Starbucks Corporation

director, Workforce Technology & Digital Experience

Starbucks Corporation$120K — $150K *
Enterprise Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of technology leadership experience with a focus on enterprise platforms
  • 5+ years of experience leading high-performing engineering organizations
  • Proven expertise with enterprise WFM solutions like UKG or Blue Yonder
  • Strong understanding of labor forecasting, scheduling optimization, and retail processes
  • Deep experience in modern architecture patterns including cloud-native and microservices

Responsibilities

  • Drive enterprise platform strategy and modernization initiatives
  • Deliver engineering excellence for secure, API-driven platforms
  • Translate retail needs into scalable platform capabilities
  • Develop high-performing engineering teams and culture
  • Influence cross-functional alignment on platform strategy

Benefits

  • Opportunity to lead the transformation of enterprise platform-based retail operations
  • Engagement in innovative projects leveraging AI and automation
  • Focus on continuous improvement and talent development
  • Access to a dynamic work environment with diverse teams
  • Potential for long-term career growth within a leading company
Full Job Description
As the dir, Workforce Management & Coffeehouse Systems, you will play a critical role in advancing our enterprise technology strategy, leading the platforms that underpin retail labor, scheduling, and in-store partner tooling. This role sits at the intersection of Partner Tech, Retail Operations, and Enterprise Data & Analytics, driving platform-based solutions that balance standardization, flexibility, and innovation at scale.

You will lead the strategy, engineering, and delivery for Workforce Management (WFM) and Digital Experience platforms, ensuring these systems operate as enterprise-grade, resilient, and extensible capabilities that unlock business outcomes-not just point solutions. These products are at the heart of shift execution and should increasingly leverage AI and intelligent automation to improve productivity, accelerate decision-making, and enhance problem solving for partners and operators.

As a Retail Operations Tools Director, you will:

Drive enterprise platform strategy and modernization

  • Lead modernization efforts across core WFM platform to UKG and streamline overall ecosystem.
  • Define and execute a multi-year platform strategy for Workforce Management and Retail Digital Experience aligned to enterprise architecture principles
  • Transition from fragmented tools to scalable, product-centric platforms that enable reuse, integration, and speed to market


Deliver engineering excellence at scale

  • Lead engineering teams to build and operate secure, highly available, API-driven platforms
  • Establish standards for architecture, integration patterns, DevSecOps, and observability
  • Drive improvements in system reliability, performance, and cost efficiency across mission-critical retail systems


Enable business outcomes through technology

  • Translate retail and partner needs into scalable platform capabilities (labor optimization, scheduling, partner experience)
  • Partner with Retail, HR, and Data teams to embed analytics-driven decisioning and AI-enabled insights into WFM and in-store tools to increase productivity and solve operational problems faster
  • Ensure platforms are designed for adaptability across markets while maintaining enterprise consistency


Lead and develop high-performing teams

  • Build and lead a diverse organization of engineering leaders, product-aligned teams, and platform specialists
  • Create a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and talent development
  • Coach leaders and teams to operate with a product mindset and enterprise ownership mentality


Influence across the enterprise

  • Partner with senior leaders across Partner Tech, Retail Operations, HR, and Enterprise Data & Analytics
  • Drive alignment on platform investment, prioritization, and trade-offs
  • Shape vendor strategy and relationships to maximize value from strategic platforms and partners


Balance innovation with operational excellence

  • Own end-to-end accountability for platform performance, availability, and delivery outcomes
  • Ensure the right balance between run, optimize, and transform across critical retail systems
  • Lead through complexity, making clear, data-driven decisions in a high-scale environment


We'd love to hear from people with:

  • 10+ years of progressive technology leadership experience, with deep exposure to enterprise platforms
  • 5+ years of people leadership, including leading leaders and building high-performing engineering organizations


Workforce Management platform expertise

  • Proven experience leading or implementing enterprise WFM solutions, including:
    • UKG (Kronos), Blue Yonder (JDA), Or comparable large-scale labor, scheduling, or workforce optimization platforms
  • Strong understanding of labor forecasting, scheduling optimization, compliance, and retail workforce processes


Engineering and platform leadership

  • Deep experience in modern architecture patterns (cloud-native, APIs, microservices, event-driven design)
  • Experience leading large-scale platform modernization or transformation initiatives
  • Proven ability to operate and scale mission-critical, high-availability systems
  • Experience identifying and applying AI, automation, and intelligent tooling to improve productivity, streamline operations, and accelerate problem resolution in enterprise environments


Enterprise leadership and influence

  • Demonstrated ability to connect technology decisions to business outcomes
  • Strong executive communication and cross-functional leadership skills
  • Experience operating in complex, matrixed environments with senior stakeholders


People and culture leadership

  • Track record of building, coaching, and developing leaders and teams
  • Ability to foster an inclusive, high-performing culture grounded in accountability and growth
  • Strong focus on talent development, succession planning, and organizational health
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (advanced degree preferred)


Why this role matters

This role is pivotal in shaping Starbucks' transition to enterprise platform-based retail operations. By modernizing Workforce Management and Digital Experience capabilities, you will directly impact partner experience, operational efficiency, and enterprise scalability-ensuring our technology foundation can support continued growth and innovation.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with micro-services environment running at very high requests/sec (10K/sec)
  • Experience with building and managing high volume distributed transactional systems
  • Experience with building cloud native applications
  • Experience with data lakes / data warehousing systems
  • 10+ years' experience building and leading teams of engineers.
  • Enterprise services product management or ownership experience.
  • Prior experience leading the design, execution, and continuous improvement of enterprise-wide, complex products and/or services.
  • Deep subject matter expertise in Marketing platforms.
  • Demonstrated experience directing the software development function, including the process, design, development, delivery and maintenance of software products and services.
  • Demonstrated experience developing and delivering solutions for retail, internet, or similar companies.
  • Exceptional communication and presentation skills: you can communicate conceptual ideas, engineering rationale and technical challenges both verbally and visually, to a wide range of audiences.
  • Experience working with distributed teams.


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About Starbucks Corporation

Starbucks is an international chain of restaurants that retails handcrafted coffee, tea, and fresh food items. With 23,132 stores in 65 countries and territories, Starbucks locations serve hot and cold drinks, whole-bean coffee, microground instant coffee, espresso, caffe latte, full-leaf teas, evolution fresh juices, pastries, and snacks. Most stores also sell pre-packaged food items, hot and cold sandwiches, and items such as mugs and tumblers. The stores also offer a variety of beers, wines, and appetizers, and markets books, music, and film. Some of the company’s products are seasonal or specific to the locality of the store. Starbucks-brand coffee, ice cream, and bottled cold coffee drinks are also sold at grocery stores. Starbucks was founded by Orin Smith in October 1971 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Starbucks Corporation Careers

Join the vibrant team at Starbucks Corporation, a premier destination for passionate, innovative professionals seeking impactful careers in the coffee industry and beyond. As a global leader in coffee and a champion of sustainable practices, Starbucks offers unparalleled job opportunities that promise both personal and professional growth.

Work You’ll Do

Embark on a fulfilling career path at Starbucks Corporation where you can blend your skills with a culture of excellence and innovation. Our team members are at the heart of our business, and we empower them through leadership development, diversity training, and continuous learning opportunities.

Transform Your Career

With Starbucks, you're not just taking a job; you're joining a culture that nurtures innovation, leadership, and a commitment to diversity and community involvement. Our baristas, managers, and corporate employees all play integral roles in our mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.

Innovate and Lead

At Starbucks, innovation isn't just about coffee. It's about revolutionizing the way we connect with customers and grow our business. Lead the charge in creating and implementing new ideas as part of a team that values bold thinking and a fresh approach to challenges.

Professional Growth and Development

Starbucks is committed to the growth of its employees. Whether through professional development programs, internships, or leadership training, we provide the tools needed for you to advance your career within the company. Our robust benefits package supports the health, financial, and lifestyle needs of our team members and their families.

Join Our Team

Explore the array of job opportunities at Starbucks Corporation—from baristas to management positions. We are hiring creative, driven individuals who are ready to make meaningful contributions. Bring your unique perspective and talents to Starbucks and help us continue our legacy of innovation and exceptional service.

Networking and Career Advancement

Starbucks is a place where networking and professional relationships flourish. Connect with leaders and peers who can help guide your career path, and take advantage of our comprehensive training programs that prepare you for future leadership roles.

Internship Opportunities

Gain real-world experience and build your resume through a Starbucks internship. Our interns work on projects that matter, gaining skills that are crucial to succeeding in the coffee industry and beyond. It’s an opportunity to see what a career at Starbucks might look like, with many interns going on to full-time positions within the company.

Stay Connected

Search open positions that match your skills and interests. We look for passionate, curious, creative, and solution-driven team players. Join us and be part of a company that prides itself on growth, innovation, and a positive employment culture.

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Explore Starbucks Careers

Whether you're beginning your career journey or looking to enhance it, Starbucks offers a dynamic path filled with opportunities for success. Join us and become part of a team that is passionate about coffee, community, and making a positive impact in the world.
Learn more about Starbucks Corporation
Size
383,000 employees
Market Cap
$113.2 billion
Industry
Net Income
$664.8 million
Founded
1971
5 Year Trend
+7.6%
Revenue
$23.1 billion
NASDAQ

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