What are the responsibilities and job description for the Denali Foods Director of Operations position at Denali Foods, Inc.?
Director of Operations
Denali Foods, Inc., Taco Bell of Alaska
Location: Anchorage, Alaska (Field-Based / Anchorage HQ)
Reports To: Vice President of Operations
Organization Size: 14 Units | $55M Sales | 500 Team Members
Our Culture: Live Más
At Denali Foods, Inc., we operate 14 Taco Bell restaurants across Alaska with a singular purpose: To Feed People’s Lives with Más. To us, "Más" means doing more and giving more with passion and creativity. We are dedicated to serving more than just food; we serve careers, build community, and create moments that matter. This spirit of innovation and "breakthrough thinking" drives everything we do, ensuring we deliver unique experiences for both our team members and our guests.
The Opportunity
Are you a tactical leader who excels in the daily execution of restaurant excellence? We are seeking a Director of Operations to serve as the vital link between our executive vision and store-level reality. Reporting directly to the VP of Operations, you will be the primary coach and leader for our restaurant teams, ensuring that every shift delivers on the "Live Más" promise.
We are looking for an assertive, detail-oriented leader who "walks the talk". You will be responsible for the day-to-day health of our restaurant operations, providing the hands-on guidance necessary to empower our teams while maintaining focus on delivering the highest operational standards.
Key Areas of Accountability
• Profitability & Performance: Achieve overall strategic objectives by tracking and analyzing unit-level performance targets. You are accountable for driving transaction growth and financial performance across the organization.
• Compliance & Safety: Ensure 100% compliance with internal and external standards, including OSHA, health department regulations, labor standards, food safety, and CORE audits. You will develop and implement systemic solutions to support consistent compliance.
• Inventory & Vendor Management: Oversee food service vendor relationships to ensure timely delivery of quality products to the restaurants.
• Operational Excellence (Supreme & CORE): Lead the team in maintaining the highest standards for product quality, order accuracy, speed with service, safety, and cleanliness.
• Brand & Experience Rollouts: In collaboration with the Training Manager, lead the introduction and reinforcement of new company products, brand awareness strategies, and guest experience initiatives.
• Training & Certifications: Ensure that market-level training plans are executed and ensure all employees achieve required certifications, including ServSafe and position-specific skills development programs.
• BOH Systems & Tech Rollouts: Ensure seamless integration and 100% implementation of new back-of-house systems and restaurant technologies.
• Bench Planning & Succession: Provide bench planning oversight by selecting and developing the next generation of managerial talent to deliver the company's core values. Oversee and execute annual performance review process for management teams.
Job Requirements & Essential Functions
• Professional Experience: Minimum 5 years of experience leading others at various organizational levels, specifically within multi-unit QSR management, preferably with Taco Bell. Must demonstrate thorough knowledge of QSR performance metrics and drivers, as well as the technical systems and tools to deliver on them (BOH and POS).
• Tactical Leadership: Demonstrated ability to organize and delegate work for peak efficiency and react quickly to operational challenges.
• Commitment & Presence: As an exempt leader, you will typically work a minimum of 50 hours per week. The team knows you “have their back” and you show up regularly in restaurants to deliver one-on-one coaching and support.
• Mobility: Providing in-restaurant support is an essential part of this role; you must possess a valid driver’s license and be available for regular visits to restaurants throughout Anchorage, Fairbanks, Matanuska Valley, and the Kenai Peninsula.
• Physical Vitality: This is a hands-on role requiring the ability to stand or sit for extended periods, manually move up to 50 lbs., and engage in the physical flow of a restaurant environment when working on-site.
Key Desired Attributes
• Professional Communication: You demonstrate advanced ability to prepare and present ideas, recommendations, and feedback to colleagues and direct reports with clarity and transparency. You are a skilled listener who communicates intentions, ideas, and feelings openly with an aim to foster honest and candid dialogue.
• Strong Business Acumen: Intermediate to advanced understanding of budgetary concepts and the logical sequence of activities required to prioritize deliverables.
• Influential Coaching Style: Ability to communicate restaurant goals and a motivating vision while holding teams accountable through principled leadership.
• Integrity & Professionalism: A leader who is candid, honest, and stands up for what is right, even in difficult situations.
• Educational Foundation: AA/undergraduate degree or equivalent industry experience.
Why Join Us?
We offer the stability of a global brand with the heart of a local business. Here, you are a key decision-maker in a tight-knit leadership circle of tenured professionals. We value authenticity, transparency, and commitment to excellence. Industry-leading compensation includes a performance-based bonus plan, car allowance, and full benefits package.
Please submit your resume and a cover letter that outlines your process for identifying trends in restaurant data to provide targeted, impactful coaching to your managers.