Vice President Restaurant Operations

About NAYA

NAYA is a rapidly growing, modern Mediterranean fast-casual brand sharing fresh, vibrant flavors rooted in heritage and crafted with heart. As we expand across new markets in the next 3–5 years, we’re building a world-class team that believes in people-first leadership, operational excellence, and scaling a brand with authenticity and soul.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape the voice, presence, and future growth of a brand that is just getting started.

Position Summary

The Vice President of Restaurant Operations is a senior leader responsible for driving operational excellence, scaling performance, and building the infrastructure required for NAYA’s next phase of growth. This role partners closely with cross-functional leaders to translate strategy into consistent, high-performing restaurant execution across all markets.

This leader will own field operations, market expansion readiness, and the development of a strong, people-first culture that delivers exceptional guest experiences while driving profitable growth.

How You’ll Make an Impact

Operational Strategy & Business Performance

• Translate company strategy into clear, executable operational plans across all restaurants and markets
• Drive consistent improvement in key performance metrics: sales, transactions, labor productivity, food cost, and store-level profitability
• Establish and reinforce operating standards that ensure consistency, efficiency, and scalability
• Build systems, routines, and accountability structures that elevate execution across Area Managers and General Managers
• Partner with Finance to manage budgets, forecasts, and performance targets

Market Growth & New Market Strategy

• Lead operational readiness for new restaurant openings and market expansion
• Develop scalable playbooks for entering and stabilizing new markets
• Partner with Real Estate, Development, and Marketing to ensure successful market launches
• Build regional leadership structures to support multi-market growth (Market Directors, Area Managers)
• Identify risks and opportunities in new and existing markets, adjusting strategy accordingly

Guest Experience & Brand Execution

• Ensure consistent delivery of a high-quality, hospitality-driven guest experience across all locations
• Champion initiatives that enhance speed, accuracy, food quality, and overall guest satisfaction
• Partner with Marketing and Culinary to bring brand and menu initiatives to life in restaurants
• Leverage guest feedback and operational data to continuously improve the experience

People & Culture Leadership

• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing field organization rooted in NAYA’s values
• Create clear expectations, coaching rhythms, and accountability across all levels of operations
• Partner with People & Culture to strengthen hiring, onboarding, training, and retention strategies
• Develop strong leadership pipelines (Shift Leaders → GMs → Area Managers → Market Directors)
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement

Compliance & NYC Operational Expertise

• Ensure full compliance with all local, state, and federal labor laws, with deep expertise in NYC Fair Workweek (FWW) requirements
• Partner with HR and Legal to mitigate risk and uphold best practices across scheduling, pay, and employee relations

Who You Are

• A strategic restaurant operator who can zoom out to set direction and zoom in to drive execution
• A builder who thrives in growth environments and knows how to scale systems, teams, and performance
• A strong people leader who develops talent and holds teams accountable
• Highly data-driven, with the ability to translate insights into action
• Hands-on, visible, and present in the field

What You’ll Bring

• 10 years of progressive restaurant operations leadership experience - with significant experience in the fast casual sector
• Current or prior experience as a Vice President or Senior Director of Operations in a multi-unit fast casual restaurant brand
• Proven success leading multi-market operations and supporting new market expansion
• Deep experience operating in New York City, including strong working knowledge of Fair Workweek (FWW) and labor compliance
• Demonstrated ability to drive operational performance and improve unit-level economics
• Experience building and leading high-performing field leadership teams
• Strong cross-functional partnership skills (Finance, HR, Marketing, Culinary, Technology)

You will love working at NAYA

• Bonus: 20% (50/50 personal/company performance)
• Health Insurance: NAYA pays 80% individual medical
• Technology Reimbursement: $60/month
• Paid Time Off: 4 weeks Paid Vacation Time/56 hours sick/safe time
• Paid Holidays: 12 days/year
• Other Optional: Commuter Benefits, FSA, LTD/STD, Employee Assistance, Pet Insurance
• Most Importantly: Free NAYA

Naya is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender (including gender identity or expression), pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, marital status, domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking victim status, ancestry, national origin, alienage or citizenship, age, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristic, or other protected status.