Area Operations Manager, Boston

Saxbys; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Saxbys is seeking an Area Operations Manager to lead up to eight SCEOs and oversee multiple cafes. You will drive talent development, ensure exceptional guest experiences, maintain cafe standards, and manage financials. Travel up to 80% is required, with a strong focus on hospitality and leadership. A proactive, people-first mindset is essential.

Responsibilities span staffing, inventory, partnerships, openings, and market awareness, with direct impact on revenue and NOI across assigned cafes.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of foodservice management experience or 6 months as Saxbys CEO/SCEO/certified team member
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Outstanding passion for hospitality and servant leadership
• Experience managing teams and processes effectively
• Valid driver's license
• Ability to travel up to 80% of the time
• Physical requirements: stand and walk for extended periods; able to stoop and kneel; push, pull, lift or carry up to 35 lbs; ascend or descend ladders, stairs, ramps

Responsibilities

• Talent Pipeline: Ensure the team is fully staffed to meet operational demands and identify and develop exceptional talent for leadership roles.
• Guest Experience: Conduct regular quality assurance checks, audit performance to look for and correct inconsistencies in execution, and maintain a culture of hospitality within the cafe.
• Cafe Standards: Train and coach on all cafe roles; keep SOPs accessible; enforce progressive discipline and document coaching/counseling; assist with terminations; ensure consistent communication.
• Financial Management: Review, provide feedback, and approve weekly schedules to align labor hours with demand and budget; coach on reading P&L; defend P&L during reviews; produce labor models.
• PARS & Inventory: Ensure inventory counts are accurate; review and approve Orders & PARS Inventory Worksheet.
• Partner Management: Represent Saxbys as main contact for landlords, facilities, maintenance, aux service; maintain Campus Resource Guide.
• Cafe Openings: Lead cafe setup and grand openings with cross-department collaboration for a successful start.
• Local and Competitive Marketplace: Stay updated on industry trends and local competitors to proactively manage cafe operations.
• Marketing support: Provide intel on campus opportunities; refine Campus Marketing Plan for high ROI; ensure key dates and deliverables.
• Head of Area Operations: Assist academic partners, requested reports, and special projects.
• Recruiting: Nominate and vet internal candidates; assist with final interviews; collaborate to expand candidate pool.

Job description

Job Summary: The Area Operations Manager (AOM) plays a pivotal role in ensuring the success of their assigned cafes in each of the Three Pillars (team development, community leadership, and financial management). A significant portion of this success relies on annually supporting, coaching, and developing up to eight (8) Student Cafe Executive Officers (SCEOs) through their entire term, kicking off the relationship at their time of hire. This multifaceted position calls for a proactive individual with a whatever it takes attitude, ready to take on the varied day-to-day opportunities and challenges.

What You Will Own

• Talent Pipeline: Ensure the team is fully staffed to meet operational demands and identify and develop exceptional talent for leadership roles.
• Guest Experience: Conduct regular quality assurance checks, audit performance to look for and correct inconsistencies in execution, and maintain a culture of hospitality within the cafe.
• Cafe Standards: Remain up-to-date on all cafe operations in order to train and coach on all cafe roles. Make SOPs easily accessible to the team and maintain operational integrity by ensuring team members are following all listed steps. Ensure SCEOs are following progressive discipline policies and issuing Coaching & Counseling forms when necessary, as well as advise and assist with involuntary terminations. Hold SCEOs accountable to consistent communication channels with their team.
• Financial Management: Review, provide feedback, and approve weekly schedules to ensure labor hours are both aligned with demands and stay within budgeted expenses, coach SCEOs on how to read and act upon Profit & Loss statements, and present and defend P&L during reviews for assigned cafes. Produce and assign Labor Models to assigned cafes.
• PARS & Inventory: Ensure accuracy in inventory counts and review and approve Orders & PARS Inventory Worksheet for all assigned cafes.
• Partner Management: Represent Saxbys as the main point of contact for landlords, facilities, maintenance, aux service, etc. to ensure day to day operations run smoothly and maintain Campus Resource Guide with up-to-date information.
• Cafe Openings: Manage café setup and initial grand openings as the Operations lead, working closely with all departments to ensure a successful start.
• Local and Competitive Marketplace: Stay current with industry trends, local competitors, and community updates that may have an impact on the business in order to take a proactive approach when it comes to managing cafe operations.

Who You Will Support

• Marketing: Provide intel on opportunities on campus through research and communication with partners. Support SCEO through the refinement of the Campus Marketing Plan to focus efforts on highest potential ROI and ensure execution of key dates and deliverables.
• Head of Area Operations: Assist with academic partners, requested reports, and special projects.
• Recruiting: Nominate, vet, and assist internal candidates in the SCEO pipeline, complete final interviews for candidates, and effectively communicate hiring needs to Campus Recruiters. Participate and collaborate on initiatives to increase the candidate pool.

Who You Will Supervise

This position oversees between 1-4 direct reports.

What Success Looks Like

• All assigned cafes operate at or above budgeted revenue
• All assigned cafes operate at or above budgeted NOI
• 30%+ of the cafe staff are Team Leads
• 100% of SCEOs are hired by March 31 for the fall semester or October 31 for the spring semester.

Where You Excel

• Master of prioritization
• Holds others accountable
• Adaptable to change
• Patient but firm
• Developer of individual contributors

What Else is Expected

• Support, exhibit, and promote Saxbys Mission and Core Values in all daily activities.
• Either 2+ years of foodservice management experience OR a minimum of 6 months as a Saxbys CEO or SCEO or Certified level team member
• 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 and walk 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