Role Summary:
The Director (Technology), International Brands is a strategic, business-facing technology leader responsible for aligning technology strategy, digital innovation, restaurant technology, and investments with international business priorities.
The role serves as the primary technology partner to International Business leadership, franchisees, and market operators, driving digital growth, operational efficiency, and scalable market expansion.
Operating in a matrixed organization, the Director provides strategic direction and execution oversight through cross-functional collaboration, a focused internal team, and strategic technology partners, without requiring direct ownership of all engineering and delivery functions.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Technology Strategy & Business Alignment
- Define and drive international technology strategy, roadmaps, and investment priorities aligned with business growth and operational objectives.
- Serve as a trusted technology advisor to executives, franchisees, and market leadership.
- Translate business opportunities into scalable technology solutions with measurable commercial value.
2. Digital Product & Restaurant Technology
- Provide strategic direction across digital commerce, mobile and web experiences, loyalty, payments, POS, kiosks, ordering, and restaurant technology ecosystems.
- Drive digital adoption, operational efficiency, and improved customer and franchisee experiences.
- Enable technology solutions that balance enterprise standards with local market requirements.
3. Architecture, Platforms & Innovation
- Guide technology architecture, modernization, engineering governance, and adoption of reusable enterprise capabilities.
- Partner with enterprise engineering, platforms, security, and product teams to ensure scalable, reliable, and secure solutions.
- Identify opportunities to leverage AI, automation, and emerging technologies to accelerate business outcomes.
4. International Market & Franchisee Enablement
- Partner with franchisees and market operators to understand business needs, technology maturity, and investment priorities.
- Support new market launches, restaurant expansion, and technology adoption through scalable standards and readiness frameworks.
- Strengthen alignment between enterprise technology capabilities and market-specific needs.
5. Technology Execution & Partner Management
- Drive execution of strategic technology initiatives through cross-functional leadership, governance, and clear accountability.
- Manage strategic technology vendors and delivery partners to ensure quality, performance, and business value.
- Optimize technology investments, reduce fragmentation, and improve speed to market.
6. Leadership & Collaboration
- Lead a focused technology team while influencing shared enterprise technology and delivery organizations.
- Build strong partnerships across Business, Product, Digital Engineering, Restaurant Technology, Operations, Security, and Finance.
- Foster accountability, innovation, and business-outcome-driven technology decisions.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Technology, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
- 10+ years of technology experience, including 5+ years in technology leadership or transformation.
- Experience in QSR, restaurant, retail, hospitality, or consumer-facing digital ecosystems.
- Strong understanding of digital commerce, restaurant technology, enterprise platforms, and modern architecture.
- Experience working with franchisees, international markets, strategic vendors, or complex partner ecosystems.
- Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and translate business strategy into actionable technology roadmaps.
- Strong commercial acumen, executive communication, and technology investment management skills.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Technology, Engineering, Business, or a related field
- 10+ years of technology experience
- 5+ years in technology leadership or transformation
- Experience in QSR, restaurant, retail, hospitality, or consumer-facing digital ecosystems
- Strong understanding of digital commerce, restaurant technology, enterprise platforms, and modern architecture
- Experience working with franchisees, international markets, strategic vendors, or complex partner ecosystems
- Ability to influence cross-functional teams and translate business strategy into actionable technology roadmaps
- Strong commercial acumen, executive communication, and technology investment management skills
Inspire Brands Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Inspire Brands and has not been reviewed or approved by Inspire Brands.
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Healthcare Strength — Comprehensive health coverage, mental health support, disability insurance, and related programs are emphasized for support‑center and eligible management roles. Materials also reference options like HSAs and EAPs as part of a broad healthcare offering.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Unlimited PTO is highlighted for support‑center roles alongside paid leaves such as parental and adoption assistance. Feedback suggests these time‑off elements are a core part of the corporate employee value proposition.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Employee food discounts, on‑site amenities (e.g., gym, snacks, and similar perks), and lifestyle programs add tangible day‑to‑day value. Additional benefits like commuter options, financial wellness tools, and pet insurance further broaden the package.
Inspire Brands Insights
What We Do
Inspire Brands was founded in February 2018 with a vision to invigorate great brands and supercharge their long-term growth. In an industry facing increasing disruption, our leaders saw an opportunity to build a restaurant company unlike any other – one that brings together differentiated yet complementary brands and aims to make them stronger than they would be on their own. Found inherently in the purposes of our family of brands, we identified a common thread between our restaurants – the capacity to inspire. From guest experience to career development to community well-being, Inspire plays a role in the lives of millions of people every day.
