Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world, helping business owners operate, increase sales, engage customers, and keep employees happy.
At Toast, we are passionate about creating raving fans and delivering an unparalleled customer experience - and we know that means we can't just react to problems, we have to eliminate them at the source. As we continue to grow, scaling how we operate across teams, products, and systems has never been more important - we need to learn faster, fix smarter, and prevent issues before they happen. As the Director of Continuous Improvement, you’ll lead the function responsible for uncovering and resolving the systemic drivers behind recurring customer and operational issues. You'll uncover the systemic drivers behind recurring customer and operational issues, drive cross-functional accountability to implement permanent fixes, and build a culture where learning from failure makes us stronger.
This is a high-impact role reporting to the Senior Director of Operational Excellence will serve as a key leader in Toast’s next phase of customer and operational transformation.
A day in the life (Responsibilities)
- Build and scale Toast's Continuous Improvement program from the ground up, establishing a structured, repeatable process to identify, investigate, and permanently eliminate systemic issues that drive customer frustration and operational inefficiency.
- Design the end-to-end Continuous Improvement operating model, from intake and prioritization through investigation, fix ownership, implementation tracking, and validation of sustained impact.
- Drive cross-functional accountability by partnering with teams across the enterprise to ensure systemic fixes are implemented, monitored, and sustained over time.
- Establish governance and accountability frameworks that move issues from analysis to action, including review cadences, fix tracking mechanisms, and closed-loop validation processes.
- Embed Continuous Improvement as an operational discipline - not a reactive function - building a culture where root cause thinking is the norm, problems are learning opportunities, and teams are accountable for preventing recurrence.
- Lead and develop a high-performing team, coaching them to run rigorous investigations, influence without authority, and deliver results in a complex, matrixed organization.
What you'll need to thrive (Requirements)
- 10+ years in operations, quality, continuous improvement, or transformation, with deep expertise in root cause analysis and structured problem-solving methodologies (5 Whys, Fishbone, DMAIC, A3, etc.).
- Proven track record of driving systemic problem resolution across complex, cross-functional organizations - securing commitments, holding teams accountable, and delivering measurable, sustained improvements.
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional investigations and hold teams accountable for systemic fixes.
- Strong analytical and diagnostic skills—comfortable working with data, trends, and operational metrics to surface patterns, quantify impact, and validate that fixes are working.
- Excellent communication and storytelling ability, with the ability to distill complex investigations into clear, compelling narratives that drive executive action and cross-functional alignment.
- Skilled at building governance structures, with the ability to influence and drive accountability without direct authority.
- Intellectual curiosity combined with disciplined execution - comfortable navigating ambiguity, asking hard questions, and building structure where none exists, all while maintaining focus on results.
- Growth-oriented leader who builds high-performing teams and fosters a culture of accountability, curiosity, and continuous learning.
AI at Toast
At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn. We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality. We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them. The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it’s a core part of our culture.
Our Total Rewards Philosophy
We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry. Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and provides the means to a healthy lifestyle with the flexibility to meet Toasters’ changing needs. Learn more about our benefits at https://careers.toasttab.com/toast-benefits.
The base salary range for this role is listed below. The starting salary will be determined based on skills and experience. In addition to base salary, our total rewards components include cash compensation (overtime, bonus/commissions, if eligible), benefits, and equity (if eligible).
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is Baked into our Recipe for Success
At Toast, our employees are our secret ingredient—when they thrive, we thrive. The restaurant industry is one of the most diverse, and we embrace that diversity with authenticity, inclusivity, respect, and humility. By embedding these principles into our culture and design, we create equitable opportunities for all and raise the bar in delivering exceptional experiences.
We Thrive Together
We embrace a hybrid work model that fosters in-person collaboration while valuing individual needs. Our goal is to build a strong culture of connection as we work together to empower the restaurant community. To learn more about how we work globally and regionally, check out: https://careers.toasttab.com/locations-toast.
Apply today!
Toast is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive hiring process. As part of this commitment, we strive to provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities to enable them to access the hiring process. If you need an accommodation to access the job application or interview process, please contact [email protected].
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For roles in the United States, It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
