Senior Program Manager, Prepared Foods, Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market is seeking an experienced program manager to define, champion, and execute the menu strategy for our in-store restaurant concepts. In close cooperation with WFM leadership and key partner teams, the Program Manager owns the concept and menu-strategy pipeline that shapes what our Culinary team develops, from consumer and food-trend insight through testing and store-ready launch. This individual works cross-functionally with stakeholders across Whole Foods Market and Amazon to (1) evaluate new concept and menu opportunities, (2) set the strategic framework and priorities for those opportunities, and (3) launch and manage the resulting programs through their lifecycle. The ideal candidate will have experience with menu strategy and concept development at a fast casual restaurant, along with strong program management skills and the ability to influence at senior levels.

Key job responsibilities

• Own the definition and prioritization of new in-store restaurant concepts and menu platforms, grounded in consumer insight, food trends, and the competitive fast casual landscape.
• Set the strategic framework (positioning, priorities, success criteria) that guides culinary development, and partner with WFM Culinary Development, who own item-level creation.
• Build test, pilot, and scaling plans for new concepts and menu platforms, with clear readiness gates before broader rollout.
• Drive execution of program deliverables across internal stakeholder teams and external supplier partners.
• Manage the multi-year concept and menu-strategy pipeline, identifying white space and platform-level opportunities.
• Establish metrics to monitor concept and menu performance and recommend improvements to quality, guest satisfaction, and profitability.
• Prepare executive-ready deliverables and manage alignment and communication with key stakeholders.
• Earn trust and build partnerships with senior leaders across the organization and with external partners.
• Operate as a change agent, with resilience, emotional intelligence, and the ability to navigate ambiguity.

Travel Requirements: Approximately 25% travel may be required.

• Proven track record developing menu strategy and driving execution to deliver business results.
• Understanding of how restaurant menu strategy works: consumer insight, menu architecture and positioning, food cost and margin, and menu-platform lifecycle.
• Strong quantitative background; connects consumer and menu analytics to financial outcomes.
• Ability to think beyond the P&L to arrive at true value and drive impactful decisions.
• Strong oral, written, and formal presentation skills, including Amazon-style business writing.
• Experience operating in a large, complex retail or multi-unit restaurant organization.
• Strategic mindset with strong critical thinking and the ability to craft compelling business cases.
• Aligned to Whole Foods Market's Higher Purpose, Core Values, and Leadership Principles.

A day in the life

A typical day for the Program Manager on this team blends strategic thinking with hands-on cross-functional collaboration. You might start the morning reviewing consumer insights and menu performance data to identify white-space opportunities, then join a working session with Culinary Development to evaluate a new in-store restaurant concept moving from ideation to pilot readiness. By midday, you could be leading a stakeholder alignment meeting with Category Management, Culinary Operations, and Product Quality to pressure-test a scaling plan, ensuring clear readiness gates and success criteria are in place. Afternoons may shift to building an executive-ready document for senior leadership that connects menu-platform performance to financial outcomes, or partnering with external supplier teams to refine a concept positioning strategy. No two days look exactly the same, but every day centers on translating culinary innovation into scalable, operationally executable programs that shape how customers experience prepared food at Whole Foods Market.

About the team

Our team is at the heart of transforming how customers experience fresh, prepared food at Whole Foods Market. We set the culinary and menu strategy that shapes what lands on shelves and in shopping baskets across hundreds of stores nationwide. We work at the intersection of food, data, and retail, partnering closely with culinary, suppliers, operations, merchandising, and finance to bring innovative, high-quality food programs to life. Our culture rewards curiosity, deep ownership, and creative problem-solving. If you're passionate about food and want your work to directly shape what customers eat every day, this is the team for you.