Director, Core Digital Platforms

Shake Shack; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekly pay

Meal discounts

Corporate discounts (travel, tech, etc

Job summary

Shake Shack is seeking a Director of Core Digital Platforms to define and scale foundational platforms such as Shack Stack, the Operator App, and AI-driven services. You will own platform reliability, performance, and security while guiding a team of Technical Platform Managers to deliver scalable digital experiences across guest journeys.

You will report to the VP Digital Technology & AI Engineering, shaping roadmaps, partnering with vendors, and driving value through strategic architecture,

Qualifications

• 10+ years in technology leadership roles managing mission‑critical platforms in high‑scale consumer, digital commerce, or QSR environments.
• Strong technical acumen in microservices, APIs, identity, payments, fraud, and cloud (AWS) architectures.
• Proven ability to hire, coach, develop, and grow high‑performing teams; strong executive communication and vendor negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Set and communicate the vision and strategy for Shake Shack’s core digital platforms; align roadmaps to business growth and guest experience goals.
• Lead, mentor, and motivate a high‑performing team of Technical Platform Managers overseeing core systems (Shack Stack, Payments, OMS, Kiosk, Fraud, Identity, Observability).
• Serve as the executive owner of foundational platform architecture, ensuring reliability, scalability, and seamless integration across internal APIs and partner systems.
• Influence and manage strategic vendor relationships to ensure roadmap alignment and measurable outcomes.
• Define and drive reliability and resilience standards, including uptime SLAs, MTTR, incident response playbooks, and observability frameworks.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Product, Digital Engineering, Restaurant Tech, and AI engineering teams to enable new digital capabilities.
• Communicate platform health, performance insights, risk, and investment decisions to executives and stakeholders.

Skills

Technology leadership

Vendor management

Executive communication

Team leadership

AWS cloud

Tools

Okta

JTech/Sinch

Square

FreedomPay

Kount

Job description

*Our secret to leading the way in hospitality? We put our people first!*

At Shake Shack, our mission is to Stand For Something Good in all that we do. From our teams to our neighborhoods, we're committed to always doing the right thing. As one of the fastest-growing hospitality brands, we're all about crafting unforgettable experiences for our guests. We offer endless learning opportunities and the chance to make a lasting impact on our business, restaurants, and communities. As a member of the #ShackFam, you’ll have access to hands‑on mentorship, training, and growth potential, all in a fun and inclusive environment.

Join us and Be a Part of Something Good.

*Preferred location:

Atlanta, GA Support Center (2 Ballpark Center, 800 Battery Ave SE Atlanta, GA)

Hybrid: 3 days in office (Tue/Wed/Thu)

*Eligible locations:

New York Support Center (225 Varick St. New York, NY)

Atlanta, GA Support Center (2 Ballpark Center, 800 Battery Ave SE Atlanta, GA)

Hybrid: 3 days in office (Tue/Wed/Thu)

• Role Overview* This is a strategic and highly visible leadership role responsible for defining, operating, and scaling Shake Shack’s foundational digital platforms — including Shack Stack, Operator App, Kiosk Platform, AI Platform and our technical product partner ecosystem.

Reporting to VP Digital Technology & AI Engineering, the *Director of Core Digital Platforms* will serve as the technical owner of the foundational digital platforms, ensuring reliability, performance, security, and scalability, behind the scene, that powers our digital experiences. This role directly influences vendor roadmaps, shapes platform investment strategy, and enables new digital guest experiences through modular, extensible platform capabilities. This role is critical to scaling our digital capabilities as Shake Shack grows toward 1,500+ Shacks.

• Key Responsibilities*
• Set and communicate the vision and strategy for Shake Shack’s core digital platforms; align roadmaps to business growth and guest experience goals.
• Lead, mentor, and motivate a high-performing team of Technical Platform Managers overseeing core systems including Shack Stack, Payments, OMS, Kiosk, Fraud, Identity, and Observability. Serve as the Technical Platform Owner for AI Platforms, providing strategic and hands‑on leadership to drive performance, reliability, and innovation.
• Serve as the executive owner of foundational platform architecture, ensuring reliability, scalability, and seamless integration across internal APIs and partner systems.
• Influence and manage strategic vendor relationships (e.g., Okta, JTech/Sinch, Square, FreedomPay, Kount), ensuring joint accountability, roadmap alignment, and measurable outcomes.
• Define and drive reliability and resilience standards - uptime SLAs, MTTR, incident response playbooks, error budgets, observability frameworks.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Product, Digital Engineering, Restaurant Tech, and AI engineering teams to enable new digital capabilities and eliminate friction across the guest journey.
• Communicate platform health, performance insights, risk, and investment decisions with clarity to executive and operational stakeholders.
• Leadership Expectations*
• Operate as a strategic leader who can flex between enterprise‑wide vision and hands‑on decision making.
• Communicate with clarity, executive presence, and influence across technical and non‑technical groups.
• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, continuous improvement, and high performance.
• Inspire and empower teams through transparent leadership, development, and coaching.
• Qualifications*
• 10+ years in technology leadership roles managing mission‑critical platforms in high‑scale consumer, digital commerce, or QSR environments.
• Strong technical acumen in microservices, APIs, identity, payments, fraud, and cloud (AWS) architectures.
• Demonstrated success managing vendor partnerships, negotiations, and influencing product roadmaps.
• Proven ability to hire, coach, develop, and grow high‑performing teams.
• Ability to communicate effectively with executives and lead change at scale.

*Success Measures*

• >99.99% uptime across guest‑facing platforms
• Reduced operational incidents and platform risk
• Incremental and value‑driven feature delivery and faster execution velocity across digital platforms streams
• Strong vendor accountability and improved cost‑to‑value outcomes from SaaS Products
• Meaningful and sustainable AI Adoption

Benefits At Shake Shack

• Weekly Pay and Performance bonuses
• Shake Shack Meal Discounts
• Exclusive corporate discounts for travel, electronics, wellness, leisure activities and more

* Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance*

* Employer Paid Life and Disability Insurance*

* 401k Plan with Company Match*

* Paid Time Off*

* Paid Parental Leave*

• Access to Employee Assistance Program on Day 1
• Pre‑Tax Commuter and Parking Benefits

* Flexible Spending and Dependent Care Accounts*

• Development and Growth Opportunities
• Eligibility criteria applies

* About Us*

Beginning as a hot dog cart in New York City’s Madison Square Park, Shake Shack was created by Danny Meyer, Founder and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group and best-selling author of Setting the Table. Shack Fans lined up daily, making the cart a resounding success, and donating all proceeds back to the park beautification efforts. A permanent stand was eventually built…and the rest is Shack history! With our roots in fine dining and giving back to the community, we are committed to high quality food served with a high level of hospitality. Our team members enjoy a positive work environment that is deeply committed to the philosophy that we "Stand for Something Good."

*Shake Shack is an Equal Opportunity Employer*

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic, including race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability (mental and physical), sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender expression, medical condition, genetic information, marital, military and veteran status.