Systems Engineer, New Restaurant Openings

sweetgreen is on a mission to build healthy communities by connecting people to real food. We passionately believe that real food should be convenient and accessible to everyone, and we are building a company that reflects that belief. Our team is made up of people who care deeply about the guest experience, our partners, and each other.

The Systems Engineer II, New Restaurant Openings is responsible for the technical build out of new and relocated sweetgreen restaurants. The role sits on the NRO team within Technology and works at the intersection of business systems analysis and hands on technical execution: partnering with Store Design, Operations, and third party vendors, translating restaurant requirements into system configuration, then staging, configuring, and validating the restaurant technology stack so that each location opens with technology that works the first time. That stack includes POS and QSR platforms such as PAR Brink, along with payments, loyalty, inventory, Salesforce, and the integrations between them. You will be a technical point of contact at each NRO milestone, and you will help reduce the manual effort in the process over time through scripting, API driven tooling, and templated configuration.

You will:

• Execute the technical build out for assigned new restaurant openings, from requirements through go live and post launch stabilization, working alongside the third party vendors who perform on site installation.
• Configure POS and QSR platforms for each opening, including menus, pricing, tenders, modifiers, and store level settings, and stage back end systems and environments so all platforms are integration-ready before go-live.
• Validate technical readiness at each NRO milestone, including install, punch, turnover, and pre-grand opening, against defined entry and exit criteria, and escalate risk early rather than at the gate.
• Provide on-site and remote support during opening week, troubleshoot configuration, integration, and data flow issues across POS, payments, loyalty, inventory, and reporting, and transition each location cleanly into steady-state IT support.
• Build automation that removes manual steps from the build, including scripting, REST API integrations, and bulk configuration tooling, and execute functional, integration, regression, and user acceptance testing with results captured as repeatable artifacts.
• Gather and document requirements from Restaurant Operations, Finance, Construction, and Development partners, translate them into system configuration, and report readiness and status clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

Desired traits:

• Detail-driven: you treat configuration accuracy as the product, and you verify rather than assume.
• Range from planning to execution: you flex from documentation and requirements work to hands-on troubleshooting depending on what the opening requires.
• Calm under a fixed deadline: openings do not move, and you stay steady and clear-headed in the final week.
• Systems thinker: you look for the pattern behind a recurring issue instead of fixing the same thing store by store.
• Automation-minded: you would rather script a task than repeat it, and you look for the manual work worth eliminating.
• Trusted partner: you communicate technical risk credibly to operators and business leaders without jargon.
• Ownership: you follow an opening through to a stable handoff rather than to the point of technical completion.

Desired experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• 3 to 5+ years in systems engineering, business systems analysis, or technical implementation, ideally within restaurant, retail, or QSR technology.
• Hands-on configuration experience with POS and QSR platforms, with PAR Brink, QSR Automation preferred and Toast, Aloha, or Oracle Micros comparable, including menu, pricing, tender, and store-level configuration.
• Demonstrated ability to automate operational and configuration work using scripting such as Python or PowerShell, REST APIs, and SQL, with examples of manual effort measurably reduced.
• Working knowledge of integration patterns and middleware, with the ability to debug data flow across POS, payments, loyalty, inventory, and reporting systems, and strong testing discipline across test case design, UAT, and regression coverage.
• Experience delivering against fixed, externally driven deadlines with multiple concurrent workstreams, and based in Los Angeles with willingness to travel to opening locations as needed.

Nice to have:

• Experience supporting multi-unit fleet growth or new restaurant formats
• Familiarity with version control and CI-style validation applied to configuration management

What you'll get:

• Highly competitive pay + bonus plan
• Three different medical plans to suit your and your family's needs
• Dental and Vision insurance
• Flexible PTO plan
• 401k program
• Employee HSA and FSA
• Complimentary greens
• An opportunity to make a real impact on the people around you, both by growing them and by connecting them to real food
• To live the sweetlife and celebrate your passion + purpose
• A collaborative team of people who live our core values and have your back
• A clear career path with opportunities for development, both personally and professionally
• Free sweetgreen swag

Come join the sweetlife!

About sweetgreen

Sweetgreen is a national restaurant brand dedicated to building healthier communities by connecting people to real food. Since 2007, Sweetgreen has reimagined fast food to be fresh, flavorful, and rooted in relationships with farmers and communities. As we grow, we are committed to developing our people in our restaurants and at our support center, so that everyone can be part of the movement. When you join Sweetgreen, you not only invest in your own future but help create spaces where food, people, and purpose come together