Operations Excellence Manager

About the role

The Operations Excellence Manager (OEM) plays a pivotal role in ensuring brand standard compliance and operational excellence across both company-owned and franchise locations through comprehensive Quality, Service, and Cleanliness (QSC) assessments. This role supports New Store Openings (NSO) by providing essential training and facilitating communication among various cross-functional teams, ensuring a seamless launch process. The OEM cultivates productive relationships with store operators, offering guidance and coaching to elevate business operations, enhance guest experience, and support brand initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive Quality, Service, and Cleanliness (QSC) assessments at both company-owned and franchise locations, incorporating in-store evaluations and virtual reviews. Organize travel, coordinate with leadership and business consultants, and provide education on brand standards and food safety.
• Ensure meticulous documentation of each store visit to uphold and enhance operational standards.
• Actively support New Store Openings (NSO) by delivering targeted training to new team members and managers. Assist the lead opening trainer in facilitating effective communication with upper management and cross-functional teams, including Retail Technology, Design & Construction, and Marketing, to ensure a seamless opening process that meets all brand requirements.
• Foster impactful, productive partnerships with store operators and key contacts to drive operational excellence and maintain high standards across all locations.
• Offer expert guidance, coaching, and support to store operators to elevate operating standards and promote continuous improvement, including teaching operational excellence and ensuring compliance with brand standards.
• Conduct targeted restaurant visits to support and enforce brand operations initiatives and rollouts, ensuring consistent execution of brand standards and operational excellence.
• Employ analytical tools such as GuestFocus, Business Intelligence (BI), and performance scorecards to extract valuable insights. Review and analyze findings to inform brand teams about field operations, highlight areas for improvement, and drive strategic decisions to enhance guest experience and operational efficiency.
• Work with brand leaders to find collaborative solutions to recurring or common field issues.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED (required).
• Bachelor’s degree (preferred).
• 2–4 years of experience (required); 4–7 years of experience (preferred).
• Management experience in the food industry at the Assistant or General Manager level (required).
• Food Safety experience (required).

Skills

• Knowledge: Operations Training, Hospitality Management, Food Safety.
• Technical Skills: Basic Microsoft 365 applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Soft Skills: Public Speaking, Time Management, Leadership, Writing and Communication, Change Management, Organization.
• Abilities: Work across large organizations and build relationships, work under pressure, think quickly and logically to ensure expedient response to customer inquiries, critical thinking, recognize and anticipate problems, identify and implement optimal solutions.

Travel

May be required to travel up to 100% of the time.