Director, Operations

The Director of Operations owns the operational performance of Abby's Legendary Pizza's 37 company-owned parlors across Oregon and Central Washington. Reporting directly to the President, this leader owns the four-wall P&L of every parlor: food and paper cost, labor cost, ticket averages, comp and void discipline, food safety, brand standards, and the guest experience that has defined Abby's since 1964. Through 6 district-level leaders (5 District Managers and a Market Coach) and the 37 General Managers with their Associate Manager and Assistant Manager teams, the Director translates brand strategy into consistent, in-store execution while protecting the legacy of "Toppings to the Edge" and 100% real mozzarella. Header facts Base salary: $135K – $185K Target bonus: 50% of base Travel: ~50–60% Reports to: President What You'll Do Own the four-wall P&L across all 37 parlors — food and paper cost, labor, prime cost, ticket average, comp and void discipline — and drive same-store sales growth through local-store marketing, LTO execution, and upsell discipline. Lead, coach, and hold accountable 6 district-level leaders (5 District Managers and 1 Market Coach) and, through them, 37 General Managers; rebalance district portfolios as new parlors open. Build the next generation of General Managers, Associate Managers, and Assistant Managers through structured development, in-parlor shadowing, and succession planning. Set and cascade the operating rhythm: pre-shift huddles, weekly one-on-ones with each district leader, monthly regional reviews, and quarterly company-wide scorecard reviews. Partner with Finance on budgeting, forecasting, and capital deployment, and with Marketing on menu engineering, pricing strategy, and LTO rollouts. Own guest-experience metrics — speed of service, order accuracy, online review scores, Net Promoter — across dine-in, carry-out, direct online ordering, and third-party delivery. Champion food safety and compliance: ServSafe certification at all 37 parlors, HACCP-aligned line checks, clean health inspections in both states, OSHA and wage-and-hour compliance, and documented corrective action on every incident. Partner with Real Estate and Facilities on new-parlor openings, remodels, and refreshes, and with Technology on POS, online ordering, loyalty, KDS, scheduling, and inventory tools. What You Bring Required 8–12+ years of multi-unit restaurant operations experience, including 3–5 years leading District/Regional Managers (or equivalent) responsible for 25+ company-owned parlors. Verifiable track record of owning four-wall P&L at scale and improving food cost, labor cost, and prime-cost KPIs in pizza, casual dining, or comparable QSR/casual restaurant environment. Demonstrated success opening new company-owned parlors and/or shepherding remodels. Strong working knowledge of ServSafe, HACCP-style daily line checks, and state/county health-department inspection processes. Willingness and ability to travel 50–60% across Oregon and Central Washington; valid driver's license; ability to work evenings and weekends aligned with restaurant operating hours. Preferred Prior experience operating company-owned restaurant portfolios — direct accountability for staffing and P&L at the store level. Direct experience with pizza, Italian casual dining, or scratch-kitchen concepts. Proven success managing both dine-in and third-party delivery channel economics (DoorDash, Uber Eats). Familiarity with restaurant POS systems and modern scheduling/inventory platforms. Experience working across more than one U.S. state with different labor and health regulations (Oregon and Washington preferred). Core Attributes & Leadership Traits This is an enterprise leadership role first. These attributes describe how we expect the Director of Operations to think, lead, and operate across the business: Enterprise Mindset — Thinks about what is best for the brand and company, not one district or parlor; understands how Operations connects to Marketing, HR, Finance, IT, Training, Development, and Supply Chain. Strategic-to-Operational Translator — Turns company strategy into clear field priorities, standards, routines, and measurable results across 37+ parlors. Results & Financial Acumen — Owns sales, traffic, labor, food cost, controllables, and EBITDA; reads a P&L and knows which operational levers drive profitability. Leader of Leaders — Develops and holds District Managers accountable to lead GMs effectively, rather than becoming the person everyone depends upon. High Accountability / High Support — Sets clear expectations, follows up relentlessly, addresses underperformance quickly, and still develops the leaders around them. Systems & Process Orientation — Builds repeatable operating systems instead of relying on heroic individual effort; looks for simplification, consistency, and scale. Change Leadership — Moves Abby’s toward a more disciplined operating model without losing the culture and heritage that make it special. Cross-Functional Influence — Operates as a true member of the executive leadership team — not the head of a silo. Customer & Brand Obsessed — Protects Legendary Pizza and Legendary Hospitality; treats real cheese, toppings to the edge, and freshly rolled dough as working standards, not slogans. Talent Builder — Creates succession depth at DM, GM, and assistant-manager levels; promotes from within and handles under-performance decisively. Data-Driven, Field-Grounded — Uses scorecards and KPIs to find problems, then gets into parlors — pre-shift, peak line, tasting the product — to validate what the numbers are saying. Decisive & Courageous — Makes difficult calls on people, standards, structure, and resources; stays steady in a crisis and owns the next step. Communication & Presence — Communicates credibly from the Board level all the way to a cook, driver, or cashier. Ownership Mentality — Treats Abby’s resources and results as their own business; doesn’t explain away misses, owns them and builds the recovery plan. Multi-State Operator — Comfortable navigating Oregon and Washington labor law, wage rules, predictive scheduling, and differing health-code enforcement styles. Success Metrics — First 12–18 Months Four-wall EBITDA across the 37-parlor portfolio meets or exceeds annual plan. Portfolio food cost % and labor cost % at or below target; prime cost in the targeted band — achieved consistently across all 6 district portfolios. Same-store sales growth positive and accelerating across the trailing twelve months. Health-department inspection scores at or above target at every parlor; zero critical violations. DM, Market Coach, GM, Associate Manager, and Assistant Manager turnover below industry benchmark; identifiable internal pipeline at every level. New-parlor openings hit 30/60/90-day sales and profitability targets. Guest‑experience scores (online reviews, internal guest-comment tracking) trending upward quarter over quarter across all 37 parlors. Compensation & Benefits Base salary: $135,000 – $185,000, with a target annual bonus of 50% of base. Health benefits: Medical, dental, vision coverage; life and long‑term disability Retirement: 401(k), with company match. Time off & perks: Paid time off, company vehicle, phone stipend. Working Conditions & ADA Field-heavy role. Ability to be on the road 50–60% of the time visiting the 37 parlors across the 6 district portfolios; ability to stand for extended periods during restaurant visits; ability to lift up to 30 lbs (e.g., food and supply deliveries in support of operational reviews); willingness to work evenings and weekends aligned with restaurant operating hours; ability to respond to operational emergencies outside of normal business hours. Abby's Pizza is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, Oregon, Washington, or local law. This job description is not a contract of employment; duties and expectations may evolve as the business grows. #J-18808-Ljbffr