Digital Platforms Manager

Position Purpose: The Digital Platforms Manager is responsible for shaping and stewarding El Pollo Loco’s digital product strategy across all customer-facing platforms, including mobile app, mobile web, desktop web, and kiosk. This individual is focused on the customer journey, translating guest insights and behavioral data into a prioritized roadmap that drives platform adoption, engagement, and a best-in-class digital experience. The Digital Platforms Manager is a cross-functional connector and strategic thought partner, partnering with Brand Marketing, IT, Operations, and external vendors to ensure our platforms reflect brand standards, meet business objectives, and lead industry innovation. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Product Strategy & Roadmap Ownership Lead roadmap development and prioritization across all customer-facing platforms, based on consumer insights, business impact, and competitive benchmarking Continually improve the guest journey; synthesizing guest feedback, usability data, and behavioral analytics to advocate for experiences that drive engagement, frequency, and digital adoption Define and communicate platform vision and requirements clearly to cross-functional stakeholders, ensuring alignment between business goals and platform capabilities Manage cross-functional workstreams and project timelines, ensuring platform initiatives move from planning to execution with clarity and accountability Contribute to the exploration and application of AI and personalization capabilities that enhance the guest experience across digital touchpoints Passion for digital innovation and creating exceptional guest experiences Competitive Intelligence & Industry Trends Continuously monitor the competitive landscape across QSR and broader digital commerce to identify best practices, emerging technologies, and whitespace opportunities Translate competitive and industry insights, including advancements in AI, personalization, and omnichannel experience, into actionable roadmap recommendations Digital Menu Support & Optimization Identify opportunities to grow revenue through upsell programs, bundling, and other conversion-driving tactics Champion digital menu enhancements through the roadmap to improve the guest ordering experience Support new product launches MarTech & Platform Enablement Manage relationships with platform vendors and development partners, representing the goals of the organization and collaborating with the cross-functional digital team Lead or support platform evaluations, onboarding, and configuration based on business needs Stay current on MarTech tools and capabilities relevant to digital sales growth and guest engagement Analytics & Performance Monitor platform health, user behavior, and funnel metrics to identify friction points and opportunities for optimization Build and maintain reporting on digital platform KPIs to inform ongoing decision-making Non-Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee and may include other duties as assigned. Qualifications – Education, Experience, License/Certifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. The requirements listed below are representative of the education and/or experience required. Education and/or Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or related field; advanced degree a plus 4–6 years of experience in digital platforms or related field, with exposure to multi-unit restaurant or retail environments preferred Strong strategic thinking skills with a demonstrated ability to prioritize and contribute to platform roadmaps Strong project management skills, with a track record of managing cross-functional initiatives from planning through execution; experience with Asana or similar tool Experience with consumer research, user feedback synthesis, and translating insights into platform decisions Familiarity with agile methodologies and cross-functional development processes Excellent communication skills, comfortable presenting to both technical and non-technical audiences Analytical mindset with experience using data to drive decisions; familiarity with BI tools and Google Analytics preferred