Managing Director - Texas

Nando's PERi-PERi North America; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 100,000 - 143,000; Full time

Job summary

Nando's North America is seeking a Managing Director to own the life of the region, growing people, elevating the brand, and driving commercial performance. You will bridge Restaurant Support and restaurant leadership, ensuring consistent, humane, and brilliant operations across multiple sites.

You will lead the cascade of strategy, build leaders, and champion frontline engagement while upholding brand standards and safety.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of restaurant leadership, including multi-site oversight.
• Experience managing Patrãos/General Managers and supporting multiple restaurants.
• Proven ability to deliver consistent KPIs across locations (sales, labor, food quality, audits).
• Experience leading operational routines (forecasting, deployment, food safety, inventory).
• Documented success coaching and developing restaurant leaders.
• Experience executing brand standards and compliance across multiple sites.
• Track record of improving underperforming restaurants.

Responsibilities

• Own the regional lifecycle: grow people, elevate brand, and strengthen commercial performance.
• Bridge between restaurants and Restaurant Support to remove barriers and align priorities.
• Set annual regional targets and coach leaders to achieve them while balancing profitability and culture.
• Monitor guest experience and multi-channel performance to ensure consistency across channels.
• Lead governance, safety, compliance, and audit processes across the portfolio.
• Drive community impact and urban/regional partnerships aligned with Changing Lives.

Skills

Leadership

Multi-site oversight

Brand standards

KPIs delivery

People development

Change management

Job description

NANDO’S VISION

At Nando's, we want to be the most loved restaurant brand in North America, sharing the spirit of Nando's PERi-PERi with everyone who chooses to access it. We will redesign and build a business that thrives as it answers fully its consumers’ needs and endures over time through genuinely putting people at the heart of what we do. We will lead with our values and act with care, compassion, and kindness. By doing this, we will Change Lives Together, every day and everywhere.

ROLE PURPOSE

As our Managing Director, you own the life of the region - growing people, elevating the brand, strengthening commercial performance, and mobilizing our purpose of Changing Lives. You turn strategy into momentum: setting the vision, building leaders, and making the restaurants in your region feel brilliantly consistent, human, and alive. You are the bridge between your restaurants and Restaurant Support - removing barriers, simplifying priorities, and championing the frontline. As Managing Director, you act as the gatekeeper of the cascade between Restaurant Support and your restaurants, ensuring clear, consistent two-way communication and representing the voice of Operations.

KEY FOCUS AREAS

People — Grow leaders, build culture, and strengthen the bench

• Foster a value led, inclusive culture where everyone is welcome and able to be their best; celebrate wins and create fired up, lifechanging experiences.
• Serve as a point of stability for leaders during change, building advocacy and confidence as new ways of working are introduced.
• Hold Patrãos accountable for living Nando's People standards; ensure safe, legal, and brilliant restaurants.
• Build and develop a diverse cadre of Patrãos and managers - ensure every restaurant has a full, capable leadership team; mentor and provide stability through change.
• Spot and grow future leaders (internal/external) and build a strong succession pipeline across the region.
• Act as the bridge to Restaurant Support - align goals, remove barriers, and bring the organizational strategy to life for your teams.
• Champion the happiness, capability, and engagement of your regional family, ensuring Nandocas receive their schedules in advance and can plan their lives.

Brand — Deliver The Nando's Experience Consistently

• Ensure the guest journey is delivered consistently across all restaurants and channels, protecting the primacy of the in-restaurant experience.
• Monitor multi-channel performance (eat-in, digital, delivery, take-out) to ensure each channel delivers a consistent Nando's experience.
• Coach leaders on hospitality, atmosphere, speed, quality, and food safety; hold teams to daily checks and standards.
• Partner with Patrãos to activate local and national marketing; analyze trends, identify root causes, and share best practices regionwide.
• Ensure facilities are safe and compliant; align with support teams on maintenance/refurbishment to create a space we are proud of.

Commercial — Grow sales and profit with balance and purpose

• Set annual regional targets (sales, profit) aligned to company goals; coach Patrãos to achieve them while balancing; having fun, making money, and changing lives.
• Maintain a long-term view of regional performance, ensuring decisions support sustainable growth and enterprise value.
• Monitor operating profit drivers (GP, waste, efficiencies); maximize labor productivity to ensure the right people are in the right place at the right time.
• Use insights to diagnose root causes and guide corrective actions; upskill leaders to use data in decision-making.
• Partner with Restaurant Support on new openings - planning, preopening, and readiness to ensure successful launch and performance.
• Influence new restaurant location decisions by providing operational insight into trade areas, viability, and long-term success factors.

Changing Lives — Create community impact

• Be an advocate for Changing Lives: lead initiatives that build confidence, belonging, and opportunity across your region.
• Improve hourly recruitment and internal development to open doors for those who might be overlooked; ensure fair scheduling so Nandocas can plan their lives.
• Contribute to planetary goals (waste, recycling, energy) and build partnerships with local authorities and organizations to uplift communities.
• Lead community engagement efforts, including food donations, local employment initiatives, and partnerships that strengthen the neighborhoods where we operate.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Own the regional audit rhythm and compliance posture (food safety, H&S, licensing, ER escalations, financial controls).
• Ensure timely escalation and closure of high-risk issues and embed governance standards across the portfolio.

What You Bring

• 7-10 years of restaurant leadership, including multi-site oversight
• Experience managing Patraõ /General Managers and supporting multiple restaurants
• Proven ability to deliver consistent KPIs across locations (sales, labor, food quality, audits)
• Experience leading operational routines (forecasting, deployment, food safety, inventory)
• Documented success coaching and developing restaurant leaders
• Experience executing brand standards and compliance across multiple sites
• Track record of improving underperforming restaurants

Pay Range

$99,500.00 - $142,500

This range is based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budget, the qualifications necessary for the position, education, experience, training and other considerations permitted by law. Factors that may be used when making an offer may include a candidate’s skills, experience, and geographic location, the expected quality and quantity of work, and internal pay alignment, as needed. The upper end of the range will generally be reserved for candidates with extensive experience. An employee’s pay history will not be a contributing factor where prohibited by law. In addition to monetary compensation, we offer benefits, including Medical/Dental/Vision insurance and Company-matching 401(k) in addition to other programs and perks. The above hiring range represents Nando's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Nando's Restaurant Group, Inc participates in E-Verify. Please read the E-Verify and Right to Work notices before applying.

Nandos North America provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.