Director of Operations Excellence

Brand:
Bagel Brands

Bagel Brands is the parent company for your favorite breakfast brands, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Bruegger's Bagels, Noah's NY Bagels, and Manhattan Bagel. We believe in the bagel and how it has the unique ability to bring people together. Our team has a standard set of values and behaviors that allow us to spread a little more joy and happiness in the world.  They let us laugh, smile, and enjoy each other’s company a little more. These are the behaviors that guide how we work, how we treat each other, and how we treat our guests. We believe that there is no better way to make someone’s day than with a warm, fresh-baked bagel and a heart-felt good morning.

POSITION MISSION

The Director, Operations Excellence leads the strategy, team, and discipline that make it easier for our bakery teams to obsess over our guests and deliver great results every day. This role owns the enterprise operations engineering agenda for Bagel Brands — evaluating how work gets done, designing better ways of working, and building the team needed to test, scale, and sustain change across Field Operations and Support Center teams.

In alignment with Bagel Brands’ Mission, Vision, and Values, this role builds an organization that helps teams Take Ownership of better ways of working, Support Each Other through thoughtful change, and ultimately creates simpler, more consistent operations that allow bakery teams to Obsess Over Our Guests.

Department: Operations

Salary: $180,000 to $200,000

Annual Bonus: 20%

Long Term Incentive Plan: $30,000

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

Strategic Leadership & Vision

·       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.

Operations Excellence & Process Engineering

·       Oversee evaluation of bakery processes, workflows, and systems to simplify work, optimize labor investments, reduce waste, and strengthen performance.

·       Guide application of Lean, Six Sigma, process mapping, and root-cause analysis across a portfolio of concurrent initiatives.

·       Own the standard for future-state process design, balancing efficiency, guest experience, 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.

Testing, Piloting & Continuous Improvement

·       Set the standard for how the organization designs and governs operational pilots before broader rollout.

·       Review pilot results with senior leadership and make scale, refine, or discontinue recommendations.

·       Sponsor root-cause analysis on significant recurring challenges, ensuring solutions are sustainable rather than short-term fixes.

Labor and Inventory Analytics and Systems Optimization

·       Own labor and inventory system optimization through consistent review of program enhancements, labor/inventory performance opportunities, and cross-functional partnerships with IT, Finance, and program owners.

·       Create and maintain regular reporting for Ops teams that highlights opportunities for improvement

Project & Change Management

·       Own the portfolio of cross-functional operational excellence initiatives from problem identification through sustainment.

·       Set the organization’s approach to structured change management and ensure it is applied consistently.

·       Maintain enterprise-level visibility to portfolio progress, risks, and business impact.

Team & Field Leadership

·       Build, lead, and develop a team of Operations Excellence managers and professionals.

·       Coach the team on problem solving, project management, and change leadership, building bench strength for future roles.

·       Maintain regular presence in bakeries, partnering with Field Operations leaders to test and validate solutions.

·       Identify successful practices within the bakery system and lead efforts to standardize and scale them.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Measurement

·       Partner with Training, Technology, Marketing, Culinary/R&D, Supply Chain, Finance, and Development to evaluate the impact of enterprise initiatives.

·       Represent the Operations perspective in cross-functional and executive-level project governance.

·       Own the measurement framework used to demonstrate whether operational improvements are delivering results.

·       Deliver clear, data-driven recommendations and portfolio updates to senior Operations leadership.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES (DIRECTOR / SENIOR DIRECTOR)

- Effective Communication: Articulates vision and manages difficult conversations cross-functionally; communicates complex initiatives and navigates executive discussions.
- Accountability & Ownership: Owns budget and strategy and drives a culture of accountability; manages multi-team performance and champions data-driven decisions.
- Adaptability & Perseverance: Leads the department through major change and anticipates trends; drives change across functions and builds resilient teams.
- Empowerment: Creates space for innovation and mentors emerging leaders; designs structures for decentralized decision-making.
- Curiosity: Probes beyond surface issues and fosters a learning environment; benchmarks against top organizations and sponsors new ideas.
- Self-Awareness: Understands own leadership brand and exhibits humility; holds deep clarity on values and stays resilient under pressure.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

Required

·       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, with 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 and ability to travel regularly to bakery locations.

Preferred

·       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.

·       Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree (MBA or related) preferred, or equivalent experience.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

This position requires regular travel to bakery locations across multiple regions, including standing, walking, and observing operations on-site, as well as the ability to sit, use a computer, and participate in meetings for extended periods. These requirements may be met with or without reasonable accommodation.

The duties of this position may change from time to time. The Company reserves the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the Company or its managers. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed. It is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Bagel Brands is committed to providing equal employment opportunity, and fair treatment in employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender/gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, military status or any other basis in protected by applicable federal, state and local law. Bagel Brands makes employment decisions based solely on qualifications for the position.

**Ranges reflect what employer reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for such position.

Address: | 1720 S Bellaire St. Skybox , Denver, Colorado 80222 |

The physical demands for this position are sits, stands, bends, lifts, and moves intermittently during working hours. These physical requirements may be accomplished with or without reasonable accommodations.

The duties of this position may change from time to time. Bagel Brands reserves the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the company or its managers. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed. It is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Bagel Brands is committed to providing equal employment opportunity, and fair treatment in employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender/gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, military status or any other basis in protected by applicable federal, state and local law. Bagel Brands makes employment decisions based solely on qualifications for the position.