Director, Legal Operations

Wingstop Restaurants Inc.; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited paid time off

Volunteer day

Competitive bonus structure

Team member stock purchase plan

Health savings or FSA

401k

Education Assistance

Wellness reimbursement

Paid maternity and paternity leave

Lunch program

Discounts on Wingstop gift cards

Onsite game room

Job summary

Wingstop Restaurants Inc. is seeking a Director of Legal Operations to build and scale a technology-enabled operating model for recurring legal work.

The leader will redesign intake, triage, routing, approvals, escalation, and completion using standardized processes and AI, reducing dependence on ad hoc workflows. Reporting to Legal leadership and collaborating with cross-functional partners, this role will differentiate routine, low-sensitivity tasks for self-service pathways while routing

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years in legal operations, business transformation, operational excellence, process improvement, or related fields (legal background not required).
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification or comparable transformation expertise preferred.
• Experience leading technology-enabled transformation from requirements through implementation; familiarity with workflow automation and AI tools preferred.
• Experience building governed knowledge systems, SOPs, playbooks, reusable content, or self-service operating models.
• Strong analytical acumen with ability to establish metrics, interpret data, and drive business impact.
• Proven change leadership and ability to influence executives and cross-functional partners.

Responsibilities

• Assess and define the Legal Operations strategy, governance, roadmap, and backlog.
• Redesign recurring legal services end-to-end with clear roles, handoffs, and controls.
• Establish knowledge architecture and repository for SOPs, templates, and playbooks.
• Develop guided self-service pathways for lower-sensitivity matters.
• Lead the technology, workflow automation, and AI roadmap with cross-functional partners.
• Use metrics to prioritize improvements and continuously optimize Legal delivery.
• Lead change management and cross-functional implementation for new processes and tools.

Skills

Process improvement

Change management

Executive communication

Program management

Analytics

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

Tools

Workflow automation

AI-enabled tools

Contract lifecycle management

Knowledge management

SOP development

Job description

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.

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

The Director, Legal Operations will build and scale a technology-enabled operating model that makes recurring legal work faster, more consistent, and easier for the business to navigate. This leader will redesign how work is requested, triaged, produced, reviewed, and completed using standardized processes, governed knowledge, automation, and AI to increase capacity and reduce dependence on individual ways of working. Working closely with Legal leadership and cross-functional partners, the Director will distinguish repeatable, lower-sensitivity work suited for automated or business self‑service pathways from novel, complex, or sensitive matters that require legal judgment. This is a hands‑on transformation role for a business-minded operations leader; a legal background is not required.

• Assess Legal workflows, systems, data, stakeholder needs, and pain points; define the Legal Operations strategy, governance, roadmap, and prioritized transformation backlog.
• Redesign recurring legal services end to end, including intake, triage, routing, approvals, escalation, and completion; establish clear decision rights, service expectations, handoffs, and controls that direct work to the right resource and level of review.
• Establish the knowledge architecture, content‑governance standards, and repository for Legal SOPs, playbooks, templates, checklists, and approved work product, with substantive legal content owned by the responsible Legal leader.
• Develop guided self‑service pathways for approved, lower‑sensitivity matters so business teams can address routine needs consistently while novel, complex, and sensitive matters are routed to Legal.
• Lead the Legal technology, workflow automation, and AI roadmap from requirements and business‑case development through implementation and optimization; partner with Technology, Information Security, Privacy, and other stakeholders to scale responsible AI‑enabled use cases with appropriate governance, human oversight, and controls.
• Use demand, cycle‑time, service, adoption, quality, risk, and capacity metrics to prioritize improvements, evaluate outcomes, and continuously improve Legal delivery.
• Lead change management and cross‑functional implementation for new processes, tools, and ways of working by clarifying ownership, building stakeholder alignment, addressing resistance, and reinforcing adoption.

What You’ll Need

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in legal operations, business transformation, operational excellence, process improvement, change management, consulting, or a related field. A legal background or law degree is not required.
• Proven experience designing end‑to‑end processes, standardizing workflows, and delivering measurable improvements in speed, quality, consistency, or capacity; Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification or comparable transformation expertise is strongly preferred.
• Experience leading technology‑enabled transformation from requirements through implementation, adoption, and optimization; experience with workflow automation, AI‑enabled tools, contract lifecycle management, matter management, knowledge management, or related technology is preferred.
• Experience building governed knowledge systems, SOPs, playbooks, reusable content, or self‑service operating models is strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical acumen with the ability to establish meaningful metrics, interpret operational data, prioritize investments, and demonstrate business impact.
• Demonstrated change leadership and the ability to influence executives, attorneys, and cross‑functional partners, address resistance, sustain new ways of working, and translate between business and technical audiences.
• Exceptional program management, communication, facilitation, and executive presentation skills, with the ability to balance strategic thinking, hands‑on execution, multiple priorities, and disciplined follow‑through.
• Experience in a consumer, restaurant, retail, hospitality, multi‑unit, franchise, or similarly complex organization is preferred.

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.