Director of Information Technology

Location: Irving, Texas (on-site)

Employment type: Full-time

About the role

Pei Wei is seeking a hands-on Director of Information Technology to support technology operations across Pei Wei, Pei Wei Express, Pick Up Stix, and Leeann Chin, a portfolio of approximately 215 locations. The Director works directly across restaurant and enterprise systems, service needs, platform improvements, vendors, and business partners. When operational demands permit, the Director also advances technology strategy, roadmaps, and longer-term planning.

The Director leads a lean technology organization serving domestic operations and a globally distributed workforce. The Technology Manager reports to this role and coordinates operational priorities and escalations; the Director remains actively engaged in hands-on work, drawing on specialists' deeper expertise in particular systems.

The environment combines shared services with brand-specific POS, ordering, loyalty, and payment platforms--for example, the current inventory lists Xenial for Pei Wei Express and NCR Aloha for Pei Wei and Pick Up Stix. Portfolio work spans restaurant, digital, infrastructure, and enterprise systems; platforms and project status evolve.

What you'll do

* Work directly on operational and technical needs across the portfolio, including service issues, platform configuration, troubleshooting, remediation, and follow-through; draw on specialist expertise where appropriate.

* Set service and coverage objectives with the Technology Manager, who coordinates daily service delivery and is the team's operational escalation point. Stay engaged in service issues and major incidents as needed; improve tiered schedules, backups, handoffs, and service across time zones.

* Lead measurable improvement of platform configuration, asset and configuration-item lifecycle, ownership, and documentation. Personally contribute to the work and improve Freshservice workflows, data quality, and adoption.

* Guide technology across all four brands, balancing fit-for-purpose POS, back-office, digital commerce, loyalty, payments, and guest platforms with shared enterprise services where they add value.

* Set direction for enterprise infrastructure, data and analytics, cybersecurity, compliance, payment controls, audit, and business continuity; ensure accountable owners deliver.

* Coordinate technology readiness for openings, remodels, relocations, and conversions, supporting execution and dependable operational handoff.

* Manage vendor relationships and current technology investments. When operational demands permit, advance longer-term strategy, roadmaps, standards, budgets, and business cases; advise executives on risks, trade-offs, and investment choices.

* Lead and develop the technology organization, including the Technology Manager, and work directly with restaurant operations and business functions to resolve needs.

* Govern cross-functional programs and material changes by clarifying outcomes, ownership, dependencies, decisions, validation, communication, and follow-through.

* Be an AI power user and advocate: use AI in practical workflows, promote responsible adoption, and pursue measurable business and operational improvements. This is not an AI engineering role.

What you'll bring Required

* Senior technology leadership across business-facing systems and enterprise infrastructure, preferably in multi-unit restaurant, hospitality, retail, or similarly distributed operations.

* Ability to develop technology strategy, roadmaps, investment choices, and executive decisions while maintaining hands-on operational contribution.

* Experience balancing shared standards with distinct brand or operating-unit needs across a varied technology portfolio.

* Experience leading distributed teams or partners and governing tiered support, coverage schedules, escalation paths, backups, and time-zone handoffs.

* Demonstrated improvement of technology platforms or service management through prioritized remediation, sound configuration, lifecycle controls, reliable records, and sustained adoption.

* Experience with technology budgets, investment cases, vendors, contracts, and service accountability.

* Sound judgment across cybersecurity, compliance, payments, operational risk, and service reliability.

* Self-directed in changing, ambiguous situations; turns incomplete inputs into clear decisions, ownership, and actionable plans.

* Practical, responsible use of AI tools and advocacy for adoption that improves business or operational workflows; AI engineering is not required.

* Clear communication and ability to work hands-on across technical and operational needs while drawing on specialist expertise where appropriate.

Preferred

* Familiarity with restaurant platforms such as NCR Aloha/NBO, online ordering, loyalty, payments, menu management, and marketplace integrations.

* Familiarity with Microsoft 365, identity and endpoint management, cloud, networking, SQL, Power BI, or related enterprise platforms.

* Experience with PCI, security audits, continuity planning, restaurant development, or managed service providers.

Success in this role

* Executives have clear visibility into technology priorities, risks, investments, and decisions; the portfolio is governed against business outcomes. * Each brand has supportable technology suited to its operating model, with shared solutions used where they add value.

* Platforms, Freshservice workflows, asset/configuration records, and lifecycle ownership become more reliable and consistently maintained. * Support coverage, escalations, backups, and time-zone handoffs are clear and workable; service risks and gaps are addressed.

* Cross-functional changes and restaurant launches have accountable owners, appropriate validation, and dependable operational handoff.

* Vendors deliver against commitments, investments show business value, and responsible AI use produces measurable business or operational improvement.