Director of Operations Excellence

Einstein Bros Bagels•Denver, CO

22h•$180,000 - $200,000

About The Position

The Director of Operations Excellence leads the strategy, team, and discipline that help bakery teams focus on guests and deliver strong results. The role owns Bagel Brands’ enterprise operations engineering agenda: assessing how work is done, designing improved ways of working, and building the team that tests, scales, and sustains change across Field Operations and Support Center teams. The Director aligns this work with the company’s mission, vision, and values to create simpler, more consistent operations. The Director sets the multi-year Operations Excellence roadmap; oversees process engineering and continuous improvement; establishes standards for process design and operational pilots; and owns labor and inventory systems optimization. The role leads cross-functional initiatives from problem identification through sustainment, develops structured change management practices, and maintains visibility into portfolio progress, risks, and business impact. The position builds and develops an Operations Excellence team, maintains a regular presence in bakeries, and partners with Field Operations and support functions to test solutions and scale successful practices. It also owns the measurement framework for operational improvements and delivers data-driven recommendations and updates to senior Operations leadership. The role requires regular travel to bakery locations across multiple regions.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in restaurant operations, operations excellence, continuous improvement, or a related discipline.
3+ years of experience directly leading and developing a team.
Track record of leading enterprise-scale, cross-functional projects with measurable business impact.
Strong strategic, analytical, and structured problem-solving skills.
Strong portfolio and project management skills, including the ability to manage senior stakeholders and budgets.
Demonstrated ability to influence and drive change at the senior leadership level without direct authority.
Excellent executive presentation skills.
Ability to travel regularly to bakery locations.
Bachelor’s degree required, or equivalent experience as described in the preferred qualifications.
Ability to sit, use a computer, participate in meetings for extended periods, and stand, walk, observe, bend, lift, and move intermittently during working hours; these requirements may be met with or without reasonable accommodation.

Nice To Haves

Direct restaurant or multi-unit operations leadership experience.
Advanced experience applying Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, DMAIC, or comparable methodologies.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, PMP, Prosci Change Management, or comparable certification.
Experience within QSR, fast casual, retail, or another high-volume, multi-unit consumer environment.
Master’s degree (MBA or related), or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

Set the multi-year vision and roadmap for Operations Excellence, aligning priorities with enterprise strategy and Field Operations needs.
Build and prioritize a portfolio of process engineering and continuous improvement initiatives across the bakery system.
Represent Operations Excellence in senior leadership and strategic planning forums, translating field findings into enterprise decisions.
Oversee evaluation of bakery processes, workflows, and systems to simplify work, optimize labor investments, reduce waste, and strengthen performance.
Guide the application of Lean, Six Sigma, process mapping, and root-cause analysis across concurrent initiatives.
Own standards for future-state process design, balancing efficiency, guest and team member experience, and financial impact.
Ensure the team produces process maps, standard work, and tools that translate solutions into repeatable bakery practices at scale.
Set standards for designing and governing operational pilots before broader rollout.
Review pilot results with senior leadership and recommend whether to scale, refine, or discontinue initiatives.
Sponsor root-cause analysis on significant recurring challenges and ensure solutions are sustainable.
Optimize labor and inventory systems through review of program enhancements, performance opportunities, and partnerships with IT, Finance, and program owners.
Create and maintain regular reporting for Operations teams that highlights improvement opportunities.
Own cross-functional operational excellence initiatives from problem identification through sustainment.
Establish the organization’s structured change management approach and ensure consistent application.
Maintain enterprise-level visibility into portfolio progress, risks, and business impact.
Build, lead, and develop a team of Operations Excellence managers and professionals.
Coach the team in problem solving, project management, and change leadership, building bench strength for future roles.
Maintain regular presence in bakeries and partner with Field Operations leaders to test and validate solutions.
Identify successful practices in the bakery system and lead efforts to standardize and scale them.
Partner with Training, Technology, Marketing, Culinary/R&D, Supply Chain, Finance, and Development to evaluate enterprise initiative impacts.
Represent Operations in cross-functional and executive-level project governance.
Own the measurement framework used to demonstrate whether operational improvements deliver results.
Deliver clear, data-driven recommendations and portfolio updates to senior Operations leadership.
Travel regularly to bakery locations and observe operations on-site.