manager, innovation engineering
About The Position
This role will play a critical leadership position within the Continuous Improvement & Industrial Engineering team, which is responsible for designing and scaling physical store systems that improve the partner experience and unlock capacity across Starbucks' retail footprint. The team focuses on translating ideas into real-world solutions—from early concept through full-scale implementation—while continuously optimizing how stores operate. As a Manager, Continuous Improvement & Industrial Engineering, you will lead a team responsible for developing, scaling, and optimizing store systems, equipment, and operational processes. You will bridge strategy and execution—setting direction, aligning cross-functional partners, and ensuring the successful delivery of high-impact initiatives that improve store performance, partner experience, and customer outcomes. This is a highly cross-functional, fast-paced role where you will partner closely with operations, store development, equipment engineering, product teams, and data science to bring solutions to life and scale them effectively across thousands of stores.
Requirements
- 7+ years’ experience in mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, or related field
- 7+ years of project/program management experience
- Experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives from pilot to large-scale implementation
- Prior experience in retail, or store operations environments
- Experience leading and developing teams
- Strong leadership and team-building skills
- Strong data-driven mindset, with experience using analytics, modeling, and research to inform decisions
- Familiarity with engineering design and simulation tools (e.g., CAD, process modeling)
- Ability to solve complex problems and drive solutions to completion
- Proven ability to influence without authority in a matrixed organization
- Excellent communication and storytelling skills across executive and technical audiences
- Strong analytical and quantitative capabilities
- Ability to navigate ambiguity, prioritize effectively, and drive results
Responsibilities
- Lead and develop a high-performing team, providing coaching, clear expectations, and fostering an inclusive, collaborative environment that drives strong results
- Translate business priorities into actionable plans, structuring programs, resources, and timelines while removing barriers and driving execution against key outcomes
- Deliver and scale store solutions by applying industrial engineering principles, data, and modeling (including CAD and simulation) to improve capacity, efficiency, and the partner experience
- Drive cross-functional alignment and execution, connecting work across engineering, operations, and development teams, and ensuring ideas move effectively from concept through implementation
- Define and translate complex business needs into clear requirements, enabling teams to solve problems, navigate trade-offs, and progress high-impact initiatives
- Apply a data-driven, analytical mindset to identify opportunities, solve complex problems, and translate insights into scalable, real-world solutions
- Shape continuous improvement strategies, identifying patterns, constraints, and opportunities across the system to inform long-term innovation and productivity gains
Benefits
- medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, and other voluntary insurance benefits
- short-term and long-term disability
- paid parental leave
- family expansion reimbursement
- paid vacation from date of hire
- sick time (accrued at 1 hour for every 25 hours worked)
- eight paid holidays
- two personal days per year
- 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
- discounted company stock program (S.I.P.)
- Starbucks equity program (Bean Stock)
- incentivized emergency savings
- financial well-being tools
- 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program via the Starbucks College Achievement Plan
- student loan management resources
- access to other educational opportunities
- backup care
- DACA reimbursement
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
