Director of Operational Excellence and Growth

Director of Operational Excellence and Growth

Department: Training

Reports to: CEO

Position Overview 

The Director of Operational Excellence & Growth is responsible for scaling operational excellence across the organization by leading new restaurant openings (NROs), field training programs, and operational systems that support the company’s rapid expansion.  This role partners closely with Operations, Culinary, People, and Finance leadership to ensure every new location launches successfully and every existing location operates with consistency, clarity, and high standards.

This leader oversees the Operations Excellence team, driving training and development, SOP creation and maintenance, operational support (prioritizing NRO’s), and continuous improvement initiatives across all restaurants. The role plays a critical part in translating brand standards into scalable systems that support both team member development and exceptional guest experiences.

As the company grows, this role will help build the operational playbook and training infrastructure required to support consistent performance across both new and existing restaurants

Key Responsibilities 

New Restaurant Openings (NROs) 

• Lead operational readiness and training execution for all new restaurant openings
• Lead and execute all New Restaurant Opening (NRO) training agendas and timelines
• Build and manage NRO training teams and deployment plans
• Partner with Operations, Culinary, People, and Finance teams to ensure operational readiness
• Develop and continuously improve NRO playbooks, including pre-opening preparation, training deployment, opening week execution and post-open stabilization, consistently openings across markets
• Evaluate NRO performance and identify opportunities for improvement Training & Development
• Design and lead scalable training programs for hourly team members and leadership
• Develop onboarding, leadership development, and skill-building initiatives
• Ensure training materials reflect operational standards, brand values, and guest experience expectations
• Implement tools and systems to measure training effectiveness and performance outcomes

Operational Excellence 

• Lead the Ops Excellence team, focused on operational support and continuous improvement (Ops Excellence and Ops Services)
• Identify operational inefficiencies and implement solutions that improve consistency, productivity, and restaurant performance
• Partner with Operations leadership to strengthen systems that support multi-unit growth
• Support rollout of new initiatives, menu updates, technology deployments, and operational process changes across restaurants
• Act as a bridge between field operations and the support center to continuously improve systems and processes

Qualifications 

• 10+ years of restaurant or hospitality leadership experience
• Experience leading field training, NROs, or multi-unit operational training
• Strong operational knowledge in high-volume, high-growth restaurant environments
• Proven ability to build scalable systems and training programs
• Experience supporting new restaurant openings or market expansions
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills
• Ability to operate cross-functionally with Operations, Culinary, People, and Finance
• Ability to travel (around 80%) to support NRO’s and field operations What Success Looks Like
• New restaurants achieve steady state sales & profitability, achieve guest experience & team culture KPIs
• Drive NRO & legacy restaurant training success with cross-functional team (consistent, scalable, and aligned with brand standards)
• SOPs and operational tools create clarity, efficiency & accountability for restaurant teams
• Field teams feel supported with the resources and training needed to succeed
• Operational excellence improves as the brand grows

What This Role Builds 

As Naked Farmer continues to expand, this role will help establish the systems, training  infrastructure, and operational playbooks required to scale the business while maintaining  the quality and culture that define the brand.

 

ABOUT NAKED FARMER:

Naked Farmer is built on a mission to build a better food system for all by connecting farmers to the community. We build seasonal recipes based on what’s growing in our region and know farmers on a first-name basis. We were born in the global pandemic, pivoting the entire company to get fresh food from farm to door at a time when real food was flying off the shelves at the grocery store. Since then, we’ve built a culture of resilience and transparency through our open book management, profit-sharing plans, and dedication to telling the story behind the farmers who grow our local food supply. Our mission is to build a better food system for everyone by becoming 100% locally-sourced. We’re entering a period of expansion, as we open in new cities and use the platform we’ve built for more transparency around sourcing, cooking, and investing in more regional food supply for farmers, communities, and chefs. We presently operate restaurants in Florida and North Carolina, and are entering a period of rapid growth and expansion across multiple states. 

And did we mention free Naked Farmer for all employees? We recommend the sweet potatoes. 

Come build the future of food with us.