Director Of Program Operations Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

NOW Hospitality Co.

Reports To: Vice President, NOW Hospitality

Direct Reports: General Managers

Classification: Full-Time | Salaried Exempt

Location: Peoria, Illinois | Multi-Unit Field-Based Role

The Director of Operations is responsible for the overall operational performance of NOW Hospitality’s restaurant locations. This position leads and develops General Managers, drives financial and operational results, ensures consistent execution of company standards, and creates accountability across all locations.

The Director of Operations serves as the primary connection between executive leadership and restaurant management. This individual translates company goals into clear operating priorities and ensures General Managers have the direction, resources, systems, and accountability necessary to run successful restaurants.

This is a hands-on, field-based leadership position. The Director of Operations is expected to maintain a consistent presence inside the restaurants, observe operations firsthand, coach managers in real time, and verify that standards are being executed—not simply reported as complete.

The Director of Operations is responsible for leading the General Managers, not replacing them. General Managers retain direct accountability for the daily performance of their individual restaurants.

• Oversee the operational performance of all NOW Hospitality restaurant locations.
• Ensure company standards, systems, policies, and procedures are executed consistently across every location.
• Establish clear weekly priorities and expectations for each General Manager.
• Conduct routine restaurant visits during a variety of operating periods, including nights and weekends.
• Identify operational breakdowns and ensure corrective action plans are created and completed.
• Support restaurant openings, leadership transitions, major events, and other high-impact operational initiatives.
• Maintain operational readiness as the company adds locations and concepts.

• Directly lead, coach, develop, and hold General Managers accountable.
• Conduct structured weekly one-on-one meetings with each General Manager.
• Review each restaurant’s financial performance, staffing, guest experience, operational challenges, and upcoming priorities.
• Ensure General Managers are actively leading their management teams and are consistently present during critical operating periods.
• Establish written performance expectations and follow up on missed commitments.
• Develop management capability through coaching, training, feedback, and documented development plans.
• Identify high-potential employees and build a leadership succession pipeline.
• Recommend performance improvement plans, disciplinary action, leadership changes, or termination when necessary.
• Ensure every restaurant has appropriate management coverage and a clear leadership structure.

• Own multi-unit performance against approved sales, labor, cost, and profitability targets.
• Review restaurant financial statements, budgets, forecasts, and operating reports.
• Partner with the Controller and General Managers to identify variances and implement corrective action.
• Hold General Managers accountable for:
• Sales performance
• Hourly and management labor
• Food and beverage costs
• Prime cost
• Inventory accuracy
• Waste and product controls
• Operating expenses
• Restaurant-level profitability
• Ensure schedules are built according to forecasted sales, approved labor models, and the operational needs of each restaurant.
• Evaluate business trends and make practical recommendations to improve revenue, efficiency, and profitability.
• Prevent cost reductions from negatively affecting hospitality, cleanliness, food quality, or execution.

• Maintain consistent standards for hospitality, service, cleanliness, organization, safety, and management presence.
• Conduct documented field visits and operational audits.
• Verify completion and quality of opening, shift-change, closing, and management checklists.
• Ensure identified deficiencies are assigned to a responsible leader with a deadline for correction.
• Evaluate the guest experience from arrival through departure and address recurring service breakdowns.
• Ensure restaurant facilities, equipment, and physical environments are maintained appropriately.
• Coordinate operational responses to facility issues, equipment failures, or other disruptions.
• Ensure managers follow company procedures related to cash handling, deposits, purchasing, inventory, scheduling, and reporting.

• Ensure every restaurant delivers the level of hospitality expected by NOW Hospitality.
• Monitor guest feedback, online reviews, complaints, refunds, and service-recovery trends.
• Verify that General Managers respond to guest concerns promptly and professionally.
• Identify recurring problems and address their underlying operational causes.
• Coach restaurant leaders on floor presence, table interaction, service recovery, and hospitality leadership.
• Protect the reputation of the company and its brands through consistent execution.

• Partner with the People & Culture function to ensure restaurants are appropriately staffed with capable, hospitality-minded employees.
• Hold General Managers accountable for recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, training, scheduling, development, and retention within their locations.
• Review staffing levels and management bench strength at every restaurant.
• Ensure hiring decisions meet company standards and that managers do not lower expectations simply to fill positions.
• Support fair, consistent, and properly documented employee-relations practices.
• Ensure required training, certifications, onboarding documents, and performance reviews are completed.
• Reinforce a culture of hospitality, professionalism, urgency, ownership, accountability, and respect.
• Identify cultural or leadership problems early and intervene before they damage performance or retention.

• Build and improve scalable operational systems for a growing multi-unit restaurant company.
• Ensure accurate and timely completion of required reports, audits, checklists, inventories, schedules, and action plans.
• Create clear ownership for every operational priority.
• Maintain an operational scorecard for each location and review results weekly.
• Identify recurring breakdowns and correct the underlying system, training, or accountability issue.
• Standardize effective practices across locations while recognizing legitimate differences between concepts.
• Ensure company technology and operating platforms are being used correctly and consistently.

• Partner with the Director of Kitchen Operations on food quality, recipe execution, kitchen systems, sanitation, BOH labor, cost controls, and Kitchen Manager development.
• Partner with People & Culture on recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, training compliance, and leadership development.
• Partner with Finance and the Controller on budgeting, financial reporting, cost analysis, and corrective action.
• Coordinate with Marketing on promotions, events, launches, and operational readiness.
• Communicate operational priorities and field feedback clearly to the Vice President.
• Ensure cross-functional initiatives are translated into specific store-level responsibilities and completed by the appropriate restaurant leaders.

The Director of Operations has overall accountability for restaurant operations and directly manages the General Managers.

The Director of Kitchen Operations provides specialized leadership for back-of-house standards, kitchen systems, food quality, culinary execution, cost controls, and Kitchen Manager development. Kitchen Managers remain members of their restaurant’s management team and are accountable to their General Manager for daily restaurant execution while receiving functional direction and support from the Director of Kitchen Operations.

When operational and kitchen priorities overlap, the Director of Operations and Director of Kitchen Operations are expected to align on the plan before communicating expectations to the restaurants.

The Vice President establishes company strategy, approves major organizational and financial decisions, evaluates the Director of Operations, and holds the Director accountable for company-wide operational results.

The Director of Operations is authorized to:

• Set operating priorities for General Managers.
• Require corrective action when restaurants are not meeting company standards.
• Approve routine operational decisions within established company policies and budgets.
• Adjust management schedules and require leadership presence based on business needs.
• Recommend hiring, compensation changes, promotions, disciplinary action, and termination of managers.
• Coordinate resources and temporary management support between locations.
• Implement approved operating systems, standards, and procedures.
• Escalate material financial, legal, safety, personnel, or reputational risks to the Vice President.

The Director of Operations must receive executive approval for major capital expenditures, changes to compensation structures, creation or elimination of leadership positions, significant vendor commitments, material policy changes, and other decisions outside approved authority levels.

Performance will be evaluated based on company-wide and location-level results, including:

• Sales performance compared with budget
• Restaurant-level profitability
• Hourly and management labor performance
• Prime cost
• Food and beverage cost
• Inventory accuracy and waste control
• Guest satisfaction and online review performance
• Speed and quality of guest complaint resolution
• Health, sanitation, and safety audit results
• Operational audit scores
• Checklist and reporting compliance
• Management staffing and vacancy rates
• Employee turnover and retention
• Training and certification compliance
• General Manager performance and development
• Completion of corrective action plans
• Consistency of standards across locations
• Successful restaurant openings and leadership transitions

• Five or more years of progressive restaurant leadership experience.
• Multi-unit restaurant leadership experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing General Managers or senior restaurant leaders.
• Strong understanding of restaurant financial statements, budgeting, labor management, cost controls, inventory, and profitability.
• Proven ability to establish standards and hold leaders accountable.
• Experience improving operational consistency across multiple locations.
• Strong judgment when handling employee, guest, financial, and operational issues.
• Ability to communicate clearly, directly, and professionally.
• High level of organization, follow-through, urgency, and personal accountability.
• Ability to work independently while keeping executive leadership appropriately informed.
• Working knowledge of restaurant scheduling, POS, training, task-management, and reporting systems.
• Availability to work a schedule based on restaurant needs, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and periods of increased operational demand.
• Reliable transportation and the ability to travel regularly between company locations.

The successful Director of Operations will:

• Lead through clear expectations, consistent follow-up, and direct accountability.
• Spend meaningful time observing the business in person.
• Coach managers without taking over responsibilities they should own.
• Address underperformance promptly instead of allowing problems to continue.
• Separate isolated mistakes from recurring leadership or system failures.
• Balance financial discipline with hospitality and operational excellence.
• Communicate problems with proposed solutions.
• Build leaders and systems capable of supporting continued company growth.
• Model the professionalism, work ethic, urgency, and hospitality expected throughout NOW Hospitality.

This position requires regular movement throughout restaurant environments, extended periods of standing and walking, and the ability to occasionally lift or move restaurant-related items. The Director of Operations must be able to work in active restaurant environments and maintain a flexible schedule based on the needs of the business.

NOW Hospitality Co. is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, performance, and business needs without regard to any status protected by applicable law.

This job description describes the primary responsibilities of the position but is not intended to contain every duty that may be assigned. Responsibilities may evolve as NOW Hospitality grows, adds locations, introduces new concepts, and develops its leadership structure.

NOW Group is a creative collective specializing in hospitality concepts, curated events and brand partnerships, and strategic consulting. We build standout brands, craft memorable experiences, and help businesses grow with clarity and impact.