Operations Innovation Lead: Strategy to Execution

Panda Restaurant Group Inc; Rosemead (CA); Hybrid; USD 127,000 - 178,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

401K with company match

Yearly bonus opportunity

Medical dental and vision insurance

On-site fitness center and wellness

Job summary

Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. is seeking a Senior Operations Innovation Manager to drive the operational engine of our Innovation agenda from strategy to field rollout.

You will design and deliver standardized processes, coach cross‑functional teams, and ensure structured execution across stores and the Support Center. This role offers a hybrid work schedule in Rosemead, CA with a focus on experimentation, data-driven decision making, and scalable implementation across marketing and operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or related field.
• Minimum seven years of engineering, data analysis and optimization, process design, systems thinking, and Lean experience with increasing management responsibility.
• Obtaining a valid Food Handler's Card within 30 days of employment is a requirement of this position.

Responsibilities

• Develops and operationalizes standardized processes and methodologies for the full innovation cycle, from opportunity identification and experiment design through pilot evaluation and scaled rollout, ensuring initiatives progress through a structured and repeatable framework aligned with the strategic direction of Operations Innovation.
• Develops systems and processes that support the execution of marketing and operational standards by partnering with Operations and Human Resources to create training programs, documentation, and implementation tools that drive successful store‑level adoption and operational consistency.
• Leads and coaches cross‑functional project teams in design and execution of experiment plans, ensuring rigor in test design, data collection, and results evaluation. Conducts data analysis and provides insights to keep the Director, Operations Innovation informed on initiative performance and go/no‑go recommendations.
• Establishes and manages cross‑functional ways of working across project teams and key partner functions, including Restaurant Development, Marketing Brand Innovation, Operations Services, Information Systems, Finance, Supply Chain, and Food Safety & Quality Assurance, ensuring teams deliver complete testing and implementation packages to customer‑facing associates.
• Supports the Director, Operations Innovation with leadership updates and prioritization analysis by synthesizing initiative performance data, tracking field deployments, and developing recommendations that help leadership identify high‑impact opportunities and effectively sequence the innovation pipeline.

Skills

Lean

Data analysis

Process design

Systems thinking

Project management

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or related field

Job description

Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. is seeking a Senior Operations Innovation Manager to drive the operational engine of our Innovation agenda from strategy to field rollout.

You will design and deliver standardized processes, coach cross‑functional teams, and ensure structured execution across stores and the Support Center. This role offers a hybrid work schedule in Rosemead, CA with a focus on experimentation, data-driven decision making, and scalable implementation across marketing and operations.