Concept Design Manager

Panda Restaurant Group Inc; United States; On-site; USD 115,000 - 156,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K with company match

Yearly bonus opportunity

Full medical, dental, and vision

On-site fitness center

Discounts at Panda restaurants

Paid time off 15 days + holidays

Education assistance and scholarships

Income protection (Disability, Life, &

Job summary

Panda Restaurant Group Inc. seeks a Concept Design Manager to translate brand evolution into viable restaurant concepts and environments.

You will produce high-quality renderings to support development and ensure brand integrity from design through operation, collaborating across functions to unify the guest experience. The role emphasizes brand identity, concept creation, and scalable design while balancing cost, maintenance, and restaurant operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Architecture, Hospitality Management or related field.
• 5+ years of architectural and construction experience in retail/hospitality with increasing management responsibility.
• Brand development and concept creation experience.
• Strong understanding of restaurant operations, back-of-house workflow, and guest service standards.
• Valid Food Handler's Card within 30 days of employment.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Director, Concept Design and the Design Team on ideation, research, and documentation for new restaurant concepts.
• Define brand identity, target demographic, and guest experience for concepts.
• Coordinate between Operations, Marketing, and internal RD to implement the concept vision.
• Maintain brand standard documentation and material libraries.
• Support post-launch concept handoff to Operations with feedback and expert guest experience knowledge.
• Provide design iterations on architecture and elements that reflect brand while focusing on cost efficiency and maintainability.
• Create ad-hoc designs to meet jurisdictional requirements for location-specific development.
• Analyze competitive landscapes and trends to identify opportunities for new concepts and refining existing ones.

Skills

Brand development

Concept design

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Guest service standards

Education

Urban Planning

Architecture

Hospitality Management

Related field

Job description

The Concept Design Manager contributes to the ideation, development, and refinement of our company's brand aesthetic and dining experience. The Concept Designer produces high quality renderings to support development needs.This position is responsible for translating brand evolution and strategic vision into viable, scalable, and compelling environments, ensuring brand integrity from initial design through operational function.

Job Responsibilities:

• Collaborating with the Director, Concept Design and the Design Team, contributes to the ideation, research, concept creation and documentation phases for new restaurant concepts, including defining brand identity, target demographic, and overall guest experience.
• Collaborates between Operations, Marketing, and internal RD functions to ensure seamless integration as it relates to execution of the concept vision.
• Defines and maintains comprehensive brand standard documentation and material libraries.
• Facilitates a smooth transition of the new concept to the Operations team post-launch, including collecting feedback and being an expert in knowing our guest experience
• Provides internal support and iterations on design and architectural elements that celebrate brand identity focusing on cost effectiveness and ease of maintenance
• Creates ad-hoc design to meet jurisdictional requirements in order to enable restaurant development in a specific location.
• Conducts in-depth analysis of competitive landscapes, consumer trends, and emerging food and design innovations to identify opportunities for new concept creation and existing concept refinement.

How we reward you:

• 401K with company match
• Yearly bonus opportunity*
• Full medical, dental, and vision insurance *
• On-site fitness center, biometric screen, and flu shot clinic
• Discounts at Panda restaurants, theme parks, and gym memberships
• Paid time off starting at 15 days with 7 federal holidays*
• Continuous education assistance and scholarships*
• Income protection including Disability, Life and AD&D insurance*

*Benefits available for eligible permanent full time associates

• Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Architecture, Hospitality Management or related field
• 5+ years of architectural and construction experience, in a retail/hospitality environment with increasing management responsibility and with at least three years focused on brand development and concept creation; strong understanding of restaurant operations, back-of-house workflow, and guest service standards
• Successful completion of initial and periodically required training (including but not limited to store training, Recognizing & Preventing Sexual Harassment training, Conscious inclusion training, and Landmark Forum, etc.)
• Obtaining a valid Food Handler's Card within 30 days of employment is a requirement of this position.
• Office conditions; travel: 30%

Pay Range: M2: $112,500 - $158,000 / Annual

* Within the range, individual pay is determined using various factors, including work location and experience.

#LI-TS2

Panda Strong since 1983:

Founded in Glendale, California, we are now the largest family-owned American Chinese Restaurant concept in America. With close to 2,800 locations globally, we continue our mission of delivering exceptional Asian dining experiences by building an organization where people are inspired to better their lives. Whether it's impacting our team or the communities we work in, we're proud to be an organization that embraces family values.

You're wanted here:

Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to providing equal opportunity, and does not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by law, including but not limited to sex/gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related conditions), gender expression, race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, ancestry, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, and veteran status. Additionally, Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. complies with all federal, state, and local laws regarding requests for workplace accommodation.The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability.Applicants are entitled to reasonable accommodations, absent undue hardship, to effectively participate in the application and hiring process, for example, sign language interpreters.If you believe you require an accommodation for the application or interview process or for the position for which you are applying, please reach out to [e-mail].