Senior Director, Restaurant Technology

Job Summary Responsible for the leadership and operational delivery of restaurant technology systems that enable efficient, high‑quality restaurant operations across Church’s Texas Chicken Corporate and Franchise locations. Provides senior‑level oversight of the full lifecycle of the restaurant’s point of sale (POS) platform and back of house (BOH) systems, including planning, upgrades, deployment, and ongoing support, while driving the adoption and performance of restaurant enhancement technologies and ensuring rigorous quality assurance across all store technology systems. Leads cross‑functional teams spanning product management, menu management and QA, and POS deployment, and manages relationships with key technology vendors to ensure service levels, contractual obligations, and delivery commitments are met. Oversees a product team responsible for defining product lifecycles, development requirements, feature roadmaps, and major system integrations across POS, BOH, and other in‑store technology platforms. Serves as the senior technology leader for restaurant‑facing systems including kitchen automation, self‑service kiosks, and mobile drive‑thru technologies, championing solutions that improve speed of service, order accuracy, and the overall guest experience. Brings deep, firsthand knowledge of restaurant operations and POS systems to every technology decision, serving as a credible bridge between technology capabilities and the realities of running high‑volume QSR or fast casual locations. Reports directly to the SVP of Technology and collaborates closely with Operations, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, and Franchise partners to align technology investments with business priorities. Manages a team of direct reports and oversees external vendors, consultants, and implementation partners to deliver against the restaurant technology roadmap. Key Duties & Responsibilities POS & Back of House Systems Leadership

• Lead the strategy, planning, and execution of upgrades and new deployments of the enterprise point of sale (POS) system across Corporate and Franchise restaurant locations.
• Oversee the ongoing support, maintenance, and performance monitoring of POS and BOH systems, ensuring high availability and minimal operational disruption across the restaurant portfolio.
• Manage the POS Deployment team, establishing deployment standards, timelines, and quality checkpoints for new installations and upgrades.
• Partner with Operations and Franchise teams to define requirements, validate solutions, and communicate change impacts ahead of system rollouts.
• Develop and maintain documentation for POS and BOH system configurations, integrations, and support procedures.
• Establish and track KPIs and SLAs for system uptime, incident resolution, and deployment success rates, reporting performance regularly to the SVP of Technology.

Product Team Supervision & Technology Product Management

• Lead and develop the restaurant technology product team, providing direction, mentorship, and performance management to product managers and product owners responsible for POS, BOH, and in‑store technology platforms.
• Oversee the definition and ongoing management of product lifecycles for all major restaurant technology systems, ensuring a clearly articulated roadmap covering current capabilities, planned enhancements, end‑of‑life timelines, and replacement strategies.
• Guide the product team in translating business requirements into well‑defined development needs, user stories, feature specifications, and acceptance criteria for vendor and internal development teams.
• Establish product governance standards and review cadences that ensure technology platform decisions are made with appropriate input from operations, franchise, technology, and vendor stakeholders before commitments are made.
• Partner with technology vendors on product roadmap alignment, ensuring vendor development priorities reflect operational needs and that upcoming platform changes are anticipated and planned for proactively.
• Track and communicate product team delivery performance, providing visibility into roadmap progress, feature delivery status, and integration milestones.

Menu Management

• Provide senior leadership and oversight of the Menu Management team responsible for maintaining accurate, consistent menu data across POS, digital, and BOH platforms.
• Ensure POS menu configurations align with online ordering menus managed through OLO and delivery service provider (DSP) platforms, eliminating pricing discrepancies, item availability mismatches, and modifier inconsistencies across all ordering channels.
• Oversee alignment of menu data with the company loyalty program, ensuring product definitions, offer structures, and pricing configurations are consistent across platforms.
• Establish governance standards and workflows for menu updates, LTO launches, pricing changes, and regional menu variations, ensuring changes are coordinated and deployed accurately across all channels simultaneously.
• Partner with Marketing, Operations, and Franchise teams to coordinate menu change calendars and minimize operational and guest experience risk during rollouts.

Store Technology Quality Assurance

• Provide oversight and direction for quality assurance activities across all store technology systems, ensuring POS builds, BOH configurations, menu deployments, and technology updates are thoroughly tested and validated before reaching production environments.
• Establish and govern QA standards, testing frameworks, and acceptance criteria for store technology deployments.
• Review QA performance metrics and post‑deployment audit results, identifying patterns of recurring defects or configuration errors and driving process improvements that reduce error rates and increase first‑time deployment accuracy.
• Ensure defect management and issue resolution workflows are well‑governed, with clear prioritization criteria, escalation paths, and resolution timelines that protect operational continuity and brand standards.

Restaurant Enhancement Technologies

• Lead the evaluation, deployment, and ongoing management of kitchen automation systems, self‑service kiosks, and mobile drive‑thru solutions.
• Define the roadmap for enhancement technologies, identifying and piloting solutions that drive operational efficiency and guest experience improvements in collaboration with the SVP of Technology.
• Oversee integration of enhancement technologies with core POS and BOH platforms to ensure seamless data flow and operational continuity.
• Manage the full lifecycle of enhancement technology projects from business case development through deployment, training, and post‑launch optimization.

Vendor Management

• Serve as the senior relationship owner for key restaurant technology vendors, including POS providers, BOH software vendors, OLO and DSP integration partners, and hardware suppliers.
• Lead contract negotiations, renewals, and procurement activities for restaurant technology systems, ensuring favorable terms and alignment with organizational standards.
• Establish and manage vendor performance frameworks, including SLA monitoring, quarterly business reviews, and escalation processes.
• Evaluate new and emerging vendors and technologies, conducting due diligence and proof‑of‑concept engagements to inform investment decisions.
• Collaborate with Finance and Legal teams to manage vendor contracts, budgets, and risk mitigation strategies.

Team Leadership & Organizational Development

• Directly manage and develop team members across the product team, menu management and QA function, and POS deployment team.
• Build a high‑performing restaurant technology organization by attracting, developing, and retaining talent with deep industry knowledge and strong technology product and delivery skills.
• Establish clear performance expectations, development plans, and succession strategies across the restaurant technology organization.
• Direct and coordinate external resources to deliver project objectives on time and within budget.
• Establish and manage annual budgets for restaurant technology operations, projects, and vendor spend; track expenditures and ensure efficient resource allocation.

Stakeholder Engagement & Governance

• Serve as the primary technology liaison for restaurant operations, presenting roadmaps, project status, and technology recommendations to the SVP of Technology, senior leadership, and Franchise partners.
• Develop and maintain a restaurant technology governance framework to ensure consistent standards, change control, and risk management across the portfolio.
• Facilitate cross‑functional steering sessions and working groups to align priorities and resolve conflicts across technology, operations, and franchise stakeholders.
• Communicate proactively with Corporate and Franchise partners on upcoming system changes, maintenance windows, and new capability rollouts.

Position Requirements (Education, Qualifications, Experience) Education • Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, Business, Hospitality Management, or a related field (or equivalent experience). Qualifications and Experience

• 7–10 years of progressive experience in restaurant or retail technology, with a demonstrated track record of leading technology delivery in a multi‑unit environment.
• Minimum of 5 years of direct restaurant industry experience, with strong knowledge of QSR or fast casual restaurant operations, including front‑of‑house and back‑of‑house workflows.
• Hands‑on experience with two or more restaurant POS systems such as NCR Aloha, PAR Brink, Qu POS, or equivalent platforms, including deployment, configuration, and upgrade management.
• Demonstrated experience managing POS menu configurations across multiple ordering channels, including OLO or equivalent platforms, delivery service provider (DSP) integrations, and loyalty program systems.
• Proven experience leading or supervising a technology product management function, including product lifecycle management, feature roadmap development, and major system integration planning.
• Proven experience leading POS platform upgrades and multi‑site technology deployments at a senior level.
• Experience with back‑of‑house systems, kitchen automation, self‑service kiosks, and/or drive‑thru technology platforms.
• Experience overseeing quality assurance activities for restaurant technology systems, including structured testing processes, defect management, and pre‑deployment validation.
• Experience managing vendor relationships, including contract negotiation, SLA oversight, and strategic performance management.
• Track record of leading and developing cross‑functional teams in a technology delivery environment.
• Experience managing technology budgets and capital projects in a multi‑unit restaurant or franchise environment.
• Direct front‑of‑house or back‑of‑house operational experience is strongly preferred.

Competencies People Leadership – Provides senior‑level guidance across a multi‑functional team spanning product management, menu systems, QA, and deployment. Restaurant Operations Credibility – Brings firsthand knowledge of restaurant operations to every technology decision. Product Vision & Oversight – Provides clear direction and governance to the restaurant technology product team. Critical Thinking – Defines and resolves complex operational and technology challenges by analyzing issues, weighing options, and evaluating alternatives. Influencing Others – Convincing stakeholders across operations, franchise, finance, and technology functions to align on priorities and investments. Initiative – Takes proactive action, identifies opportunities to advance the restaurant technology agenda. Managing Execution – Prioritizes across competing demands and delivers against roadmap commitments. Vendor & Partner Management – Builds and sustains productive relationships with technology vendors and implementation partners. Quality Orientation – Establishes and upholds high standards for technology deployment quality. Technical Acumen – Demonstrates deep knowledge of restaurant technology systems, including POS, BOH, kitchen automation, kiosk, drive‑thru, OLO, DSP integration, and loyalty platforms. Stakeholder Management – Effectively engages with stakeholders at all levels of the organization. Relationship Management – Initiates and develops strong trust‑based relationships with operations, franchise, vendor, and technology stakeholders. Physical Requirements Employees must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. Travel Up to 25% travel. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement Church’s Chicken is an equal employment opportunity employer and makes hiring and employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or any other factor prohibited by applicable law. #J-18808-Ljbffr Cajun Funding Corp