Sr. Director, Business Applications

Job description

At Caribou Coffee we create day-making experiences that spark a chain reaction of GOOD ! This is our purpose. Our team brings this to life by focusing on what’s really important around here – TEAM, GUEST, BUSINESS ! It’s that simple. If you’re ready to work somewhere you can be yourself while making an impact on your community, creating life-long relationships, and serving the best coffee around, join our herd! Apply today and be part of the ‘Bou Crew! Position Overview: The Director, Business Applications leads the strategy, delivery, and continuous improvement of Caribou Coffee’s application portfolio, including customer-facing digital platforms, point-of-sale and coffeehouse operations systems, enterprise business systems, and the integrations that connect them. This role ensures applications are reliable, scalable, and aligned to business priorities across corporate, field, and franchise operations. This leader partners closely with IT and cross-functional business teams to translate operational and strategic needs into technology solutions that improve team member efficiency, enhance the guest experience, and support business growth. They drive a balanced focus on operational excellence, system optimization, and targeted innovation to evolve the applications environment while maintaining strong day-to-day performance. With a strong understanding of application delivery and support, the Director builds and leads a high-performing team, establishes clear processes and governance, and positions technology as a practical enabler of business outcomes, partnering across teams to align priorities, build trust, and deliver shared results. Core Responsibilities: Technology Strategy & Application Portfolio Develop and execute a multi-year applications roadmap aligned to enterprise priorities, balancing new capabilities with system stability and performance. Oversee the health, performance, and lifecycle of the application ecosystem, including: Customer-facing digital platforms (mobile app, online ordering, web, loyalty, and third-party delivery integrations) Point-of-sale and coffeehouse technology (POS, inventory, drive-thru systems, labor management and scheduling) Core enterprise systems (finance, supply chain, HR, store operations) Integration architecture and data flows Own the applications portfolio budget: develop annual operating and capital budgets, manage vendor spend, and report on value delivered relative to investment. Identify and drive opportunities for system optimization, automation, and improved user experience. Drive application portfolio rationalization—consolidating, retiring, or replacing redundant systems to reduce complexity, technical debt, and cost. Lead the evolution of the applications team’s operating model to emphasize proactive improvement, automation, and business enablement, supported by clear performance metrics and accountability. Partner with IT leadership to align applications with broader technology strategy and architecture. AI Enablement & Intelligent Automation Identify, prioritize, and support implementation of practical AI use cases that enhance business processes, decision-making, and user experience (e.g., forecasting, personalization, workflow automation). Collaborate with IT, data, and business teams to integrate AI capabilities into existing applications and workflows where they drive measurable value. Help establish a structured approach to evaluating and scaling AI opportunities, balancing experimentation with disciplined delivery. Promote understanding of AI capabilities across business partners, translating opportunities into clear, actionable use cases. Work with peers across IT, data, security, and business teams to ensure AI solutions align with data governance, security, and responsible use standards. Delivery, Support & Operational Excellence Lead application delivery and support, ensuring reliable, high-quality service for business users and operations. Support new coffeehouse openings, store technology rollouts, and field/store systems, ensuring dependable in-store technology that protects speed of service and the guest experience. Establish and manage service levels, incident response, release management, and change control processes. Drive continuous improvement through standardization, documentation, and targeted automation. Ensure effective prioritization and resolution of issues impacting the business. Implement metrics and reporting to monitor system performance, team effectiveness, and business impact. Business Partnership Develop trusted advisor relationships with leaders across Marketing, Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, and Human Resources to understand needs and translate them into technology solutions, proactively surfacing technology opportunities that align with their strategic objectives. Translate complex technology concepts into clear, compelling business narratives for non-technical audiences. Present roadmaps, risks, and recommendations at the executive level with confidence and precision. Manage application demand from intake through delivery, acting as the key liaison between business stakeholders and IT to ensure work is clearly articulated, prioritized, and delivered in line with business priorities and capacity. Vendor Management, Governance & Risk Manage relationships with application vendors, SaaS providers, and implementation partners to ensure quality delivery and cost-effectiveness. Establish and enforce governance across applications, including change management, release processes, and documentation standards. Partner with IT security and risk teams to ensure systems meet security, compliance, and data governance requirements. Identify and manage application risks, including technical debt, system dependencies, and lifecycle planning. Support audits, controls, and ongoing technology governance processes. People Leadership Lead, direct, and mentor a team of direct reports, giving them the guidance and strategic direction to perform effectively and in line with organizational goals. Take ownership of the team’s deliverables, ensuring high-quality work that meets business needs. Set performance expectations and regularly monitor progress, providing constructive feedback and coaching as needed. Foster a positive team culture that encourages collaboration, accountability, and adherence to Caribou’s core values (Support One Another, Make Fun Happen, Be Yourself, Take Ownership, and Serve with Love), leading by example in demonstrating professionalism, integrity, and a strong work ethic. Serve as a champion for organizational change, effectively communicating the vision, rationale, and benefits of transformation initiatives. Lead a team through periods of change with clarity and confidence, fostering resilience and adaptability. Skills and Requirements: Deep fluency in AI/ML concepts, generative AI, intelligent automation, and practical enterprise AI application—able to separate hype from genuine business value. Strong command of enterprise application architecture, SaaS/cloud platforms, API/integration patterns, and modern delivery methodologies (Agile, DevOps). Exceptional ability to build trust with business leaders; translates technology into business outcomes without resorting to jargon. Inspires followership through authenticity, high standards, and genuine investment in team members’ growth. Comfortable delivering difficult feedback, managing performance constructively, and making courageous people decisions. Strong executive presence: organized, articulate, and compelling in both written and verbal communication. Balances long-term vision with near-term execution discipline; translates annual plan goals into actionable roadmaps with clear owners and milestones. Analytically rigorous: makes data-informed decisions, tracks the right metrics, and learns quickly from results. Resilient and adaptable - thrives in ambiguity and change, maintaining focus and momentum for the team. Qualifications: Required: 8+ years’ progressive technology leadership experience, including at least 5 years managing teams that span both digital and enterprise application domains. Demonstrated track record of leading organizational or team transformation - elevating capability, shifting culture, and driving measurable performance improvement. Hands-on experience with AI/ML implementation or enterprise AI strategy; ability to translate AI concepts into business value. Deep experience with enterprise application portfolios including at least two of the following: point-of-sale or coffeehouse technology platforms, digital ordering/loyalty platforms, ERP systems, financial management platforms, supply chain technology, HR/people systems. Proven ability to partner effectively with senior business leaders and operate as a credible technology advisor at the executive level. Solid grounding in IT governance, change management, vendor management, and budget ownership. Experience with security and compliance best practices in the context of enterprise and digital applications. Preferred: Experience in consumer-facing industries (restaurant, retail, hospitality, CPG), ideally multi-unit or franchise, with exposure to point-of-sale, online ordering, loyalty, e-commerce, or mobile platforms. Familiarity with Agile delivery frameworks (SAFe, Scrum, Kanban) and DevOps/CI–CD practices. BSc/BA in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field; MSc/MBA preferred. Physical Requirements: The physical requirements for this position include sitting, standing, bending, lifting, and moving intermittently during working hours. These physical requirements must be accomplished with or without reasonable accommodation. The duties of this position may change from time to time. Caribou reserves the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of Caribou or its managers. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed. It is not intended to be all-inclusive. Caribou Coffee Operating Company, Inc. and its affiliates are proud to be Equal Opportunity Employers to all applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type based on any characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. Address: | 3900 Lakebreeze Ave N , Brooklyn Center, Minnesota 55429 | Compensation Range: $108,678.00 - $181,130.00 per year * Starting pay is subject to Local and State Minimum Wage regulations. **Ranges reflect what employer reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for such position. The physical demands for this position are reaching, lifting up to 50 pounds, sitting, standing, for 4 to 8 hours, bending, and moving intermittently during working hours. These physical demands may be accomplished with or without reasonable accommodations. The duties of this position may change from time to time. Caribou Coffee reserves the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the company or its managers. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed. It is not intended to be all-inclusive. Caribou Coffee Operating Company, Inc. and its affiliates are proud to be Equal Opportunity Employers to all applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type based on any characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. Brand: Caribou Coffee