Area Operations Manager

Job Purpose: Area Operations Managers serve as the regional leader for up to four Experiential Learning Platform cafes at Saxbys partner schools and universities. The Area Operations Manager’s primary purpose is to coach their Student Cafe Executive Officers (S.C.E.O.s) and leadership teams on Saxbys operational standards and to encourage a healthy and profitable cafe operation by holding SCEOs accountable to the execution of the Three Pillars of team development, community leadership, and financial management in their cafes.

Summary of Responsibilities: 

In conjunction with Head of Area Operations, support all operational needs of a “Pod” of cafes, with a specific focus & accountability on a subset of assigned cafes within the Pod. 

Team Development

• Provide feedback and approval on café team member promotions with  a focus on maintaining a strong leadership team

• Hold S.C.E.O.s and Certified level team members accountable to training standards and metrics for all team members

• Manage training of all team members by ensuring a 5:1 or better trainer to team member ratio. 

• Provide feedback on execution of in-café training and team member coaching and counseling  

• Advise on strategies for team development for individual team members and for the café team as a whole

• Identify exceptional talent for movement along the Saxbys Career Path Program 

• Hold S.C.E.O.s accountable for scheduling and holding quarterly Team Meetings and Monthly Team Lead Meetings

• Identify & groom internal talent to become future S.C.E.O.s, with an expectation that 100% S.C.E.O.s are hired from the internal cafe leadership team.

• Highlight best practices and/or remove barriers to enable a wide candidate pool of qualified cafe talent. Drive direction with Saxbys’ HQ assets where needed; e.g. with Marketing to help with recruiting, with Academic Platforms to assist with crediting 

• Drive direction with cross-functional recruiting & marketing teams to ensure that the cafe receives the support needed to maintain operational excellence.  Clearly articulate the hiring needs, and escalate as needed to hold the recruiting team accountable for staffing the cafes. 

• Assist Recruiting with campus recruiting efforts including but not limited to: table days, classroom presentations, career fairs and interviews 

Community Leadership

• Hold S.C.E.O.s accountable to the planning and execution of community outreach initiatives that drive top line revenue in the café

• Evaluate and give feedback on these café-level marketing strategies

• Identify with the S.C.E.O. community partners that support our Social Mission around Education and Opportunity 

• Ensure that all product rollouts and promotions are executed effectively

• Support HoAOps to prepare and be present with official partnership updates, and lead day-to-day engagement with each operational partner (i.e. Aux Service, Business Ops contacts for each campus) as the liaison to Saxbys academic partners and/or landlords 

Financial Management

• Review and provide feedback on Three Pillars Reviews

• Review and approve weekly Schedule Reviews 

• Hold leaders accountable to managing their Profit and Loss statements and to meeting key financial targets on a weekly, monthly, and annual basis

• Identify opportunities and institute key performance indicators to meet and exceed sales goals and use operational tools to monitor costs to increase profitability

• Provide regular feedback based on analysis of key metrics for financial growth of café, including but not limited to, Profit and Loss Statements, Weekly Financial reports, and scheduling budgets

• Complete Audit Action Plans and provide the necessary feedback to constantly improve café operations and efficiency

Cross-Functional Operational Support

• Continually assess Student Café Executive Officers (S.C.E.O.s) performance during their tenure and provide additional training and resources as needed to foster a successful experience

• Serve as a liaison between Saxbys HQ team and café-level team and connect the team to Saxbys Mission and Core Values 

• Manage café setup and initial opening as the Operations lead

• Coordinate with the Product department on vendor setup and initial orders

• Coordinate with the Design & Construction department on all inspections, permits and IT needs

• Coordinate with the Accounting department on bank account setup and initial cash withdrawal 

• Coordinate with the Recruiting and People Operations departments on team hiring and onboarding

• Coordinate with the Training department on Grand Opening training and all initial training needs

• Manage ordering of all smallwares and café supplies 

• Manage café organization, labeling and creation of café checklists 

• Set initial ordering and prep pars for café opening and adjust as needed regularly 

Qualifications:

• Support, exhibit, and promote Saxbys Mission Statement, Make Life Better, and Core Values in all daily activities. Our Core Values include:

• We are a community serving our community

• We embrace being O.D.D. (Outgoing, Detail oriented and Disciplined)

• Profit creates opportunity

• We live with pride, passion, and purpose

• Care personally and communicate openly

• Serve yourself by serving others

• Either 2+ years of foodservice management experience OR a minimum of 6 months as a Saxbys C.E.O. or S.C.E.O. or Certified level team member

• Multi-unit management experience a huge plus 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Outstanding passion for hospitality and servant leadership

• Experience managing teams and processes effectively 

• Ability to travel up to 80% of the time 

• Valid drivers license 

• Physical requirements:

• Able to stand, walk, and smile for extended periods of time 

• Able to stoop and kneel

• Push, pull, lift or carry up to 35 lbs

• Ascend or descend ladders, stairs, ramps