Role Summary:
The Director (Technology), International Brands is a strategic, business-facing technology leader responsible for aligning technology strategy, digital innovation, restaurant technology, and investments with international business priorities.
The role serves as the primary technology partner to International Business leadership, franchisees, and market operators, driving digital growth, operational efficiency, and scalable market expansion.
Operating in a matrixed organization, the Director provides strategic direction and execution oversight through cross-functional collaboration, a focused internal team, and strategic technology partners, without requiring direct ownership of all engineering and delivery functions.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Technology Strategy & Business Alignment
- Define and drive international technology strategy, roadmaps, and investment priorities aligned with business growth and operational objectives.
- Serve as a trusted technology advisor to executives, franchisees, and market leadership.
- Translate business opportunities into scalable technology solutions with measurable commercial value.
2. Digital Product & Restaurant Technology
- Provide strategic direction across digital commerce, mobile and web experiences, loyalty, payments, POS, kiosks, ordering, and restaurant technology ecosystems.
- Drive digital adoption, operational efficiency, and improved customer and franchisee experiences.
- Enable technology solutions that balance enterprise standards with local market requirements.
3. Architecture, Platforms & Innovation
- Guide technology architecture, modernization, engineering governance, and adoption of reusable enterprise capabilities.
- Partner with enterprise engineering, platforms, security, and product teams to ensure scalable, reliable, and secure solutions.
- Identify opportunities to leverage AI, automation, and emerging technologies to accelerate business outcomes.
4. International Market & Franchisee Enablement
- Partner with franchisees and market operators to understand business needs, technology maturity, and investment priorities.
- Support new market launches, restaurant expansion, and technology adoption through scalable standards and readiness frameworks.
- Strengthen alignment between enterprise technology capabilities and market-specific needs.
5. Technology Execution & Partner Management
- Drive execution of strategic technology initiatives through cross-functional leadership, governance, and clear accountability.
- Manage strategic technology vendors and delivery partners to ensure quality, performance, and business value.
- Optimize technology investments, reduce fragmentation, and improve speed to market.
6. Leadership & Collaboration
- Lead a focused technology team while influencing shared enterprise technology and delivery organizations.
- Build strong partnerships across Business, Product, Digital Engineering, Restaurant Technology, Operations, Security, and Finance.
- Foster accountability, innovation, and business-outcome-driven technology decisions.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Technology, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
- 10+ years of technology experience, including 5+ years in technology leadership or transformation.
- Experience in QSR, restaurant, retail, hospitality, or consumer-facing digital ecosystems.
- Strong understanding of digital commerce, restaurant technology, enterprise platforms, and modern architecture.
- Experience working with franchisees, international markets, strategic vendors, or complex partner ecosystems.
- Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and translate business strategy into actionable technology roadmaps.
- Strong commercial acumen, executive communication, and technology investment management skills.
Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,300 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC restaurants worldwide. We’re made up of some of the world’s most iconic restaurant brands, but we’re much more than just a restaurant company. We’re a team of hundreds of thousands who individually and collectively are changing the way people eat, drink, and gather around the table. We know that food is much more than a staple—it’s an experience. At Inspire, that’s our purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences.
