MANAGER, THIRD PARTY DELIVERY

El Pollo Loco; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid vacation & holidays

Employee Assistance Program

Bonus potential

Job summary

El Pollo Loco is seeking a Manager, Third-Party Delivery to drive revenue and profitability across third‑party delivery, gift cards, and catering partnerships. You will own relationships with DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and ezCater, while leading growth initiatives for gift cards across restaurant and retail channels.

The role requires a strategic, commercially minded leader with 6–8 years in business development or partnerships in the quick‑service space.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; 6–8 years in business development, partnerships, or digital commerce.
• Experience managing third‑party marketplace relationships within limited-service restaurants.
• Strong leadership with ability to manage at least one direct report.

Responsibilities

• Lead annual business planning with third-party marketplaces and align calendars, funding, and roadmaps.
• Serve as primary day‑to‑day relationship owner for all three delivery platforms and ezCater.
• Lead advertising strategy across platforms, focusing on customer acquisition and ROI.
• Develop test‑and‑learn strategies to improve marketplace performance.
• Improve visual presence on marketplaces with A/B testing of product imagery.
• Identify new opportunities with platform partners, including co‑marketing and pilots.
• Collaborate with Operations to drive best practices for delivery performance.
• Oversee onboarding of new restaurants to delivery platforms with cross‑functional coordination.
• Monitor analytics and create recurring sales/ratings reports to drive action.
• Own end‑to‑end gift card programs across in‑store and online channels.
• Lead retail gift card programs in grocery/retail channels, including contract and reporting.

Skills

People leadership

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Decisive / decision making

Time management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

At El Pollo Loco, we are on a mission to be the nation’s leading fire‑grilled chicken restaurant. When it comes to our people, we are all about growth. Whether that means specialized training, a clearly laid out career trajectory or collaborating cross‑functionally, we are committed to the success of our people the same way we’ve been committed to the success of the El Pollo Loco brand for the last 50 years. In fact, we see you as our secret ingredient. While our chicken is fire, it’s our people who set us ablaze.

Our restaurants are only the tip of the flame! If you’re looking for an innovative, winning, and welcoming workplace, then a flamin’ good career in our Restaurant Support Center is right for you.

At our Support Center, we believe our best work is done Together, when departments collaborate and everyone is confident in contributing their ideas. This is why we are in the office 3 days per week.

Let’s Get Loco!

What’s in it for you!

• STRONG office culture recognized as a Great Place to Work® and driven by our core values: Simple. Together. Relentless. Ownership. Nimble. Growth
• Career growth opportunities
• Competitive pay and bonus potential
• Medical + Dental + Vision Insurance + HSA Savings Account
• 401(K) Retirement Plan with company match and immediate vesting
• Paid Vacation + Sick Pay + 12 Paid Holidays
• Employee Assistance Program
• Free El Pollo Loco food + restaurant discounts
• PerkSpot discounts program

POSITION PURPOSE:

The Manager, Third-Party Delivery is a strategic, commercially minded leader responsible for increasing revenue and profitability for our third-party delivery and gift card businesses end to end. This is a high-visibility role that sits at the intersection of revenue growth, restaurant operations, and partner relationships. You'll be the internal expert and external face for our partnerships with DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub, and ezCater. You'll lead a growing gift card program spanning in-restaurant, digital, and retail channels.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead annual business planning process with third-party marketplace platforms, aligning El Pollo Loco and marketplace promotional calendars, co-funding opportunities and product roadmaps.
• Serve as the primary day‑to‑day relationship owner for all three delivery platforms, managing joint business planning, quarterly reviews, and escalations.
• Lead advertising and promotional strategy across platforms including sponsored listings, promotions, and co‑funded campaigns. Maintain a persistent focus on customer acquisition, incremental sales, and maximizing ROI.
• Develop test‑and‑learn strategies to drive continuous improvement of El Pollo Loco performance on the marketplaces.
• Improve El Pollo Loco’s visual presence on the marketplaces, using A/B testing to optimize product imagery across platforms.
• Identify and evaluate new business opportunities with platform partners, including exclusive features, co‑marketing programs, and pilot initiatives.
• Work closely with restaurant operations teams to drive adoption of best practices across the system that improve delivery performance, including speed of service, order accuracy, and packaging.
• Lead the onboarding of new restaurants onto delivery platforms, coordinating with Operations, IT, and franchisees to ensure a smooth launch.
• Monitor platform analytics and build recurring reporting to track sales, conversion, customer ratings, and market share; translate data into action.
• Improve El Pollo Loco's presence and performance on the ezCater marketplace, including promotions, sponsored listings and operations.
• Develop and execute advertising and promotional strategies to grow catering order volume and capture new business occasions.
• Partner with Operations to ensure catering orders are executed at a high standard across participating locations.
• Own the end‑to‑end gift card business, including physical cards sold in‑restaurant and digital gift cards on elpolloloco.com.
• Lead El Pollo Loco's retail gift card program through grocery, drug, convenience, and other third‑party retail channels, including contract management, sell‑through reporting, and merchandising coordination.
• Identify and develop new gift card revenue opportunities, including B2B gifting, incentive programs, and emerging digital channels.

QUALIFICATIONS – EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, LICENSE/CERTIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. The requirements listed below are representative of the education and/or experience required.

Education/Work Experience:

Bachelor’s degree required. A minimum of 6‑8 years in a business development, partnerships, or digital commerce role. Experience managing third‑party marketplace relationships within the limited service restaurant space is required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong people leadership skills, including the ability to recruit, train & develop at least one direct report.
• Ability to provide both thought leadership and effective customer service to franchisees and company‑operated restaurants.
• Confidence in execution of strategic initiatives.
• Must be decisive and able to make fact‑based decisions.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving mindset and skills; meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to effectively communicate with internal and external business partners.
• Ability to prioritize and plan work assignments and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines.
• Ability to read, write, and interpret complex reports, documents, and correspondence.
• Adept at managing and prioritizing competing time‑sensitive requests while working well in a team atmosphere that may be under pressure.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment on matters of significance to the company.
• Ability to work weekends and extended work schedules as needed.
• Must be willing and able to travel locally within Southern California and to out‑of‑state restaurant locations, as needed by car or airplane.

Our Company

In 1980 the first American El Pollo Loco opened on Alvarado Street in Los Angeles, quickly becoming a destination for the best citrus‑marinated, fire‑grilled pollo in town. Over the past four decades, El Pollo Loco has grown into more than 500 restaurants across 9 states, becoming an L.A. mainstay and cultural benchmark along the way. Today, we continue to work just as hard to always provide our customers with Quality Chicken. Fast. Easy. Affordable.

The pay range identified is the hourly or salary rate El Pollo Loco expects to pay for the posted position. This range does not include any benefits or bonus opportunities that might be available for the position based on position and eligibility criteria. At El Pollo Loco, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the high end of the range. Individual pay decisions will vary based on a variety of factors including years of experience, industry experience, education, geography, etc.