Director of Design

Director of Design

Reports To: VP, Design & Construction

FLSA Status: Exempt

Cost Center: 9511

Location: Dallas, TX or Remote, USA

Salary Range: $117,000–$190,000 (Compensation is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, skills, qualifications, and geographic location.)

Position Summary

Mendocino Farms is seeking a Director of Design to lead the evolution and delivery of our restaurant experience across new restaurants, remodels, refreshes, and strategic initiatives.

This leader will own Mendo’s design function: the restaurant prototype, design standards, internal and external design resources, and the systems that turn brand strategy into distinctive, functional, and scalable restaurants. You will partner closely with Operations, Culinary, Facilities, Construction, Real Estate, and Marketing to create environments that strengthen the guest experience while supporting efficient operations, disciplined investment, and growth.

This is an opportunity for a creative and operationally minded leader who can set a compelling design point of view, build a high-performing team and consultant network, and make practical decisions that balance quality, durability, speed, cost, and long-term unit performance as Mendocino Farms expands its restaurant footprint.

Core Responsibilities

Lead the Design Function

• Team Leadership: Lead, coach, and develop internal designers and external design resources; set clear expectations, effective working rhythms, and a high bar for quality and accountability.
• Resource Alignment: Align internal and external design resources to the development pipeline, identifying when specialized expertise is needed.
• Senior Design Leadership: Serve as the senior design leader for complex, high-visibility, or high-risk projects and decisions.

Own the Brand Environment and Design Standards

• Prototype & Standards Ownership: Own and evolve Mendo’s restaurant prototype, design standards, material palettes, finishes, furniture, fixtures, lighting, equipment integration, and reusable design details.
• Brand Consistency: Ensure every restaurant delivers a recognizable Mendo experience while adapting appropriately to site conditions, market needs, and business priorities.
• Brand Evolution: Use operating feedback, field learning, and market insight to keep the brand environment relevant, differentiated, and scalable.
• Creative Point of View: Set and elevate Mendo’s creative design point of view, translating brand strategy into memorable, functional restaurant environments that feel distinctive across markets and formats.

Improve Restaurant Operations Through Design

• Operational Design Standards: Maintain and evolve design standards that prioritize guest flow, ordering and pickup, digital and delivery activity, seating, accessibility, storage, serviceability, and day-to-day operations.
• Kitchen & BOH Planning: Partner with Operations, Culinary, Facilities, Construction, and equipment vendors to improve kitchen planning, back-of-house flow, equipment integration, team ergonomics, throughput, food safety, and maintainability.
• Post-Opening Learning: Incorporate post-opening learning into future layouts, prototypes, and specifications.

Drive Quality, Clarity, and Design Delivery

• Design Delivery: Oversee design delivery for new restaurants, remodels, and refresh programs from feasibility test fits and concepts through permit-ready documentation and design-related construction support.
• QA/QC & Phase Gates: Establish practical design QA/QC and phase-gate practices that produce complete, coordinated, code-aware, and timely deliverables.
• Cross-Functional Reviews: Lead cross-functional reviews using clear agendas, advance pre-reads, recommendations, concise decision requests, and thoroughly documented follow-through.
• Stakeholder Direction: Translate stakeholder input into clear direction for internal teams and consultants, surfacing risks and tradeoffs early.
• Constructability: Partner with Construction to protect design intent, improve constructability, and reduce design-related rework, RFIs, and change orders.

Manage Partners and Investment Decisions

• Partner Management: Select, brief, manage, and evaluate architects, interior designers, engineers, and specialty vendors; set clear expectations for scope, quality, timing, communication, and accountability.
• Value Engineering: Partner with Construction and Real Estate to understand design cost drivers and make value-engineering recommendations.
• Investment Tradeoffs: Balance brand expression, operating performance, durability, cost, schedule, and long-term unit economics in design and specification decisions.
• Performance Tracking: Track design-function performance, capacity, risks, and priorities; use post-project reviews to improve standards, tools, and partner performance.
• Annual Operating Plan: Develop the annual design operating plan in partnership with Real Estate, including internal and consultant capacity, priorities, budget needs, and key risks; provide regular updates on design delivery.

Leadership Competencies

• Ownership & Accountability: Sets clear expectations, follows through reliably, and maintains a high bar for quality.
• People Development & Coaching: Builds the capabilities of internal team members and external partners.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Creates alignment across Operations, Culinary, Facilities, Construction, Real Estate, Marketing, and vendors.
• Creative & Operational Judgment: Balances brand expression with functionality, durability, speed, cost, and unit performance.
• Continuous Improvement: Uses field learning, post-project reviews, and market insight to strengthen standards and systems.
• Clear Decision-Making: Communicates concise recommendations, surfaces risks and tradeoffs, and documents follow-through.
• Strategic Execution: Translates brand strategy into scalable prototypes, standards, plans, and restaurant environments.

Qualifications, Education & Experience

Required:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Interior Architecture, Interior Design, Environmental Design, Product Design, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in restaurant, retail, hospitality, architecture, interior design, or another related built-environment discipline.
• Leadership: Experience leading a design team, studio, function, or substantial network of external design partners in a fast-moving, multi-project environment.
• Industry Footprint: Significant hands-on experience with restaurant or similarly operationally intensive commercial design, including prototype development, new-unit growth, remodels, and site-specific adaptation.
• Operational Design: Strong command of FOH/BOH flow, kitchen equipment, labor and ergonomics, guest circulation and accessibility, pickup and delivery, food safety, storage, and maintainability.
• Partner Management: Experience managing architects, interior designers, engineers, and specialty vendors against quality, schedule, scope, and budget expectations.
• Technical Knowledge: Working knowledge of construction documentation, design QA/QC, permitting, building and health codes, design detailing, accessibility, shop-drawing review, and constructability.
• Financial Acumen: Fluency with design budgets, cost drivers, value engineering, specification tradeoffs, lifecycle durability, and unit economics.
• Communication: Exceptional written, verbal, and visual communication skills, including concise recommendations and executive-ready presentations.
• Travel: Ability to travel occasionally for market visits, project milestones, and team meetings.

Preferred:

• Proficiency with Bluebeam Revu, Excel, PowerPoint, and project-management platforms.
• Working knowledge of AutoCAD and/or Revit and SketchUp.
• Experience scaling design infrastructure during periods of rapid restaurant growth.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS INCLUDE

• Competitive Salary, Bonus, and Equity

• Unlimited Meal Privileges
• Health Care & Wellness Benefits
• HSA/FSA
• Pet Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Commuter Benefits
• 401(k) Plan with Company Match
• Unlimited Paid Vacation

*Note: Benefit offerings may differ based on region, position, and employment type.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must be able to lift 25 pounds.
• Ability to sit or stand for 6–8 hours.
• Hand use includes single grasping, fine manipulation, pushing, and pulling.
• Work requires bending, twisting, squatting, and reaching.