Product Manager, Drive Thru at Inspire Brands in Atlanta, Georgia

Job Description:

The Product Manager - Drive thru timer, headsets, speakers and music is the person responsible for managing the overall relationship between the Inspire brand technology teams, drive thru solution vendors, franchisees and the corporate field teams supporting the individual restaurants. It will be critical for this person to be able to take in a lot of feedback from multiple sources to then distill into key themes or issues, prioritize the list and work with the brand restaurant technology teams to create a roadmap to deliver ongoing support and enhancements to the end user.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Creates, manages & leads the product management specific meetings to ensure continuous improvement in product ideas and requirements


• Coordinates with other stakeholders to provide content, attend and present as needed at brand meetings (Franchisee Subcommittee, Restaurant Excellence, etc.). Tracks notes and action items for ad-hoc follow up and for future meetings


• Handles day-to-day product management activities including planning, risk mitigation, and follows up with product enhancement progress. Serves as the point of contact for lights-on production support escalations


• Establishes product strategy and outlines product roadmap; Leads vendor evaluation efforts along with applicable vendor selection efforts; Negotiates Statements of Work and other applicable vendor agreements


• Understands and comprehends product architecture, along with a command of technical and functional specifications to develop and maintain a best-in-class product offering across the enterprise


• Oversees vendor relationship and maintains a positive rapport with all levels of vendor's leadership team


• Communicates, motivates, and influences colleagues, leadership, franchisees, operators, vendors, and others in a courteous and professional manner


• Collaborates with franchisees and other end users to gather the appropriate requirements in order to communicate back to brand technology team and vendor teams


• Proactively communicates and collaborates with cross functional teams and business owners to analyze information needs and functional requirements to deliver and maintain an effective solution


• Plans effectively and multi-tasks. Utilizes time management and organization skills to achieve aggressive deadlines; Sets priorities and maintains organizational and filing systems. Responds promptly to others to ensure open and timely communication


• Communicates all issues, status updates, action items, and risks to the management team


• Adheres to established budgets associated with lights-on development and enhancements


• Participates in cross-functional project efforts across the enterprise as needed


• Actively participates in webinars, and other product management activities and franchisee meetings such as DACs, RACs, Trade Shows, etc.


• Manages planning and logistics and follow-ups from regular franchisee meetings (e.g. Franchisee Subcommittees)


• Possesses ability to complete hands-on lab & test system buildouts and associated testing as needed

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATIONS

• Required - Four year Degree in Business Administration, Computer Science, or related discipline


• 3-5+ years of experience in product management design, development, and implementation of drive thru applications and associated technologies


• 3-5+ years in a franchisee facing role at a corporation (QSR preferred)


• 3-5+ years of proven ability to oversee collaborative programs with leadership, product managers and vendors in support complex technology initiatives that bear tangible results

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS or ABILITIES

• Strong decision-making and negotiation skills


• Excellent Team-orientation and positive attitude


• Working knowledge and existing relationships with restaurant industry leading technology vendors


• Strong analytical skills required, including a thorough understanding of how to interpret franchisee and end user business needs, and translated them into operational requirements


• Demonstrated ability to work in a matrix environment


• Working knowledge with collaborative product management tools (Ex: JIRA, Confluence, SharePoint, etc.)


• Familiarity with drive-thru timer, headsets, speaker and microphone applications and tools from best-in-class providers (Ex. HME, Acrelec, Par etc.)


• Co-ordinate with drive-thru vendors to prioritize defect fix and enhancement for Inspire brands restaurants


• Working knowledge or awareness of new Geofencing technology preferred for future innovation


• Working Knowledge or awareness of camera technology in drive thru to recognize guest and personalize their orders


• Must be able to network, build strong relationships and influence people


• Must be a clear and concise communicator


• Must have the ability to clearly communicate to all levels of the organization in written, verbal & telephone forms of communication


• Must be a strong presenter in front of large groups of people both in person and over video conference


• Must have good problem-solving skills in a fast-paced environment


• Ability to establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with others


• Exceptional organization, communication skills, and keen attention to detail


• Ability to meet deadlines and make sound decisions based on data and stakeholder feedback


• Ability to work cross functionally within an organization


• Must have expert level skills with the Microsoft Office Suite, including but not limited to Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word


• Analyze problems and escalate issues in a timely manner for quick resolution


• Excellent management & analytical expertise, including ability to manage projects and processes that cross organizational lines


• Enthusiastic, positive attitude working with people and dealing with issues

Inspire Brands is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes nearly 32,000 Arby's, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin', Jimmy John's, Rusty Taco and SONIC Drive-In restaurants worldwide.

We're made up of some of the world's most iconic restaurant brands, but we're much more than just a restaurant company. We're a team of hundreds of thousands who individually and collectively are changing the way people eat, drink and gather around the table. We know that food is much more than a staple-it's an experience.

At Inspire, that's our purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences.