Director Of Information Technology

7 Leaves Cafe•Huntington Beach, CA

About The Position

The Director of Information Technology owns the strategy, people, reliability, security, and continuous improvement of the technology ecosystem supporting 7 Leaves Cafe’s 35+ locations and planned growth. This is a hands-on leadership role in a lean, disciplined operating environment, with a central emphasis on developing people. The Director will coach and grow a small technical team, build bench strength and documented knowledge, and establish how technology supports cafes, guests, and company growth. The role oversees cafe technology and reliability, including store networks, connectivity, POS hardware, payment devices, and support operations across 40+ cafes. It owns the business and technical health of the Square ecosystem, including POS, payments, loyalty, menus, pricing, and permissions, and partners with Marketing and Finance on digital guest experiences, settlement, reporting, and integrations. The Director runs a risk-based cybersecurity program and maintains PCI DSS and California privacy compliance, incident response, disaster recovery, and executive communications during material events. The role also ensures technology readiness for new stores, remodels, and rollouts; establishes and leads a governed AI and automation program; and manages the technology roadmap, vendors, contracts, and operating and capital budgets.

Requirements

At least 8 years of progressive IT experience, including at least 3 years directly leading and developing people.
Experience supporting distributed, multi-unit retail, restaurant, or hospitality operations.
Working knowledge of POS and payments, store networking, endpoint and identity management, cloud applications, and cybersecurity fundamentals.
Experience leading new location openings, system rollouts, integrations, and incident response.
Experience managing budgets, vendors, managed service providers, and technology contracts.
Ability to clearly communicate technical risks and options to executives and non-technical operators.
Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
Valid driver's license and ability to travel to cafes, including occasional early mornings, evenings, or weekends.

Nice To Haves

Square platform experience or experience with comparable QSR/cafe ecosystems.
Experience with restaurant loyalty, mobile app, and digital ordering platforms.
Experience with PCI DSS, California privacy, disaster recovery, and cyber insurance.
Experience scaling technology in a growing brand of 25 to 100+ locations within lean, cost-disciplined operators.
Relevant certifications such as ITIL, PMP, CISSP, or CISM.
Practical experience with data platforms, APIs, and governed AI adoption.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and hold the IT team accountable through clear roles, development plans, weekly operating rhythms, and performance conversations.
Build team redundancy and a documented knowledge base so critical knowledge does not depend on one person.
Own store networks, connectivity, POS hardware, payment devices, and the support model for cafes during operating hours.
Set monitoring, escalation, and service-level standards, and use ticket data to address root causes.
Own the business and technical health of the Square ecosystem, including POS, payments, loyalty, menus, pricing, and permissions.
Partner with Marketing on the mobile app, loyalty, and digital ordering, and with Finance on settlement, reporting, and system integrations.
Run a risk-based security program covering identity and access, multifactor authentication, endpoint and device management, and timely access removal.
Maintain PCI DSS and California privacy compliance; own incident response, disaster recovery, and executive communication during material events.
Deliver technology readiness for each new store opening, remodel, and rollout using repeatable checklists, testing, and cutover plans.
Establish and lead a governed AI and automation program targeting 5 to 10 hours saved per employee per week.
Establish ownership for data quality and integrations, and promote responsible, secure use of AI tools across the company.
Maintain a practical technology roadmap aligned with growth and profitability, and advise executives on risk, tradeoffs, and return in business terms.
Own vendor contracts, negotiations, and performance, and build and manage IT operating and capital budgets with visible cost discipline.