Operations Director | UK

Blank Street; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Blank Street seeks a UK Operations Director to lead its café operations and team culture. This role combines strategic oversight with people leadership, focusing on operational excellence and team development. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in hospitality and a passion for creating exceptional customer experiences.

Benefits

Equity package

Private health and dental insurance

25 days of annual leave

Salary sacrifice scheme

Access to fitness classes

Free coffee and matcha

Regular team events

Qualifications

• 5+ years in an operations leadership role within hospitality, retail, F&B, or consumer.
• 2+ years of experience in top-tier consulting or a similarly structured, strategic environment preferred.
• Proven experience building high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Own the full UK café P&L and drive operational performance.
• Oversee the largest team at Blank Street, shaping culture and standards.
• Lead operational execution across sales, labor, quality, and guest experience.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Organizational Skills

Hospitality

Education

5+ years in operations leadership

Experience in top-tier consulting

Job description

At Blank Street, we’re on a mission to become the defining food and beverage brand of our generation. From the very beginning, we’ve set out to add a spark to ordinary experiences through elevated products, attention to detail, and a commitment to making every moment memorable. We’re motivated by the millions of customers we serve across cities, and know that our potential is unlimited. It all starts with our people and their commitment to make magic happen each and every day. Like the sound of this? Keep reading.

About the Role

As UK Operations Director, you’ll wear two equally critical hats: Strategic Operator and People & Hospitality Leader.

As a Strategic Operator, you’ll own the full UK café P&L, identifying key opportunities across customer experience and operational performance. You’ll use data to drive decisions, bring sharp commercial judgment, and lead change that scales. From system rollouts to SOP design to setting the weekly rhythm - you’ll be the one translating vision into action and keeping the machine running tightly.

As a People & Hospitality Leader, you’ll oversee (by far) the largest team at Blank Street - our baristas, GMs, and field leaders. You’ll shape culture, build talent, and set the standards in every store. This is a leadership role in the truest sense: highly visible, deeply human, and right on the front line. You’ll lead by example, bring energy to the floor, and help every team member deliver a magical experience which is uniquely Blank Street.

You’ll report directly to our Co-Founder & UK President and work closely with the UK Leadership Team, while also partnering with the US Team and Global Strategy, Tech, and People teams.

This is your chance to lead from the front - and start something extraordinary!

Our Values

• DREAM BIG: We embrace new possibilities and perspectives that go beyond the expected.
• START SMALL: We don’t wait for great things to happen - we take small steps that move us forward every day.
• MAKE SOMEONE’S DAY: We live to create moments of joy.
• MOVE AS ONE: We build better when we build together because the best customer experiences take a team.

What You’ll Own:

Build and Develop an A* Team

• Hire exceptionally: Bring in baristas and managers who raise the bar - people who are hungry, humble, and ready to hustle.
• Develop future leaders: Spot high-potential talent early and support their growth through our field management pathway.
• Shape a standout culture: Build a team culture that’s distinctly Blank Street: fast-moving, high-energy, deeply collaborative, and genuinely fun. We want ambitious people who love working in a team and bring their full selves to the job.

Be Our Ultimate Hospitality Leader

• Set the standards: Set, embed, and protect the highest hospitality standards in the company - from service rituals to store presentation.
• Champion the experience: Bring our hospitality ethos to life across every store, ensuring every team member knows what “great” looks and feels like.
• Lead from the floor: Be visible in stores - coaching, modeling, and holding the bar across every touchpoint.

Operate Strategically

• Surface the truth: Build a structured rhythm for gathering field insights and turning them into sharp, prioritized asks for HQ.
• Know the numbers: Understand the UK P&L and store-level KPIs inside out - spotting opportunities and acting on them fast.
• Drive team focus: Set clear top-down goals, help your teams translate them into store-level action plans, and hold everyone accountable to results.
• Own performance: Lead operational execution across sales, labor, quality, and guest experience - and hold the line on excellence.
• Set the rhythm: Clearly communicate weekly and monthly priorities across the field, and ensure store teams are focused and aligned.
• Keep it clean: Ensure every store runs with precision - clean, stocked, compliant, and fully on-brand.

Manage Change

• Land the change: Plan and lead rollouts of anything that impacts the field - from new menu items to tech tools - ensuring clear comms, hands-on training, and strong follow-up.
• Partner to deliver: Work closely with HQ teams across Product, Marketing, Tech, and Strategy to make sure initiatives are executable and store-ready.
• Write the playbook: Design, document, and continuously improve SOPs - from waste management to daily service rituals.

Who You Are:

• 5+ years in an operations leadership role within hospitality, retail, F&B, or consumer
• 2+ years of experience in top-tier consulting or a similarly structured, strategic environment preferred
• Proven experience building high-performing teams
• Strong communicator and storyteller
• Highly organized, systems-oriented, and able to bring structure to a fast-paced environment
• Deeply passionate about hospitality, food, and beverage
• Equity package
• Private health and dental insurance
• 25 days of annual leave (on top of bank holidays), along with an additional paid day a year ‘to start something extraordinary’ and pursue a passion
• A salary sacrifice scheme to spend on Cycle to Work, bike subscriptions, pensions and medical
• Access to 1Rebel off peak classes at the sites near our office, for free!
• Exclusive access to our coveted Regulars program – yes, that means free coffee, matcha and more! ️
• Great culture with regular team events

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