Company Profile:
At CAVA we make it deliciously simple to eat well and feel good every day. We are guided by a Mediterranean heritage that’s been perfecting how to eat and live for four thousand years. We prioritize authenticity, curiosity and the pursuit of excellence in everything we do. We are working towards something big, together.
We foster a culture built on five core values:
- Generosity First, Always: We lead with kindness. Our best work happens when we act in service of others.
- Constant Curiosity: We are eager to learn, grow, and explore beyond the obvious.
- Act with Agility: We welcome change; it’s the only constant. We embrace, adjust, adapt.
- Passion for Positivity: We greet each day with warmth and possibility.
- Collective Ambition: We have high aspirations that are achieved when we work together with a shared purpose.
Director of Category Management & Menu Innovation:
As the Director of Category Management & Menu Innovation, you will serve as a key strategic leader responsible for the growth, profitability, and performance of our core and seasonal food and beverage categories. You will integrate consumer insights, advanced analytics, and cross-functional collaboration to fuel innovation, optimize the product lifecycle, and deliver strong business results. This role requires a balance of strategic thinking, analytical rigor, and operational excellence.
What You’ll Do:
- Lead enterprise-wide category growth strategies across core and seasonal offerings, including product portfolio planning, innovation road mapping, pricing, and promotional architecture.
- Own category P&L performance, using data-driven insights and financial modeling to optimize margins, drive sales growth, and inform decision-making.
- Build and lead a high-performing team of category managers and analysts; foster a culture of curiosity, innovation, and data fluency.
- Champion analytics-driven decision-making, working closely with data science, finance, and business intelligence to develop performance dashboards, forecast models, and ROI analyses.
- Partner with Culinary Innovation to guide product development based on guest insights, trend analysis, and competitive benchmarking.
- Translate consumer research and behavior analytics into actionable strategies to capture whitespace opportunities and enhance the guest experience.
- Serve as a strategic thought partner to Marketing, Operations, and Supply Chain, ensuring category plans are seamlessly executed and operationally viable.
- Develop and present strategic business cases and performance reviews to executive leadership for alignment and investment decisions.
- Monitor and interpret macro trends, competitor activity, and channel shifts to keep CAVA ahead of the curve.
The Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Finance, Economics, or a related field; MBA or equivalent advanced degree strongly preferred.
- 10–15+ years of progressive experience in category management, product strategy, or brand management, ideally within restaurant, retail, or CPG sectors.
- Demonstrated success in leading high-impact strategies that drive sustainable growth and profitability.
- Advanced analytical skills, including experience with data visualization, forecasting, pricing models, and market segmentation.
- Strong financial acumen with proven P&L ownership.
- Skilled at influencing senior stakeholders and aligning cross-functional teams around a unified vision.
- Experience managing and scaling high-performing teams in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
- Deep understanding of the fast casual dining landscape, emerging food trends, and consumer behaviors.
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to maintain stationary position to be able to operate a computer and other office equipment
- Must be able to identify, analyze and assess details
- For certain positions, must be able to occasionally move or transport items up to 50 pounds
- Ability to communicate with others and exchange information accurately and effectively
- Constantly positions self and move about to support ordinary restaurant or food production support or office operations, as applicable
- Ability to work in a constant state of alertness and in a safe manner
What we offer:
- Competitive salary, plus bonus and long-term incentives*
- Early Wage Access!
- Unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, plus paid opportunities to give back to the community
- Health, Dental, Vision, Telemedicine, Pet Insurance plus more!
- 401k enrollment with CAVA contribution
- Company-paid STD, LTD, Life and AD&D coverage for salaried positions*
- Free CAVA food
- Casual work environment
- The opportunity to be on the ground floor of a rapidly growing brand
- All exempt and non-exempt employees are eligible for benefits. Benefits are effective the 1st of the month following 30 days of service and you have until the day before the effective date to enroll. A new hire can enroll in our benefit program by selecting a link that is emailed directly to the new hire at their personal email address once hired.
- Please note that visa sponsorship is not available.
- The posting range is an all-cash range.
*Indicates qualifying eligible positions only
This job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all the duties and responsibilities of the position, and such duties and responsibilities may change without notice.
CAVA – Joining “A culture, not a concept”
This job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all the duties and responsibilities of the position and such duties and responsibilities may change without notice. As an equal opportunity employer, CAVA considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, height, weight, marital status, sexual orientation, familial status, genetic information or any other characteristic or protected classes as defined by federal, state, or local law.
