Manager - Fresh AI Engineering

When our square shaped burgers made their first sizzle on the scene more than 50 years ago, people knew our approachwasn’tlike any other. Same goes for the way we support our employees. Our culture of openness, flexibility, and inclusiveness allows everybody to flourish in their own way. Ifyou’relooking for a career where you can be part of the action as we continue to grow our iconic brand - We got you!We’re seeking a hands-on, forward-thinking Engineering Manager to help scale and stabilize Wendy’s FreshAi platform and build the foundation for future AI-enabled restaurant systems. This role blends operational command with architectural vision—balancing real-time incident support, vendor coordination, and system design for a fast-moving, AI-powered environment. This position is ideal for a senior technologist who thrives in both deployment scenarios and long-term platform planning, with a passion for system reliability, AI integration, and emerging tech at scale.Platform Operations & Support LeadershipServe as the technical leader during deployments and hypercare periods for FreshAi and future emerging tech initiatives. Own triage workflows: monitor production systems, lead incident resolution, coordinate hotfixes, and ensure uptime. Collaborate with engineering, QA, product, and vendor teams to deliver stable releases and reduce production defects. Proactively identify and mitigate risks through dashboards, alerting tools, and platform health metrics. Architectural Vision & System DesignDefine the technical strategy and system architecture for scalable, modular AI-integrated platforms. Architect end-to-end solutions that span Angular frontends, Node.js services, Java backends, and cloud-based AI agents (e.g., Google Food Ordering AI). Integrate evolving platform components like VisionAI, Agent Space, and IoT edge solutions into a cohesive digital ecosystem. Vendor & Cross-Team IntegrationLead cross-functional integration between Wendy’s teams and external partners such as Google Cloud, Acrelec, and HME/Nexeo. Manage vendor performance and alignment with product and system SLAs. Translate platform needs into partner-ready requirements and resolve cross-system dependencies.Innovation & Technical EnablementInfluence long-term technical roadmap for FreshAi and other high-impact initiatives across channels (drive-thru, kiosk, mobile, voice). Contribute to technical evaluation of LLM agent behaviors, model performance, and emerging frameworks like GenAI, edge computing, and real-time decision systems. Build documentation and playbooks to scale deployment success and operational support across multiple restaurant environments. USD $114,000.00/Yr.USD $200,000.00/Yr.8+ years of experience in software engineering or platform architecture, including customer-facing and AI-powered applicationsExperience leading platform deployments and owning real-time operational response (hypercare, rollback plans, triage)Strong technical proficiency across:Angular, js, JavaRESTful APIs, microservices, WebSocketCloud infrastructure (Google Cloud strongly prferred)Experience in QSR, retail, or high-availability SaaS environmentsFamiliarity with LLM/AI system behavior, model lifecycle management, or MLOpsHands-on experience with deployment pipelines, observability tools, or incident automationExposure to Vision AI, IoT, or edge compute architecturesExpected Work Location (In Office): It is expected that you will primarily perform work at the Wendy's Restaurant Support Center (RSC) (1 Dave Thomas Blvd, Dublin, OH 43017), or at other location(s) asdesignatedby the Company. Youare required towork in the office at least 4 days a week. Changes to work location arrangements are subject to managerial approval and business needs. #LI-OnsiteWendy’s was built on the premise, 'Quality is our Recipe®,' whichremainsthe guidepost of the Wendy's system. Today, Wendy's and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across more than 7,000 restaurants worldwide with a vision of becoming the world's most thriving and beloved restaurant brand.The base pay range for this position is listed below. The basepayactually offered will take into account internal equity and budget for the open position and also may vary depending on the candidate’s job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, among other relevant factors. This range does not include an estimated value for any benefits, bonus, or other incentives that may be applicable based on position. The target annual bonus for this role is 20% of annualized base salary, based on actual company and personal performance.Our square burgers make us different and so do our benefits! Our restaurant support roles are eligible for a wide array of benefits, including things such as parental leave, free EAP sessions, company 401kmatchand other great offerings. For more details about our benefits, including an overview of eligibility and terms for certain benefits, please visit our benefits website,www.wendysbenefits.com.NOTE: Wendy’s benefits, bonus, and other incentives are governed by the applicable legal plans and policies and, whereappropriate, may be subject to Board approvalanindividual award agreementterms. Those documents supersede all other informationregardingWendy’s benefits, bonus, and other incentives. Wendy’sretainsthe right to amend orterminateits plans and policies at its sole discretion,in accordance withapplicable plans, policies and laws.

Created: 2025-11-01