Senior Director of Operations

Senior Director of Operations

Role Purpose

To implement company vision through excellent execution of operations within each of approximately 7 restaurants in the market by developing high performance teams resulting in ongoing sales and profit growth. To ensure all aspects of unit operations (i.e., finance, legal, marketing, human resources, real estate and construction, and new store openings) meet TGI Friday's (TGIF) standards. To select, coach and develop diverse and effective restaurant management teams to deliver results. To participate as a member of the Division Leadership Team.

Key Responsibilities & Major Accountabilities

• Translates company vision and operational initiatives successfully to restaurant management teams to drive operational effectiveness, the guest experience, service quality and strong financial results.
• Encourages and instills a 4-wall mentality among the restaurant management teams resulting in increasing guest counts.
• Evaluates performance fairly and frequently and holds teams accountable to results.
• Determines current and future staffing needs in the area to ensure an adequate number of talented managers are available in the pipeline to sustain growth. Makes strategic hiring decisions to ensure the right people are in the right positions.
• Selects, develops and coaches high performing General Managers resulting in strong bench strength.
• Provides tools and coaching to the General Managers to build the skills of their managers and team members.
• Provides honest feedback at all levels to improve results.
• Ensures that units follow all local, regional, and national laws and have all the required documentation and paperwork.
• Coordinates new store openings, partnering with TGI Fridays cross-functional team to ensure a trained management team is in place, timely selection of team members and new store opening trainers.
• Manages individual annual overhead budget

Key Decisions

Makes:

• Restaurant manager hiring, team member promotions and internal transfers
• Manager terminations
• Employee relations issues in conjunction with Employee Relations department and SDT
• GM wage increases, in conjunction with Human Resources
• Guest relations issues in conjunction with General Manager

Influences:

• General Manager terminations
• 4- wall marketing initiatives
• Work with each GM to devise annual budget and sales projections

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree preferred.
• Three plus years of multi-unit management experience required, preferably in a full-menu restaurant with alcohol.
• Experience in legal, real estate, marketing and human resources areas of restaurant business is required.
• TGI Friday's management experience is preferred.
• Position requires travel 50% of the time.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

SELECTING TALENT:

• Effectively identifies and evaluates the talent within your teams and promotes selecting individuals that exhibit pride, passion and personality and building top performing teams
• Identifies ways to actively pursue, hire and retain top talent.
• Proactively manages "bench strength" for future needs and succession planning
• Thinks strategically when making hiring decisions to get the right people in the right positions
• Identifies great talent based on diverse backgrounds, skills, and abilities as well as common passion for the business
• Effectively identifies gaps in talent and assembles the right mix of people (internally or externally) on the team to complement individual and group strengths
• Utilizes and holds GMs accountable for utilizing selection tools and processes as guidelines to effectively assess and hire the right people for the team
• Knows who top performers are and takes the necessary steps to engage and retain them

FOR PERFORMANCE:

• Provides clear and pointed feedback to your team to direct, develop and challenge them to grow and succeed.
• Provides continuous guidance and direction to help team achieve goals
• Provides honest and upfront feedback that is specific, timely and action-oriented
• Uses relentless follow-up as a method of consistently encouraging and reinforcing effective performance
• Critically evaluates managers' unique developmental needs and builds plans to maximize strengths and improve weak areas.
• Identifies what managers are doing well and provides positive reinforcement
• Taps into a variety of resources (personal experiences, examples from effective managers, results in other regions) to provide additional learning to the team
• Delegates projects and stretch assignments to Managers in order to help them learn new skills that can prepare them for the next level

INSPIRES OTHERS:

• Sets the example for the team by living the TGI Friday's credo and values; effectively influences and motivates them to reach goals
• Acts with integrity in all business and personal dealings; demonstrates consistency in words and actions
• Demonstrates genuineness, openness, and approachability and consistently treats all team members and guests with dignity and respect
• Effectively manages stress level during difficult situations
• Demonstrates the ability to understand and adjust leadership style to fit others' needs
• Rallies and harnesses the energy within the restaurant when visiting by being present, upbeat and engaged
• Frequently and genuinely acknowledges, champions and rewards strong performance

DIRECTION AND SPEARHEADING CHANGE:

• Paints the vision so that your team knows what is expected; leads change in order to drive results
• Responds quickly to changing needs and adapts goals as necessary to meet new challenges
• Outlines a clear vision by communicating the company's short and long term goals and desired results
• Defines the "end destination" and provides GMs with ground rules to get there
• Makes a compelling case for change to show the positive impact on individual and business growth
• Ensures that changes are fully integrated into operations and sustained over time
• Perseveres through resistance to change with positive influence and firm accountability
• Able to operate effectively within ambiguity; comfortable steering the team through an uncertain or dynamic environment

COMMUNICATION:

• Keeps everyone on the same page through frequent information sharing and open dialogue
• Creates open dialogue within the team that results in greater clarity and understanding of goals and expectations
• Demonstrates effective listening by being available to team members and responding to needs and concerns
• Communicates the "why" behind important goals and initiatives to gain buy-in
• Effectively zeroes in on what is most important and filters information to the team to keep the team focused
• Follows up on communication frequently to ensure critical issues are top of mind and action items are completed
• Effectively utilizes a variety of modes of communication (email, phone, one-on-one) and tailors style to best fit the needs of the person and the situation

EXECUTION:

• Sets performance standards and follows up relentlessly to ensure accountability for top quality results.
• Ensures 100% compliance with standard operating procedures
• Sets high standards and always looks to raise the bar
• Promotes disciplined execution by consistently communicating expectations and measuring results
• Delegates and follows up consistently in order to hold managers accountable
• Confronts sub-par performance directly and holds people accountable for making improvements
• Motivates unit managers to maintain high performance standards with their direct reports
• Utilizes a variety of measures (turnover, profit/loss, guest and employee satisfaction) to identify problems and focus team efforts on getting the best results

FOR THE GUEST:

• Ensures that every action and decision leads to an exceptional guest experience
• Models exemplary hospitality when in each restaurant by demonstrating excitement and enthusiasm when engaging with the guest
• Continuously focuses the team's efforts and attention on the guest
• Encourages Managers to focus on retaining guests for repeat visits
• Effectively balances guest needs with TGI Friday's business needs
• Uses rewards and recognition to emphasize excellence in guest service
• Utilizes unit performance data and guest feedback to help restaurants improve the guest experience
• Follows up to ensure that guest issues and complaints are addressed and resolved promptly

THE BUSINESS:

• Digs in to analyze business results; understand the "big picture" and know what drives your business and profitability
• Utilizes appropriate tools and reports to identify opportunities for units to increase sales and profits
• Constantly seeks ways to gain an advantage in a competitive marketplace
• Identifies new opportunities to grow the business and maximize operational results
• Understands the competition, industry, and economy and recognizes where their operations stand in comparison
• Identifies what is working and what is not within each unit and generates ideas to make improvements
• Ensures managers are making decisions that make good "business sense"
• Helps GMs identify areas of focus within their restaurants and ensures 100% alignment with company goals and initiatives

MAKING & PROBLEM SOLVING:

• Thinks problems through, acts with urgency and always keeps the best interests of the brand at heart when making decisions
• Able to digest information quickly, boil it down, and identify relevant issues
• Finds root causes in order to develop workable solutions to problems
• Draws important connections and consider both short and long-term implications of decisions
• Right or wrong - shows the willingness to make the call and accept responsibility for decisions and results
• Thinks problems through from all sides yet still acts with a sense of urgency to move situations forward
• Offers practical perspectives to GMs and empowers them to make their own decisions
• Works with managers to identify obstacles and develop appropriate contingency plans