Product Operations Lead

Product Operations Lead

Irvine, CA

JOB DESCRIPTION

Who is Taco Bell?

Taco Bell was born and raised in California and has been around since 1962. We went from selling everyone's favorite Crunchy Tacos on the West Coast to a global brand with 7,500+ restaurants, 350 franchise organizations, that serve 42+ million fans each week around the globe. We're not only the largest Mexican-inspired quick service brand (QSR) in the world, we're also part of the biggest restaurant group in the world: Yum! Brands.

Much of our fan love and authentic connection with our communities are rooted in being rebels with a cause. From ensuring we use high-quality, sustainable ingredients to elevating restaurant technology in ways that haven't been done before... we will continue to be inclusive, bold, challenge the status quo and push industry boundaries.

We're a company that celebrates and advocates for different, has bold self-expression, strives for a better future, and brings fun while we're at it. We fuel our culture with real people who bring unique experiences. We inspire and enable our teams and the world to Live Más.

At Taco Bell, we're Cultural Rebels. Want to join in on the passion-fueled fun? Learn more about the career below.

About the Job:

Product Operations Lead is responsible for bridging the gap between restaurant operations, business strategy, and product development. This role sits at the intersection of real-world execution and digital product, owning the translation of operational challenges and business goals into clear product direction.

You will partner closely with technical product managers (TPMs) and field operators to ensure our labor management systems (scheduling, forecasting, people management, timekeeping, and reporting) drive measurable business impact.

This is a high-leverage role focused on defining problems, shaping strategy, and ensuring that product investments translate into operational and financial outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operational Insight & Problem Definition

• Develop deep expertise in restaurant labor operations, including scheduling, staffing, compliance, and labor cost management
• Identify and prioritize high-impact operational pain points through field engagement, data analysis, and stakeholder input
• Translate ambiguous operational challenges into clearly defined problem statements with measurable success criteria

2. Product Strategy & Direction

• Define the strategic vision for labor management operational & business capabilities in alignment with company goals (e.g., margin improvement, efficiency, scalability)
• Partner with TPMs to shape product roadmaps based on business value, ROI, and operational impact
• Establish guardrails and principles for product solutions (e.g., flexibility vs. control, automation vs. manual workflows)

3. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as the primary liaison between operations, business leadership, and technical product teams
• Provide operational context and validation during product design and development
• Partner with TPMs to ensure product solutions account for real-world complexity, edge cases, and adoption risks
• Foster trusted partnerships across franchise leaders and home office teams to understand evolving business needs, establish shared expectations for product solutions, and ensure successful execution against agreed-upon objectives.

4. Adoption & Impact Realization

• Define rollout strategies and oversee change management in partnership with operations and product teams
• Collaborate with franchise leadership and corporate teams to plan, execute, and evaluate solutions, ensuring stakeholder alignment on objectives, timelines, risks, and outcomes.
• Champion franchise engagement throughout the innovation lifecycle, ensuring field perspectives are incorporated into testing plans and change management activities to maximize adoption and business impact.
• Ensure alignment of incentives, processes, and expectations to drive product adoption
• Measure and monitor business impact (e.g., labor allocation, productivity, schedule accuracy, compliance, ease)
• Travel to test markets (approx. 15% -25% travel) to collect feedback, measure impact, and inform on future prioritization
• Iterate on strategy based on performance and feedback

5. Data-Driven Decision Making

• Leverage data to quantify problems, validate hypotheses, and assess product impact
• Partner with analytics teams to define key metrics and reporting frameworks
• Drive a culture of outcome-based decision-making rather than feature-based delivery

Is this you?

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent years of experience
• 8+ years of experience in product management, strategic decision-making, influencing, and presentation creation capabilities; Experience with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Adobe
• Experience performing data analysis and business case development
• Self-motivated individual who adapts readily to change, is empowered to make quick and effective decisions, and seeks feedback.
• Capable of working independently and leading conversations and project efforts with minimal assistance and feedback.
• Strong communication skills.
• Process-driven problem solver: ability to analyze complex situations with multiple factors and make key decisions.

Work-Hard, Play-Hard:

• Hybrid work schedule (onsite expectation Tues, Wed, Thurs) and year-round flex day Friday
• Onsite childcare through Bright Horizons
• Onsite dining center and game room (yes, there is a Taco Bell inside the building)
• Onsite dry cleaning, laundry services, and carwash
• Onsite gym with fitness classes and personal trainer sessions
• Up to 4 weeks of vacation per year plus holidays and time off for volunteering
• Generous parental leave for all new parents and adoption assistance program
• 401(k) with a 6% matching contribution from Yum! Brands with immediate vesting
• Comprehensive medical & dental including prescription drug benefits and 100% preventive care
• Discounts, free food, swag and... honestly, too many good benefits to name

Salary Range: $121,600 to $142,900 annually + bonus eligibility + benefits

The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we'll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.

Work Authorization Notice: Please note that we do not provide visa sponsorship or immigration support for this position. Applicants must already be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time, permanent basis without the need for current or future sponsorship.

At Taco Bell, we Live Más and invite you to do the same. Take a seat at our table. Bring your voice. Bring you, just as you are, a Cultural Rebel. We want you to be your best self!

Taco Bell is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to equity, inclusion, and belonging for all dimensions of diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other protected characteristic.

Taco Bell is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities or special needs.

US Job Seekers/Employees - To view the "Know Your Rights" poster, click here . You may also access Taco Bell's Pay Transparency Policy Statement.

Employment eligibility to work with Taco Bell in the U.S. is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for this position.

California Residents: For more information about the categories of personal information we collect from you and how we use, sell, and share that information, please see our Privacy Notice for California Employees here .