Vice President of IT #11520

Vice President of IT

Duration: 6 months+ contract (possible contract for hire)

Schedule:

Hybrid (Dallas preferred or Tennessee)

The Client is seeking a hands-on Vice President of Information Technology to lead the company's restaurant technology organization. This executive will provide strategic leadership while remaining actively involved in technical planning, architecture, operational decision-making, and complex problem solving across the enterprise. The ideal candidate will have extensive restaurant technology experience, a deep understanding of restaurant operations, and the ability to lead both people and technology initiatives in a fast-paced environment.

This individual will oversee a team of 5-6 direct reports and will be responsible for the strategy, architecture, support, and integration of all restaurant technology systems. The VP will play a key leadership role in the ongoing rollout of the Toast POS platform while ensuring the stability and modernization of a complex legacy environment. Success in this role requires someone who can confidently lead executive meetings, Board discussions, vendor negotiations, and technical teams while remaining close enough to the technology to understand system architecture, integrations, and operational challenges without being a deep-dive engineer.

• 10+ years of progressive IT leadership experience within the restaurant industry.
• Proven experience leading technology organizations supporting multi-unit restaurant operations.
• Strong knowledge of restaurant technology ecosystems, including POS, back-office systems, Kitchen Display Systems (KDS), online ordering platforms, restaurant hardware, and operational technologies.
• Experience leading or supporting enterprise POS implementations, preferable Toast POS.
• Strong understanding of restaurant operations and how technology supports front-of-house and back-of-house functions.
• Working knowledge of enterprise technology domains including Finance, HR, POS, Network Infrastructure, Security, Inventory Management, and restaurant operations, with the ability to understand how these systems integrate and support the business.
• Solid understanding of enterprise architecture and system integrations across multiple business platforms.
• Experience supporting and modernizing legacy technology environments.
• Hands-on technical leadership with the ability to participate in architecture discussions, troubleshoot complex issues, and guide technical teams without being the primary engineer.
• Experience with enterprise applications and technologies
• Proven ability to lead executive-level meetings, facilitate technical discussions, and communicate effectively with business and technical stakeholders.
• Strong leadership, coaching, mentoring, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Experience negotiating vendor agreements and technology contracts.
• Experience working within small to mid-sized organizations where technology leaders wear multiple hats and remain closely connected to daily operations.
• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, or a related field preferred.

• Lead the overall technology strategy, architecture, and day-to-day operations for the restaurant technology organization.
• Manage and mentor a team of 5-6 direct reports, fostering a collaborative and accountable IT organization.
• Provide leadership across all enterprise technology functions, including Restaurant Systems, POS, Finance Systems, HR Systems, Network Infrastructure, Security, and related enterprise applications.
• Lead the enterprise rollout of the Toast POS platform across restaurant locations.
• Oversee the support, reliability, and continuous improvement of restaurant technology systems, including POS, Kitchen Display Systems (KDS), online ordering, AI ordering platforms, and back-office applications.
• Ensure seamless integration between restaurant systems, financial applications, HR systems, network infrastructure, security platforms, inventory management, and other enterprise technologies.
• Maintain and modernize legacy systems while minimizing operational disruption and ensuring business continuity.
• Understand the overall architecture of interconnected systems and how data and transactions flow throughout the restaurant environment.
• Partner closely with Restaurant Operations, Finance, HR, and executive leadership to align technology initiatives with business objectives.
• Lead technical meetings, executive presentations, Board updates, and vendor discussions.
• Provide leadership during production issues by coordinating teams, identifying root causes, and driving timely resolution.
• Oversee technology vendors, negotiate contracts, and manage strategic technology partnerships.
• Coach and mentor technical leaders while promoting operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Drive technology reporting, operational metrics, and strategic planning initiatives.

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