Who is Taco Bell?
Taco Bell was born and raised in California and has been around since 1962. We went from selling everyone’s favorite Crunchy Tacos on the West Coast to a global brand with 7,500+ restaurants, 350 franchise organizations, that serve 42+ million fans each week around the globe. We’re not only the largest Mexican-inspired quick service brand (QSR) in the world, we’re also part of the biggest restaurant group in the world: Yum! Brands.
Much of our fan love and authentic connection with our communities are rooted in being rebels with a cause. From ensuring we use high quality, sustainable ingredients to elevating restaurant technology in ways that hasn’t been done before… we will continue to be inclusive, bold, challenge the status quo and push industry boundaries.
We’re a company that celebrates and advocates for different, has bold self-expression, strives for a better future, and brings the fun while we’re at it. We fuel our culture with real people who bring unique experiences. We inspire and enable our teams and the world to Live Más.
At Taco Bell, we’re Cultural Rebels. Want to join in on the passion-fueled fun? Learn more about the career below.
About the Job:
At Taco Bell, we aren’t just looking for candidates. We are looking for innovators and creators who push the limit and challenge the norm. How we design the inside of a Taco Bell directly impacts how we provide value to our guests by giving them a “Live Mas” experience. Therefore, we are looking for one who is a proven leader, a proven engineer, and proven change-agent.
Reporting to the Vice President Product Innovation & Global Engineering, as the Senior Manager, Global Engineering, you will be responsible for managing multiple Taco Bell engineers while developing and leading all back of house strategies, objectives, and annual operating plans of TB 7,000+ restaurants. This role is responsible for developing and leading all back of house Kitchen equipment, smallware’s and production line development. This includes close partnership with Operations, Asset Development, Product Development, Quality assurance, Supply Chain, suppliers and franchisees to ensure kitchen efficiency and designs which are ‘fit for use’. This role includes focus on quality, new technology, cost optimization, continuous improvement with the primary goal of improving the team members experience. In addition, this role leads supplier partnerships (innovation, crises, action plan, probation, continuous improvement), manages daily crises, and sets brand standards. This role and team work directly with Franchise on the day to day and the Operations team (REX-Restaurant Excellence) on future development.
While as a business Taco Bell is a restaurant company, we are driven through our relational culture – it’s all about people. In your role, you will interact with Suppliers, Restaurant Team Members, Restaurant General Managers, Franchisee Business Owners and Cross-functional partners (Marketing, Operations, Financial Strategists, Food Product Developers, Quality Assurance, Facilities Maintenance – and yes, lead and coach other Engineers). The number of people and the diversity of professionals who you will be teaming with is vast! You’ll have the opportunity to lead, influence, and project manage others. In summary, we’re not looking for heroes, but collaborators.
Work-Hard, Play-Hard:
Hybrid work schedule and year-round flex day Friday
Onsite childcare through Bright Horizons
Onsite dining center and game room (yes, there is a Taco Bell inside the building)
Onsite dry cleaning, laundry services, carwash,
Onsite gym with fitness classes and personal trainer sessions
Up to 4 weeks of vacation per year plus holidays and time off for volunteering
Tuition reimbursement and education benefits
Generous parental leave for all new parents and adoption assistance program
401(k) with a 6% matching contribution from Yum! Brands with immediate vesting
Comprehensive medical & dental including prescription drug benefits and 100% preventive
care
Discounts, free food, swag and… honestly, too many good benefits to name
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
The Day-to-Day:
• Drive a “People First” culture by actively coaching, developing, and growing both direct reports and a world-class engineering team.
• Discover, design, and deliver new strategic kitchen equipment and platforms from prototype to commercialization, enabling consumer, operations, and financial wins.
• Lead all initiatives related to back-of-house kitchen equipment, smallwares, and production lines, setting direction and driving execution across cross-functional teams.
• Provide input into Taco Bell’s strategic planning process, including execution and updates of long-term plans that align with business objectives.
• Lead strategy execution by determining priorities and partnering with international supply chain and business units to align global equipment solutions with brand strategy.
• Drive external partnerships to develop innovation for the kitchen of the future and support long-term Restaurant Evolution programs.
Is this you?
• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering with at least 10+ years of experience.
• 5+ years’ experience coaching and leading multi discipline highly technical and creative teams.
• Experience in restaurant/retail operations, or engineering/mechanical, food processing or automation preferred.
• Excellent executive presence, interpersonal, and presentation skills with ability to form strong relationships with various levels of an organization while being able to influence and persuade.
• Self-motivated individual that can work “hands on” as well as having strong entrepreneurial spirit that adapts readily to change.
• Comfortable acting as an individual contributor and leading and collaborating with broader teams
• Ability to lead external vendors and cross brand partnerships to execute projects.
• Proven ability to multi-task and prioritize time in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment.
• Strong knowledge of continuous process improvement processes, methods, and programs
• Experience with data analytics tools (e.g., Excel, CAD, SOLIDWORKS)
• Must be able to travel domestically 10-30% of the time
• Local travel around Orange County, CA is also common
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering
- 10+ years of experience
- 5+ years' experience coaching and leading multi-discipline teams
- Experience in restaurant/retail operations or engineering/mechanical food processing or automation
What We Do
Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, and its subsidiaries franchise or operate a system of over 55,000 restaurants in more than 155 countries and territories under the Company’s concepts – KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and the Habit Burger Grill. The Company's KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands are global leaders of the chicken, Mexican-style food, and pizza categories, respectively. The Habit Burger Grill is a fast casual restaurant concept specializing in made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches and more. What makes Yum! a great place to work? It's our people. As the world's largest restaurant company, we invest in people capability so that our global workforce can make the most of their careers. With ongoing opportunities for personal and professional success, we've built a culture that rewards and recognizes great effort while providing the flexibility that is so important to all of us.
