Director Restaurant Technology; QSR​/FOH​/BOH​/Menu Pricing

Director of Restaurant Technology (QSR / FOH / BOH / Menu Pricing) Details

• Location: Remote
• Position Type: Direct-Hire
• Compensation: up to $225K+ base + 25% bonus + annual RSU equity grants
• Travel: ~25% travel (1-week monthly / potentially more depending on planning and design sessions)
• Travel Expectations: ongoing beyond ramp-up (more frequent than once per quarter) for key planning sessions, design workshops, and strategic initiatives over the next 2–3 years

Vaco is currently seeking a Director of Restaurant Technology for a Direct-Hire opportunity that is remote with 25% travel to San Diego. The Director will immediately step into a high‑visibility role providing both visionary strategic leadership and hands‑on operational management of the entire restaurant technology stack across all corporate and franchised locations. The Director will have direct oversight over three key strategic leaders and ~5‑10+ indirect reports (Systems Analysts / BOH Systems Engineers / POS Data Systems Admins).

• Solution Architecture / Design – Designing complex engineering solutions covering end‑to‑end integration, platform architecture, scalability, availability, performance, reliability, stability, and administration.
• Architecture Documentation / Planning – Documenting designs (topologies, hardware specifications, server configs, capacity planning, availability, performance, operational metrics, network and client impacts).
• Requirements Analysis / Solutioning – Assessing customer requirements, analyzing business events/data architecture, evaluating solutions, determining optimal technical approach.
• Strategic Technology Alignment – Partnering with Technology / Operations Leadership to identify and deliver optimal restaurant technology solutions.
• Risk Management / Mitigation – Assessing system risks, recommending mitigation strategies, ensuring stability and security.
• Process Optimization / Future Planning – Re‑engineering and maintaining processes to improve efficiency with a 3‑5 year future‑focused strategy minimizing impact to corporate / restaurant teams.
• Domain Expertise / Systems Ownership – SME for Front‑of‑House (FOH) systems (architecture, features, integrations) and complementary platforms.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration – Working closely with Operations, Marketing, Finance to design and deliver solutions that meet and exceed business requirements.
• Vendor / Integration Management – Collaborating with external vendors and internal teams to integrate programming, hardware, networking, operational requirements.
• Product Evaluation / Innovation – Participating in product reviews, testing, pilots with IT, business partners, and customers.
• Executive Partnership / Strategy – Partnering with executive leadership to define long‑term goals, strategies, and process improvements.
• Project Leadership / Delivery – Guiding technology initiatives from inception through implementation.
• People Leadership / Performance Management – Driving team and individual goal setting, performance monitoring, coaching, evaluation.
• Mentorship / Talent Development – Mentoring direct and indirect reports toward excellence and growth.
• Leadership Over 3 Teams – Overseeing FOH Hardware/Software, BOH Inventory/Labor Systems, and POS / Menu / Pricing Team; direct reports: 3; indirect reports: ~5‑10.
• Menu / Pricing Transformation (Top Priority) – Driving shift to a self‑service model with Syndigo; incorporating AI validation and automation to reduce errors and increase speed‑to‑market.
• FOH Stability – Maintaining current FOH foundation while overseeing POS configuration, KDS, kiosks, payments, and related hardware/software.
• BOH Strength – Supporting BOH systems including inventory and labor/timekeeping; familiarity with HARVEST (Harry) and R365 preferred.
• Strategic Roadmap / Future‑Proofing – Developing and executing a 2‑3 year re‑engineering plan with 3‑5 year forward‑looking mindset, covering architecture, integrations, scalability, risk assessment, vendor management, new technology evaluations, and pilots.

• Industry Experience / Leadership – Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) and/or Related Industry (9+ years) |…