Food and Dispensed Beverage, ensuring revenue, margin, and profitability targets are met across Hot Food, Fresh Food, Bakery, and Dispensed Beverage.

• Leads annual forecasting and manages COGS, sales growth, margin delivery, and project expenditures.

Menu Design & Development

• Designs the full food portfolio using market research, guest insights, and strong collaboration with Marketing.

• Drives a culture of lean innovation to accelerate testing, learning, and speed to market.

• Oversees prototype development to meet cost, flavor, nutrition, and operational standards.

• Partners with Operations, Marketing, A&D, FSQA, and Merchandise to ensure smooth rollout and execution of new products.

Supply Chain Management

• Oversees the food supply chain to ensure a compelling, reliable, and cost‑effective menu.

• Collaborates with sourcing, purchasing, manufacturing, and distribution teams to maintain seamless operations.

• Uses strong negotiation and vendor management to drive profitability and support strategic goals.

Research, Insights & Trends

• Monitors industry trends, competitor activity, and consumer behavior to inform strategy and assortment decisions.

• Analyzes internal sales, pricing, and sourcing data to identify opportunities and refine product strategy.

• Leverages internal and external insights to guide innovation and long‑term planning.

Sales, Marketing & Merchandising

• Develops annual category sales plans and partners with Marketing to build promotional strategies that drive guest engagement and financial performance.

• Aligns food marketing and merchandising plans with broader business strategies.

• Collaborates with center‑store Category Management to support cross‑category planning and promotions.

Manage & Influence Others

• Leads the Category Management, Culinary Innovation, and Innovation Project Management teams, fostering a high‑performance, collaborative culture.

• Provides coaching, development, and clear direction to direct and indirect reports.

• Influences decisions across the organization related to staffing, systems, processes, and organizational design.

• Builds strong vendor relationships to strengthen RaceTrac’s market position.

Food Safety & Quality Assurance

• Supports RaceTrac’s food safety program across stores and the supply chain.

• Ensures USDA/FDA/HAACP standards are incorporated into product development and operational procedures.

Success Measures (First 6–12 Months)

• Delivers a clear, actionable foodservice strategy aligned with guest needs and business goals.

• Strengthens cross‑functional collaboration, especially with Supply Chain, Operations, and Marketing.

• Launches new or improved food offerings that meet cost, quality, and operational benchmarks.

• Improves category profitability and margin performance.

• Builds trust, alignment, and momentum within the Food and Dispensed Beverage teams.

Required Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

• 10+ years of experience in retail foodservice management, retail operations, or consumer packaged goods.

• Experience leading large teams with both direct and indirect reports.

• Strong understanding of food safety principles and operational requirements.

• Proven experience in food concept development, testing, and operational launch; hot/fried food experience preferred.

• Ability to interpret data and translate insights into decisions.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to lead through change with calm, clarity, and consistency.

• Strong understanding of guest behavior and consumer‑led decision making.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in multi‑unit retail or convenience foodservice.

• Background in culinary development or menu innovation.

• Experience working with DSD, fresh food operations, or complex supply chains.

Who You’ll Work With

• Reports to: VP of Merchandise

• Works closely with: Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing, FSQA, A&D, and external vendor partners

• Leads teams across Category Management, Culinary Innovation, and Innovation Project Management

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Planning:

  Designs long-term and annual growth strategies for the entire Food and Dispensed Beverage businesses, aligning them with consumer trends, shopping patterns, and competitive considerations.

  · Develops specific objectives, goals, and strategies, incorporating input from cross-functional colleagues and aligning with VP of Merchandise.

  Financial Delivery:

  · Owns the P&L for the Food Service business, ensuring revenue and profit commitments are met.

  · Sets and manages annual Food and Dispensed Beverages category forecasts, overseeing areas such as COGS, sales growth, margin delivery and management of project expenditures.

  Menu Design & Development:

  · Designs the complete Food portfolio, selecting categories and offerings based on rigorous market research, consumer insights and partnership with Marketing partners.

  · Collaborates closely with external vendor partners and internal teams to drive product development and innovation.

  · Drives a culture of lean innovation enabling RaceTrac to test and learn quickly across teams to maximize efficient use of resources, ideas, and execution.

  · Maintains an informed prototype design process to hit targeted benchmarks for cost and guest expectations.

  · Directs the development of food items that fit our flavor, nutrition, and cost standards. Determines how to align the item for operational and logistic efficiencies.

  · Partners with Operations, Marketing, A&D, FSQA, and Merchandise teams to ensure rollout strategy and successful implementation of products once they have been successfully tested

  Supply Chain Management:

  · Oversees the food supply chain to source and present customers with a compelling menu of Food options.

  · Collaborates with sourcing, purchasing, manufacturing, and distribution teams to ensure seamless operations.

  · Drives profitability and growth within the Food and Dispensed Beverage categories by implementing aggressive negotiating tactics that align with strategic objective and with what is best for the RaceTrac business.

  Research, Insights & Trends:

  · Continuously monitors industry and competitor landscape, research and analyze consumer trends, consumption patterns, and pricing.

  · Analyzes internal sales, pricing and sourcing data to identify patterns and marketing trends to guide the refinement of the product strategy and assortment.

  · Leverages internal and external data for well-informed decisions related to Food Service initiatives.

  Sales, Marketing & Merchandising:

  · Develops annual category sales plans and collaborates to define marketing promotional initiatives to achieve financial objective and guest service metrics.

  · Coordinates with Operations and other teams to align Food marketing and merchandising plans with broader business strategies.

  · Partners cross functionally with the center-store Category Management team to support the group’s strategic direction in order to execute consistent planning, analytical goals, and cross category promotions.

  Manage & Influence Others:

  · Directly manages Category Management, Innovation Project Management, and Culinary Innovation teams and provides training, coaching, development, and inspiration to foster a high-performance culture.

  · Influences decisions made by other team leaders, offering guidance on organization design, staffing, technology, and systems requirements.

  · Encourages continuous two-way feedback from all team members.

  · Strengthens key vendor relationships to maximize RaceTrac’s position in the marketplace.

  Food Safety & Quality Assurance

  · Supports RaceTrac’s food safety program throughout all aspects in our stores and supply chain.

  · Ensures that all USDA/FDA/HAACP and food safety standards are incorporated into product manufacturing as well as the identification of all necessary on-site food safety product preparation procedures for operations teams.

Qualifications:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment with RaceTrac without regard to their race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.