Director - Restaurant Experience Technology

Role Purpose The Director, Restaurant Experience Technology (RET) is responsible for ensuring technology investments deliver measurable value in restaurant operations and customer experience. The role serves as the primary bridge between Restaurant Operations and Technology and owns technology adoption, operational readiness, rollout quality, supportability and continuous improvement.Key Responsibilities:Restaurant Technology Experience Strategy Define and execute RET strategyAct as voice of restaurant operations within ITDevelop adoption and operational excellence roadmaps from technology perspectiveRestaurant Journey & Experience Design Collaborate with Product Team to synchronize their software journey and roadmap with in-store operational issuesOptimize in-store hardware placements for maximum impactReduce technology related operational friction pointsTechnology Rollout & Operational Readiness Lead pilots and deployment readinessDrive training and adoption of technology with Operations Excellence teamEstablish rollout governanceOperations Engineering & Continuous Improvement (along with Operations Excellence Team) Apply Industrial Engineering principles jointlyLead process optimization and throughput improvementUse Lean and Six Sigma methodologiesTechnology Operations & Service Excellence Improve service reliabilityLead root cause analysis and service reviewsDrive operational governanceBusiness Partnership & Adoption Leadership Partner with Operations leadersMaintain field feedback loopsLead change management effortsTechnology Scope POSSelf Order KiosksKitchen Display SystemsDrive-Thru TechnologiesDigital Menu BoardsPayment SystemsWorkforce ManagementRestaurant Mobility PlatformsAI-enabled Restaurant TechnologiesQualifications Bachelor's degree in IT, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Engineering, Computer Science or related field. MBA preferred.10+ years of experience in restaurant technology or digital transformation.Critical Skills & Competencies Restaurant Journey Design (Placement and Customer Flow perspective - Jointly with Product)In-store Technology Rollout, Adoption and Change Management (Jointly with Operations Excellence)Industrial Engineering & Process OptimizationLean / Six SigmaTechnology Service ManagementStakeholder ManagementVendor ManagementCross-Functional Collaboration & Technology Value Realization Serve as the primary bridge between Restaurant Operations and Technology teams, ensuring operational needs are translated into effective technology solutions.Partner with Operations Excellence teams to redesign restaurant processes, improve throughput, optimize labor utilization, and identify technology-enabled operational improvements.Collaborate with Product Management to provide operational insights, prioritize enhancements, and ensure product roadmaps reflect restaurant needs and customer experience objectives.Partner with Design teams to evaluate customer and crew journeys, validate usability of restaurant technology solutions, and improve adoption through intuitive experiences.Work closely with Engineering teams throughout the solution lifecycle, providing operational requirements, field feedback, and deployment learnings to improve solution quality and effectiveness.Participate in technology discovery, piloting, testing, and rollout activities to ensure operational readiness before deployment.Establish continuous feedback loops between restaurants and Product, Design, and Engineering teams to drive ongoing enhancements and innovation.Act as the first point of escalation for operational technology challenges, ensuring rapid collaboration across business and technology teams.RET Partnership FocusOperations - Restaurant pain points, adoption, support and operational performanceOperations Excellence - Process optimization, throughput improvement, labor efficiency, Lean initiativesProduct - Feature prioritization, operational requirements, roadmap inputDesign - Customer journey, crew journey, usability and workflow designEngineering - Solution feasibility, rollout readiness, operational feedback and enhancements