We are passionate about bringing cool, authentic restaurants to airports that represent a taste of place.

Summary/Objective

SSP America maintains a significant capital expenditure program, spending in excess of $80M per year in the design, construction and remodeling of new and existing restaurants. In anticipation of ever-greater growth opportunities in the near future, it is important to enhance our ability to deliver market-leading facilities in a timely and cost-effective manner.   The Director, Kitchen Design will play a vital role in creating and managing our equipment layouts for each new and remodel location. The Director, Design will report directly to the Sr. Director of Design and Construction.

 Essential Functions

• Create preliminary equipment plans in AutoCAD or Revit based upon equipment lists provided by our internal teams.
• Manage our external kitchen design consultant through the process of developing full kitchen drawings and specifications.
• Review and approve all equipment drawings, specifications, and details for each project.
• Responsible for the communication and alignment of all internal SSP departments, brand partners and airport clients as it relates to our kitchen and bar designs including equipment specifications.
• Work closely with our Culinary and Operations team to maintain the Standard Equipment Specification List.Work to continuously improve our standards to achieve cost savings and bring forward innovation.
• Periodic visits to equipment manufacturers to maintain an understanding of new products and trends.
• Responsible for creating and adhering to project schedules for each assigned project including weekly reporting to SSP stakeholders.
• Support the field construction team during bidding and construction by responding to equipment layout issues.
• Responsible for adhering to project budgets assigned to each project.
• Work with External Brand partners to coordinate specific equipment requirements.
• Perform site surveys to evaluate existing equipment when required.
• Work closely with cost estimator and project manager to value engineer projects as needed
• Adherence to the SSP America Attendance Policy
• Performs any other duties as assigned by manager

• Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design, Architecture, or closely related field is required
• Minimum fifteen (15) years’ experience in the design of restaurants and/or other foodservice facilities
• Experience with venues located in airport terminals or other energetic, active, retail-oriented environments is strongly preferred
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and be able to interface effectively with all levels of management in the field and at the SSP America corporate offices, as well as the SSP Group parent company offices in the United Kingdom
• Excellent communication (verbal and written), presentation, organization, time management, problem solving, and follow-up skills
• Proven ability to handle conflict, work under pressure/deal with high stress situations, and resolve uncomfortable situations with clients, customers, peers and direct reports, and do so while exercising sound judgement and decision making.
• Dynamic, positive attitude with a service oriented approach is essential to support our culture/work environment and foster positive working relationships with all team members of the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and among cross-functional teams with minimal supervision, ability to juggle multiple tasks, work in a fast-paced environment, successfully manage multiple projects, and effectively prioritize assigned job duties to meet deadlines and objectives
• Strong business acumen with a desire to make a positive impact on the business; highly motivated to take ownership of assigned roles and to improve upon current processes and procedures
• Effective organizational maturity to prioritize daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly activities
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook); expert Excel skills, including modeling and report preparation a must
• Proficient in AutoCAD and/or Revit
• Ability to travel up to 30% or as needed

EOE/F/M/V/D