Head of Operations

Grind; Greater London; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extra Holiday

NEST Pension

Financial support: interest-free loans

Referral Bonus: up to £300

Discounts online: up to 40%

SpectrumLife EAP

Crew Card: 50% off, 2 free coffees

Friends & Family Discount

Meals on Duty

Social Events

Enhanced Maternity and Paternity

Job summary

Grind is a hospitality company based in London, renowned for its coffee, food and cocktails across several sites. The Head of Operations will lead the Grind-owned estate’s operational performance, ensuring standards and commercial results are delivered consistently across all locations.

The role partners with the Managing Director and Support team to align operations with strategic priorities, while actively coaching an operations leadership team and maintaining a strong site presence.

Qualifications

• Experience leading operations across a multi-site hospitality estate.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen.
• Proven ability to translate business strategy into clear operational plans.
• Experience coaching Operations Managers or equivalent roles.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with a leadership style that balances strategy and hands-on site presence.

Responsibilities

• Lead the operational performance of the Grind-owned estate, ensuring consistently high standards across all locations.
• Set clear operational priorities, expectations and ways of working across the estate.
• Work closely with the Managing Director to translate business strategy into effective operational plans.
• Act as the senior operational escalation point for site-level challenges, providing clear direction and support.
• Ensure Grind-owned locations consistently deliver the brand experience expected by customers and set by the business.
• Identify and lead opportunities to strengthen operational performance, consistency and efficiency across sites.
• Take ownership of the overall financial performance of the Grind-owned estate, including sales, margin, labour and cost control.
• Collaborate closely with Finance, People, Marketing, Property and other central stakeholders to ensure operational plans are joined up and commercially effective.
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing operations leadership team, supporting succession planning and leadership development.
• Spend regular time across sites, building strong relationships with teams and staying close to operational realities.

Skills

Multi-site operations

Commercial acumen

People leadership

Communication skills

Strategic planning

Job description

Grind is a hospitality company that lives in London. Since opening Shoreditch Grind in 2011, we've expanded across London with cafés serving coffee, food and cocktails - as well as coffee trucks and a state-of-the-art coffee roastery.

Coffee is at the forefront of what we do and who we are. We are coffee specialists and have always aspired to deliver the best quality, service, and consistency of product at all our Grind locations. Each of our cafés has an incredible team serving speciality coffee, mixing cocktails, and cooking amazing food—all to the beat of a great playlist.

We think coffee can be a force for good. Whether it's through creating the UK's first compostable coffee pods, our plastic-free packaging or carbon‑free shipping - we’re on a mission to be the world's most sustainable coffee company.

In 2023, we created our charity, the Better Coffee Foundation, to undo the damage done by the global coffee industry - in our first year, we recovered 43 million pods' worth of ocean-bound plastic.

A bit about the role.

The Head of Operations is responsible for the overall operational leadership and performance of the Grind-owned estate. This role is a leadership position and is accountable for ensuring operational performance, standards and commercial results are delivered consistently across all company-owned locations.

While the Operations Manager oversees the day-to-day performance of individual sites, the Head of Operations leads the operations function as a whole, setting the direction for the estate and ensuring the operational team is supported to deliver strong results.

The role operates at an estate-wide level and requires someone who can combine strong commercial judgement, operational expertise and people leadership to ensure the estate performs consistently and sustainably.

The Head of Operations will work closely with the Managing Director and the wider Support team to ensure that operational delivery across Grind-owned sites aligns with the wider strategic priorities of the business.

Role responsibilities.

• Lead the operational performance of the Grind-owned estate, ensuring consistently high standards across all locations.
• Set clear operational priorities, expectations and ways of working across the estate.
• Work closely with the Managing Director to translate business strategy into effective operational plans.
• Act as the senior operational escalation point for site-level challenges, providing clear direction and support.
• Ensure Grind-owned locations consistently deliver the brand experience expected by customers and set by the business.
• Identify and lead opportunities to strengthen operational performance, consistency and efficiency across sites.
• Take ownership of the overall financial performance of the Grind-owned estate, including sales, margin, labour and cost control.
• Collaborate closely with Finance, People, Marketing, Property and other central stakeholders to ensure operational plans are joined up and commercially effective.
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing operations leadership team, supporting succession planning and leadership development.
• Spend regular time across sites, building strong relationships with teams and staying close to operational realities.

You’ll have.

• Significant experience leading operations across a multi-site hospitality estate, with the ability to operate strategically while staying close to day-to-day site realities.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with confidence overseeing performance across sales, margin, labour, cost control and wider operational metrics.
• A strong track record of driving commercial performance, operational standards and consistency at scale.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing operational leadership teams, including Operations Managers or equivalent roles.
• The ability to translate business strategy into clear operational priorities, plans and execution across an estate.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a leadership style that balances strategic direction, regular site presence and a genuine passion for exceptional hospitality and proud, high-performing teams.

Bonus if you have

• A track record of implementing innovative technology solutions to enhance guest experience and operational efficiency.

Grind is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, veteran status, or disability status.

If there are any adjustments you need to help you bring your best self to an interview with us please let us know.

Benefits and Perks.

• Extra Holiday: Gain an extra day of holiday for each year you spend with us, capped at 3 additional days.
• NEST Pension: We offer a pension scheme to help you plan for your future.
• Financial support: access to interest-free, short-term loans when you need them most
• Referral Bonus: Earn up to £300 in tiered bonuses for referring great talent to our team
• Discounts online: Up to 40% off our retail line online.
• SpectrumLife: Access our confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for personal and professional support.
• Crew Card: Enjoy 50% off all food and drinks, plus two free coffees a day at Grind locations.
• Friends & Family Discount: Share the love with discounts for your friends and family on our website and at our sites.
• Meals on Duty: Enjoy one staff meal on shift
• Social Events: Join us for team social events to connect and have fun.
• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity: Enjoy enhanced maternity and paternity benefits once eligible.
• 85,000 – 90,000 GBP Annual
• Up to 10% Performance Bonus of Base Salary