Overview

The Sr. Design Lead is a corporate professional position responsible for leading projects and providing design direction on initiatives that impact Restaurant Development. As Chick-fil-A continues to innovate and disrupt the restaurant industry, we are looking to add a new talent to define and drive future solutions for our restaurants, in support of key departmental and company-wide strategic initiatives.

As a Sr. Design Lead on the Restaurant Design Team, you will be responsible for leading a design-thinking approach to create experiences and environments that are industry-leading and relevant to our Guests, Team Members, and Operators. As part of a multidisciplinary team, you will tackle all aspects of the design process from research to ideation to physical and/or digital prototyping and validation of design solutions for our restaurant chain. You must be able to clearly define project goals and parameters in an ambiguous state of imagining future needs of the business. You must be an ambitious problem solver, flexible, and able to succeed within a cross-functional environment. The ideal candidate for this position will influencing strategic direction and be at ease blending business strategy with design methodologies to execute ideas into solid designs and experiences for all areas of the restaurant.

This role will provide comprehensive knowledge of Design specialization to strategic initiatives that will have a significant impact across the organization.

• Leads and/or influences the vision and execution of various guest and/or team member innovation projects ranging from inside restaurant experiences to the drive-thru and site experience
• Leads the creation of whole new restaurant formats and experiences that include exterior and interior design, site layout and incorporate future innovations around guest ordering and pick-up experience as well as potential new businesses.
• Leads the creation of design solutions for both new and existing restaurants that alleviate pain points and create growth opportunities for Operators, Team Members, and Guests
• Provides guidance on how the organizational initiatives will impact the design of new restaurants, existing restaurants, and rollouts.
• Influences the strategies of future restaurant designs and experiences.

This role requires a curious leader who can collaborate across the business to ensure successful design solutions.

• Liaisons with cross-functional teams and partners from across the business to ensure successful design solutions
• Ensure alignment during the innovation process that includes various approvals/inputs from key stakeholders such as Operators, Field Operations, Marketing, Food Safety, IT, Risk Management and Restaurant Development teams
• Leverage key insights from Operators, Team Members, Guests, and industry trends to identify both now and future design concepts
• Must be able to build strong relationships and influence people
• Plans and conducts assignments with significant latitude, generally involving the larger and more important projects or more than one project.
• Operates with substantial latitude for unreviewed action or decision with select outcomes.

Responsibilities

Develop innovation project plans including:

• Scope
• Project Teams - internal staff, consultants, agencies, and vendors

• Timelines
• Budgets

Assist with the selection and oversight of outside partners to effectively deliver results. Accountable for Design consultants and vendors relationship and management for specific projects or workstreams.

• Develop project briefs during each phase to document progress and milestones
• Estimate, track, and analyze budgets
• Execute a communication plan to keep key stakeholders informed
• Influence and shape the development of project strategy
• Lead the design of all of phases of a project, from translating verbal ideas into visual concepts, to design development and refinement, to creating and reviewing production-ready drawings
• Lead external firms in the creation of schematic design, design development and construction drawings for new building formats
• Create and manage both low and high-fidelity design deliverables for testing
• Lead development of working drawings for field installs and / or test simulations
• Lead test simulations to validate solutions through research and observation
• Manage documentation of learnings, creation of guidelines and development of design criteria / principles

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Undergraduate Degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Engineering, Environment Design, Service Design, Graphic Design or Design Management
• 3+ Years in conceptual design and design documentations and deployment
• Experience in restaurant, hospitality, or retail
• Portfolio
• Strong communication skills (written, oral, & presentations)

Preferred Qualifications

• Preferred experience with corporate organizations and creative teams
• Preferred experience in innovation programs, cross-functional creative teams, corporate organizations
• Professional License (AIA, NCIDQ, PE-Professional Engineering, PMP)

Minimum Years of Experience

3

Travel Requirements

20%

Required Level of Education

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Level of Education

Masters Degree

Major/Concentration

Architecture, Interior Design, Engineering, Environment Design, Service Design, Graphic Design or Design Management