Senior Director, Operational Excellence & Data Strategy

Aramark; San Antonio, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Aramark is seeking a Director of Operational Excellence for the Salute program to drive continuous improvement, data-informed decisions, and standardized operations across US military contracts. You will lead lean initiatives, build performance dashboards, and partner with cross-functional teams to deliver measurable results nationwide.

The role requires 8+ years in operational excellence with 3+ years in leadership, DoD or federal food service experience, and willingness to travel up to 50%.

Qualifications

• Degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Data Science, Information Systems, Business, or related field.
• 8+ years in operational excellence, continuous improvement, business intelligence, with at least 3 years in leadership.
• Military experience working with or within a federal food service environment is essential.
• Lean, Six Sigma, and change-management expertise required.
• Experience with data visualization tools, including Power BI.
• Strong project management and executive communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategies to improve operations while aligning with program goals and contracts.
• Analyze workflows to identify inefficiencies and implement lean, data-driven improvements.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives and create SOPs for consistency across locations.
• Partner with regional/field teams to improve processes and performance.
• Support change management to implement new tools, processes, and standards.
• Oversee project execution with measurable results.
• Define and manage reporting strategies aligned with business goals.
• Build dashboards and reports with real-time insights (Power BI).
• Ensure metrics are accurate, scalable, and meaningful.
• Collaborate across teams on high-impact, data-driven initiatives.
• Establish and track KPIs across operations (food safety, labor, inventory, quality, cost).
• Develop automated dashboards and self-service reporting for leadership.
• Monitor trends, identify risks/opportunities, drive corrective actions.
• Prepare Quarterly Business Reviews with leadership insights.
• Lead improvements to systems and tools, incl. production/inventory/reporting.
• Translate business needs into IT enhancements; manage pilots for new tech.
• Evaluate equipment/tech to improve efficiency and safety.
• Travel up to 50% to military installations and Aramark sites.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Leadership

Change management

Data visualization

Power BI

Project management

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering or related

Tools

Excel

Job description

Aramark is seeking a Director of Operational Excellence for the Salute program to drive continuous improvement, data-informed decisions, and standardized operations across US military contracts. You will lead lean initiatives, build performance dashboards, and partner with cross-functional teams to deliver measurable results nationwide.

The role requires 8+ years in operational excellence with 3+ years in leadership, DoD or federal food service experience, and willingness to travel up to 50%.