Manager, Operations Innovation
Wingstop Restaurants
Manager, Operations Innovation
Wingstop Restaurants
Runs quick-service chicken wing restaurants
WHO WE ARE
We’re not in the wing business. We’re in the flavor business. It’s been our mission to Serve the World Flavor since we first opened in 1994, and we’re just getting started. 1997 saw the opening of our first brand partner operated Wingstop location, and by 2002 we had served the world one billion wings. It’s flavor that defines us and has made Wingstop one of the fastest growing brands in the restaurant industry.
Above all else – our success is largely due to our people and our core values, or what we call The Wingstop Way of being entrepreneurial, service-minded, fun, and authentic. We believe having a strong people foundation centered on these collective values creates a crave-worthy culture and talented team, as well as ensures our brand is poised for accelerated growth. We all win together.
WHAT WE’LL NEED
We are seeking a Manager, Ops Innovation to help define, test, and scale operational improvement initiatives across restaurants and markets. This role will partner with a highly cross-functional team to identify creative, practical solutions that improve speed of service, order accuracy, process design, operational efficiency, automation, and consistency across the brand.
This role partners cross-functionally within the organization, including domestic and international teams, particularly with Operations, Development, Procurement, Technology, and externally with third-party vendors. Clear communication and project planning are critical, as is a proactive, flexible, and detail-oriented style.
Support Operations teams on initiatives that improve growth, profitability, operational excellence, guest experience, quality, and restaurant execution.
Lead process analysis, R&D testing, and stress testing of new equipment, products, and operational solutions.
Evaluate equipment and process feasibility by assessing capacity, throughput, labor impact, space requirements, maintenance needs, food quality impact, cost/ROI, and ease of restaurant execution.
Design and execute structured tests of innovative solutions that improve efficiency across kitchens, dining rooms, order pickup, and delivery.
Support Growth Strategy initiatives through project planning, data analysis, capacity planning, throughput analysis, work measurement, and solution development.
Partner with cross-functional teams and third-party vendors to coordinate pilot testing, document learnings, and maintain clear visibility to test plans, timelines, risks, decisions needed, and recommendations.
Identify restaurant-level process improvement opportunities through engineering analysis, time and motion studies, bottleneck analysis, workstation design, and back-of-house flow evaluation.
Analyze restaurant practices and standard operating procedures to identify opportunities to improve speed, accuracy, labor efficiency, COGS, profitability, guest experience, and team member experience.
Drive process innovation and simplification across operational procedures, ensuring solutions are practical, scalable, and easy for restaurants to execute.
Translate test learnings into clear documentation, playbooks, process maps, SOP updates, training inputs, or rollout recommendations.
Support prioritization of the Ops Innovation pipeline by evaluating business impact, feasibility, urgency, operational complexity, and resource needs.
Support rollout readiness by identifying operational dependencies, training needs, communication requirements, risks, and support plans before broader deployment.
Gather restaurant and operator feedback during pilots to identify execution barriers, team member experience impacts, guest impacts, and scalability considerations.
What success looks like
Pilot tests are clearly scoped with KPIs, timelines, and decision criteria.
Operational innovations improve speed, throughput, accuracy, labor efficiency, or guest/team member experience.
Equipment and process changes are validated through structured testing before rollout.
Cross-functional partners have clear visibility to status, risks, and recommendations.
Restaurant-level solutions are practical, scalable, and easy to execute.
Learnings are documented and converted into standards, playbooks, frameworks, or rollout recommendations.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field preferred.
5+ years of experience in food & beverage, restaurant, operations, or process improvement environments.
Experience supporting or leading operational testing, pilots, or rollout initiatives.
Experience testing restaurant or manufacturing equipment and operational solutions.
Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple timelines, priorities, and initiatives simultaneously.
Strong analytical skills, including data analysis, process analysis, and cost-benefit analysis.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
Ability to communicate clearly across multiple functions and levels of the organization.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, highly cross-functional environment.
Ability to travel as needed, up to 20%.
Preferred Qualifications
Project management certification.
Experience with Power BI or similar reporting/analytics tools.
Experience with time studies, motion studies, bottleneck analysis, capacity planning, or throughput analysis.
Experience with restaurant design, workstation design, equipment capacity planning, or back-of-house flow.
WHO YOU ARE
No job is too small. You recognize that the real work happens in the restaurants, and everything we do should support their success. You stay humble, roll up your sleeves, and always look for ways to help. You learn from others and contribute wherever you can.
You care deeply about doing great work and driving results. You’re curious, ask questions, and seek out opportunities to improve. You don’t just point out problems—you bring solutions, ideas, and perspectives that move the team forward.
You take full responsibility for your work and see things through to completion. You aren’t afraid to fail because you know that failure is a part of learning and growth. You take action, move fast, and keep pushing forward.
You lead with empathy, respect, and emotional intelligence. You collaborate effectively, fostering a culture of trust and constructive feedback. You understand the importance of teamwork and ensure that your actions build others up rather than break them down.
You push yourself and others to be better. You embrace healthy conflict, knowing that great ideas and strong teams emerge from honest, constructive conversations. You believe that leaders create leaders and are committed to fostering a culture of growth, challenge, and continuous improvement.
BENEFITS
FLAVOR PERKS:
Unlimited paid time off for exempt employees
One paid volunteer day of your choice
Competitive bonus structure for eligible roles
Team member stock purchase plan
Health savings or flexible spending account options
401k – (dollar for dollar on the first 3% and then 50 cents on the dollar for the next 2% for team member contributions up to 5% of eligible compensation)
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
Basic life and AD&D insurance provided
Pet insurance
Education Assistance
Wellness reimbursement program
Paid maternity and paternity leave
FUN IS THE BEST FLAVOR:
Lunch provided every Tuesday and Thursday in office
Discount on Wingstop gift cards
Onsite game room
Wingstop provides equal opportunities for everyone that works for us and everyone that applies to join our team, without regard to sex or gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, any service, past, present, or future, in the uniformed services of the United States (military or veteran status), or any other consideration protected by federal, state, or local law.
Runs quick-service chicken wing restaurants
Wingstop operates and franchises quick-service restaurants for guests seeking cooked-to-order chicken meals. Its menu includes classic and boneless wings, tenders and chicken sandwiches, with signature sauces, fries, sides, ranch and bleu cheese dips. Guests order in person, for carryout or delivery; Wingstop provides franchise partners with restaurant technology and brand support. Most locations are franchisee-operated; Wingstop Inc. also runs a smaller group and earns revenue from royalties, franchise and development fees, advertising contributions and company-owned restaurant sales. Wingstop began with its first restaurant in Garland, Texas, in 1994 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
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