Director, Engineering-Capacity & Labor

Who is Taco Bell?

Taco Bell was born and raised in California and has been around since 1962. We went from selling everyone's favorite Crunchy Tacos on the West Coast to a global brand with 8,200+ restaurants, 350 franchise organizations, that serve 42+ million fans each week around the globe. We're not only the largest Mexican-inspired quick service brand (QSR) in the world, we're also part of the biggest restaurant group in the world: Yum! Brands. 

Much of our fan love and authentic connection with our communities are rooted in being rebels with a cause. From ensuring we use high quality, sustainable ingredients to elevating restaurant technology in ways that hasn't been done before... we will continue to be inclusive, bold, challenge the status quo and push industryboundaries.  

We're a company that celebrates and advocates for different, has bold self-expression, strives for a better future, and brings the fun while we're at it. We fuel our culture with real people who bring unique experiences. We inspire and enable our teams and the world to Live Mas.

At Taco Bell, we're Cultural Rebels. Want to join in on the passion-fueled fun? Learn more about the career below. 

About the Job:

The Director, Engineering -Capacity & Laboris responsible for building and leading a team that together will unlock restaurant growth capacity and unleash a long-term labor savings strategy across the Taco Bell portfolio of restaurants - company and franchise. This leader will establish the strategy and processes to enable future capacity growth and tactics to free up labor, focus on service, and maximize productivity therefore enabling and operationalizing scalable menu innovation for the brand. The Director, Engineering Rapid Growth will report to the Vice President, Restaurant Evolution and lead a team of 6 industrial engineers, project and people managers and partner with senior leaders & executives across the organization.

The Day-to-Day:

• Identify, design, and develop end-to-end kitchen capacity and labor utilization strategy to streamline processes, create seamless restaurant execution, and enhance employee/customer experience while positively impacting margins and other business metrics.
• Drive cross functional collaboration and partnerships across Operations, Marketing, and Food Innovation Technology to enable and operationalize the long-term menu strategy & growth platforms.
• Enable Taco Bell to hit our ambitious target of improved peak transactional throughput across the entire restaurant system.
• Lead strategy to operationalize major menu innovation & future growth platforms including:
  • Define and evolve minimal operating guidelines for executing existing menu mix and transaction levels
  • Drive cross-functional partnerships to build creative solutions that deliver the most effective AND efficient solutions to challenges
  • Spearhead 3rd party initiative to build a dynamic capacity model for the system that proactively identifies & addresses operational constraints across customer access points, and back of house employee experience (on-the-line storage (dry, cold, hot), spacing and equipment utilization, and preparation & storage prior to the line, etc.)
• Establish partnerships for experimentation with internal and external stakeholders, including Operations leadership, franchise partners, etc., and develop technical platform mechanisms that free-up labor to focus on service and maximize productivity.
• Leverage balanced holistic thinking and integrated approaches with the ability to move fast to drive concrete operational and financial impact in-restaurant.

Is This You?

• MBA or master's degree in industrial engineering preferred.
• 10 + years minimum of leadership experience driving end-to end capacity and labor utilization or similar field.
• Proven track record of leading measurable productivity improvements and setting the operational foundation to enable growth.
• Experience in the restaurant or retail industry preferred.
• A minimum of 3+ years directly leading, engaging and inspiring a team - able to leverage the team's expert knowledge and integrate with new ways of working.
• Ability to quickly develop trust-based cross-functional partnerships and influence at various levels of an organization.
• Proven ability to multi-task and prioritize time in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment.

Work-Hard, Play-Hard:

• Hybrid work schedule and year-round flex day Friday
• Onsite childcare through Bright Horizons 
• Onsite dining center and game room (yes, there is a Taco Bell inside the building) 
• Onsite dry cleaning, laundry services, carwash, 
• Onsite gym with fitness classes and personal trainer sessions 
• Up to 4 weeks of vacation per year plus holidays and time off for volunteering 
• Tuition reimbursement and education benefits 
• Generous parental leave for all new parents and adoption assistance program 
• 401(k) with a 6% matching contribution fromYum! Brands with immediate vesting 
• Comprehensive medical & dental including prescription drug benefits and 100% preventive care
• Discounts, free food, swag and... honestly, too many good benefits to name 

Salary Range: $151,900 to $187,740 annually + bonus eligibility + equity (if applicable) + benefits

The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we'll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.

At Taco Bell, we Live Mas and invite you to do the same. Take a seat at our table. Bring your voice. Bring you, just as you are, a Cultural Rebel. We want you to be your best self! 

Taco Bell is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to equity, inclusion, and belonging for all dimensions of diversity.  We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other protected characteristic.

Taco Bell is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities or special needs.  

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Employment eligibility to work with Taco Bell in the U.S. is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for this position.

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