Head of Operations - Multi-Branch Restaurants

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Head of Operations – Multi-Branch Restaurants based in Portugal. This is a hands-on operational leadership role overseeing performance across a growing multi-location food-service business. You will work directly with the CEO and lead managers across branches, focusing on execution, accountability, profitability, and scalable systems. The role combines multi-site restaurant operations with sales growth, business development, and the creation of new service opportunities. You will bring greater visibility to branch performance through dashboards, structured management routines, data, AI, and automation. Success will depend on turning operational problems into clear plans, accountable ownership, measurable outcomes, and repeatable processes. With delegated COO-level responsibility, the position offers significant autonomy and a path toward broader executive leadership as the business grows. Accountabilities: - Lead and improve performance across multiple restaurant branches through Area Managers, Branch Managers, and shift leaders. - Establish clear roles, operating standards, decision rights, escalation paths, audits, and daily and weekly management routines. - Improve visibility into service, delivery, staffing, branch performance, revenue, costs, margins, and unit economics while holding managers accountable for results. - Coach managers to take full ownership of their areas, strengthen leadership capabilities, and reduce unnecessary escalation to senior leadership. - Own the online customer journey, including discovery, ordering, delivery, issue resolution, repeat purchasing, conversion, average order value, and customer retention. - Develop pricing, promotions, bundles, and offers that support sales growth while protecting margins, and prepare budgets, forecasts, and performance plans. - Identify opportunities to improve profitability by reducing leakage, waste, operational bottlenecks, and inefficient processes.

- Turn business opportunities into practical operating plans, pilots, service lines, partnerships, and institutional accounts. - Build relationships with merchants, delivery and courier partners, and service providers, while identifying internal solutions that can become repeatable and scalable services. - Support hiring, onboarding, and development as the business expands. - Use AI tools, dashboards, automation, and digital workflows to improve analysis, planning, reporting, documentation, and management processes. - Translate business problems into clear requirements and acceptance criteria for technology teams, and validate whether new systems deliver the intended results. - Establish a strong first-90-day operating foundation by stabilizing urgent issues, launching dashboards and workflows, defining priority pilots, and presenting a roadmap for future growth. Requirements: - 7+ years of experience in operations or business management, with proven experience leading multiple restaurant or food-service locations, such as in an Area Manager, Operations Manager, Head of Operations, or multi-unit General Manager role. - Demonstrated experience managing managers, establishing accountability, and improving operational performance. - Proven track record of improving processes, service quality, and profitability. - Strong understanding of P&L management, budgeting, food and labor costs, margins, and unit economics. - Comfortable working with data, dashboards, Excel or Google Sheets, and digital business tools. - Strong executive-level communication and stakeholder management skills. - High ownership, strong execution focus, and willingness to get hands-on when operational challenges require it. - Experience launching, scaling, or turning around a branch, brand, service, or business unit is a strong advantage.