Analyst, Deployment & Program Services

Panera LLC; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 65,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

Panera LLC’s Saint Louis Support Center seeks an Analyst to coordinate Cafe Event Management, Initiative Management, and Shared Services. You will act as a primary liaison with field teams and internal support centers, ensuring events run smoothly and initiatives land effectively.

The role emphasizes end-to-end event support, weekly planning, cross-functional collaboration, and rigorous documentation. You will help test deployments, prepare reference materials, and drive process improvements

Qualifications

• 1 to 3 years of experience with Panera Retail Operations.
• 1 to 3 years of experience as a project manager or similar role.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects under pressure.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams.
• Proven problem-solving abilities.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary owner for Cafe Event Management end-to-end support.
• Coordinate Initiative Management planning and cross-functional participation.
• Own shared services responsibilities like ePAM, POS, and configuration hierarchy.
• Provide training and guidance to field and support center teams.
• Report opportunities for process improvement to leadership.
• Create reference documents and maintain single source of truth.
• Update PDP and eCommerce systems for initiatives.

Skills

Self-motivation

Excellent communication

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

Multi-project management

Team collaboration

Attention to detail

Customer service excellence

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Outlook

Job description

Analyst, Deployment & Program Services

Job Purpose

This role will be responsible for executing a combination of critical Ops Services support functions: Cafe Event Management, Initiative Management, and Shared Services. While executing this work, the role will interact with, and be a key conduit in success, with both field-facing personnel and internal support center resources across all departments.

Duties & Responsibilities

Cafe Event Management

• Act as the primary owner and flywheel associated with the Cafe Events inbox for Ops Services, ensuring all events are supported end-to-end within the framework of team responsibilities, standards, and processes.
• Event Types = NBCO, RELO, Closure, DT Retro, Remodels, Capacity and Market Transitions
• This role will interact with both cafe-level and above-cafe level individuals from the field (Company and Franchise), as well as internal contacts across all departments to resolve issues.
• Ensure all PDP standards are followed and met for each event and all date related elements are kept up to date based on audit documents and processes.
• Ensure all PMA standards are followed and met for each event and all date related elements are kept up to date: Initiative entries Open Item management (360-degree approach)
• Support all cross-functional teams accordingly for each event type and provide guidance and direction as needed.
• Provide ongoing team training and support associated with the limited number of NBCO events that additional teammates will be assigned to manage.
• Report on all opportunities for process improvement to team leadership for further discussion.

Initiative Management

• Analyst effectively works within all Deployment standards and processes to provide end-to-end support for all assigned initiatives, with the goal of ensuring each initiative lands as effectively as possible in all targeted cafes.
• Attend and participate in weekly planning and cross-functional meetings: RISE, Portfolio, Rollout Readiness, and Deployment Collab Schedule/attend 1 on 1s with applicable cross-functional team members when required.
• Voice appropriate and applicable points of view and concern that contribute to the successful testing and deployment of each initiative.
• Communicate effectively with support team and/or field personnel when asked or required to do so, using standard tools and processes.
• Documentation of all required test details for the applicable initiatives.
• Provide communication support to all levels of the Retail Ops organization and internal support groups as needed for all test phases and rollout aspects as required by the Initiative Management standards.
• 360-degree open item execution related to tasks, issues, and feedback associated with each assigned initiative, which will include the documentation, owner assignment, follow-up, journaling, and closure of each item as needed.
• Act as a collaborative member in creating support materials and communications for all phases of an initiative.
• Act as a representative and standard bearer for proper Initiative Management process as defined by the Deployment and Program Services team, which means ensuring other department contacts are following the appropriate ROEs related to initiative testing and rollout flow.
• Provide support to the Retail Ops and Franchise communities as needed through the Initiative Management inbox, documenting and escalating issues and tasks as needed.
• Create and manage reference documents (single source of truth) for large-scale initiatives and act as the owner and keeper of the information within said document(s), until the initiative is complete.
• Complete updates and validation within internal systems such as PDP and eCommerce platforms as needed based on the assigned initiatives.

Shared Services

• Act as the owner on a rotational basis for the following shared services for the organization: ePAM – eCommerce, POS, and Cafe Configuration Hierarchy – Company based cafe to division alignment details.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications (Education & Experience)

• 1 to 3 years of experience with Panera Retail Operations.
• 1 to 3 years of experience as a project manager or similar role.
• Highly motivated self‑starter with a drive to succeed and the ability to perform well under pressure.
• Highly accountable for results; both individually and as a team.
• Demonstrated high‑level problem-solving skills.
• Outstanding organizational skills with strong attention to detail.
• Excellent communication (written & verbal) and presentation skills; including ability to communicate effectively with senior level executives.
• Ability to execute tasks across multiple projects simultaneously and to adapt to changing priorities.
• Demonstrated understanding and experience with technology in a retail environment.
• Ability to work effectively with both technical and business teams across all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated above average to expert level experience working with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Committed to excellence and world class customer service.

Working Conditions

Physical Requirements While performing this job, the incumbent is regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear & use hands, and fingers to operate keyboards.

Direct Reports

This position will have approximately 0 direct reports.

Competitive Pay

$64,638 to $77,565 Annually. The actual pay offered will be determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job‑related knowledge, skills, and geographical location. Individual compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.

Saint Louis Support Center

With more than 2,000 Panera LLC and independent franchise bakery‑cafes in the "Panera Bread®" family, and more locations opening all the time, it’s no wonder our company has been an excellent source of career and personal growth opportunities for more than 25 years. In neighborhoods across the U.S. and Canada, customers enjoy flavorful, handcrafted meals centered around freshly baked artisan bread. To us, that means serving food like we serve our own families – free of any of the items on our ‘No No’ List. Along the way, we also like to give back to our community. We enjoy working together, shoulder to shoulder with our customers, to confront a serious problem plaguing communities across this country – Hunger. Through our Panera Cares community cafes, we offer a dignified dining experience in an uplifting environment. In addition, we support our communities through day‑end donations at our bakery‑cafe locations and partner with local non‑profit organizations. It’s this warmth that you’ll find when you join Panera Bread. From our competitive compensation and benefits packages to our unique cultural values, we’re confident you’ll find us a rewarding and fun place to work.