Café Operations Manager | Lead a Café. Grow a Business. Create Opportunities.

Downtown Women's Center; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 75,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Downtown Women’s Center seeks a Café Manager to lead MADE by DWC, overseeing café operations, a job-training program, and a mission-driven social-enterprise. You’ll drive revenue, optimize costs, and develop a high-performing team while ensuring exceptional customer experiences and community impact.

The role reports to the Director of Social Enterprise and requires strong leadership, financial acumen, and passion for empowering colleagues and program participants.

Qualifications

• Minimum three years of management experience in café/restaurant or similar.
• Minimum two years leading and developing employees.
• Strong knowledge of café operations, customer service, inventory, food safety, and business performance.
• Experience managing budgets, sales goals, labor costs, and operational metrics.
• Proficiency with Toast POS, scheduling software, Microsoft 365, and business reporting tools.
• ServSafe Manager Certification or ability to obtain certification.
• Demonstrated leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• CA resident and live within 80 miles of DWC.
• Negative TB test within the last 12 months.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop café staff and trainees.
• Oversee hiring, onboarding, scheduling, performance management, and development.
• Own overall performance of the café, including revenue and profitability goals.
• Monitor business performance and market conditions to identify growth opportunities.
• Develop and execute marketing, community engagement, and business development initiatives.
• Lead catering, pop-up, and events to generate revenue and brand awareness.
• Manage inventory, cash handling, controls, and systems for efficient operations.
• Lead and improve the paid job-training program to support workforce readiness.
• Build relationships with customers, partners, vendors, and stakeholders.
• Prepare and present operational, financial, and performance reports.

Skills

Team leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Customer service

Inventory management

Food safety

Budgets & financials

Education

Bachelor’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Toast POS

Scheduling software

Microsoft 365

Business reporting tools

Job description

Location: Los Angeles, CA

The Café Manager owns the MADE by DWC (MADE) café’s operations, job-training program, bringing together strong business leadership and a commitment to developing people. This role is responsible for the overall success of the café, including financial performance, team development, customer experience, and mission impact. As the leader of an employment social enterprise, the manager creates opportunities for employees and trainees to grow while ensuring the business operates successfully.

A successful candidate can build a culture of accountability, collaboration, and excellence; develops high-performing teams; and drives results that strengthen the people, business, and its impact. They are accountable for meeting revenue, expense, labor, inventory, and profitability goals while maintaining a safe, compliant, and mission-aligned operation. Success is measured by the strength of the team, the quality of customer experience, the achievement of business and program goals, and the continued growth and sustainability of MADE. This position reports to the Director of Social Enterprise.

Essential Functions

• Lead, coach, and develop café staff and trainees to build a high-performing, engaged, and accountable team.
• Oversee hiring, onboarding, scheduling, performance management, and professional development to support employee growth and retention.
• Own the overall performance of the café, ensuring operational excellence, customer satisfaction, and alignment with DWC's mission.
• Accountable for achieving revenue, expense, labor, inventory, and profitability goals while maintaining a sustainable and mission-aligned operation.
• Monitor business performance, customer insights, industry trends, and market conditions to identify opportunities for growth and continuous improvement.
• Develop and execute marketing, community engagement, and business development initiatives that increase visibility, revenue, and customer loyalty.
• Lead catering, pop-up, and special event opportunities that generate revenue, expand brand awareness, and strengthen community relationships.
• Manage inventory, cash handling, operational controls, and business systems to ensure efficient and effective operations.
• Lead and continuously improve the paid job-training program, supporting participant development, workforce readiness, and successful outcomes.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, community partners, vendors, consultants, volunteers, and other key stakeholders.
• Prepare and present operational, financial, and performance reports to inform decision-making and support leadership, committee, and Board reporting.
• Ensure compliance with applicable health, safety, employment, and operational standards while promoting the mission, vision, and values of DWC and MADE.
• Perform other duties as necessary to support the success, growth, and sustainability of MADE.

Contributes to

• In partnership with the Director of Social Enterprise, the Café Manager contributes to:
• Department and organizational strategic planning.
• Annual business planning, budgeting, forecasting, and performance evaluation.
• Revenue growth, business development, and long-term sustainability strategies.
• Cross-functional collaboration with programs, marketing, finance, development, operations, and human resources.
• Strategic partnerships, community engagement, and stakeholder engagement efforts.
• Continuous improvement, innovation, and organizational change initiatives.
• Leadership development, talent management, and succession planning efforts.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• People Leadership: Builds, develops, and retains high-performing teams through coaching, accountability, and professional development.
• Business Acumen: Uses financial, operational, and customer insights to drive revenue, profitability, and sustainable growth.
• Strategic & Results-Oriented: Balances day-to-day operations with long-term goals, takes ownership of outcomes, and delivers results.
• Communication & Relationship Building: Builds trust and collaborates effectively with employees, trainees, customers, partners, and stakeholders.
• Problem Solving & Decision Making: Exercises sound judgment, adapts to changing priorities, and makes informed decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• Continuous Improvement: Identifies opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and operational excellence.
• Mission Alignment & Cultural Humility: Demonstrates a commitment to DWC's mission, values, diversity, equity, inclusion, and respectful engagement with diverse communities.

Supervisory Responsibility

Directly supervises café staff and trainees and oversee volunteers, interns, consultants, and temporary staff supporting café operations.

Downtown Women’s Center operates several program and administrative locations in the Skid Row neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles. The organization’s primary hub is located on San Pedro Street (SP) and includes participant-facing services, staff and departmental offices, and Permanent Supportive Housing units.

Programs at the SP site include the Day Center, Women’s Health Clinic, kitchen and meal services, Trauma Recovery Center, supportive service offices, and housing units, among other operations.

Although some positions may have a primary work location at another DWC program site or within the community, employees in all roles may be expected to attend trainings, meetings, or other work-related activities at the San Pedro (SP) location. Parking near the San Pedro (SP) Access Center is limited, and employees should plan for offsite parking with a short walk to the site.

This job operates in a professional office and retail environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment, such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, fax machines, retail software, café equipment, barista equipment, POS systems, inventory management systems, and marketing apps.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. This would require the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets, bend or stand on a stool, lift and carry up to 35 lbs., and travel between the two DWC sites, Pop-Up venues, and partners as necessary.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time, exempt position. Agency office hours are 9:00 am to 5:30 pm with the flexibility to work evenings and weekends when necessary. This position requires flexibility during peak seasons, including adherence to blackout dates, between November 1 – December 20.

Travel

Travel between the DWC locations and occasional travel to pop-ups, community/off-site events, partner site, and events is a requirement for this position.

Work Location

Onsite only

Required Education, Experience, and Qualifications

• Minimum three years of management experience in a café, restaurant, hospitality, retail, or similar customer-facing environment.
• Minimum two years of experience leading and developing employees.
• Strong knowledge of café or restaurant operations, customer service, inventory management, food safety, and business performance.
• Experience managing budgets, sales goals, labor costs, and operational metrics.
• Proficiency with Toast POS systems, scheduling software, Microsoft 365, and business reporting tools.
• ServSafe Manager Certification or ability to obtain certification.
• Demonstrated leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Must be a CA resident and live no more than 80 miles from DWC.
• Must provide negative TB test result documentation within the last twelve months, on the first day of hire.

Preferred

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Hospitality Management, Social Enterprise, or a related field.
• Experience in workforce development, nonprofit social enterprise, or mission-driven organizations.
• Knowledge of issues affecting women experiencing homelessness, poverty, and mental health.

Pay Range

$74,500-$77,000/yearly

Work Authorization

Being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment. DWC does not sponsor employment visas, such as H-1B.

Downtown Women’s Center will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Downtown Women’s Center is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting the Civil Right’s Department Fair Chance Act webpage.

Downtown Women’s Center provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants and actively seeks candidates who reflect the rich diversity of the communities that we serve. We are committed to a work environment that embraces and promotes individuality and inclusion. We believe that diversity and inclusion of varied perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences are essential to our organization’s effectiveness, and allow us to serve our clients in the respectful, responsive, and understanding way that they deserve. We define diversity in broad terms to include race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental or physical disability, marital status, pregnancy, military and veteran status, medical condition, geography, socio-economic status, and other unique attributes that make us who we are.

Downtown Women’s Center complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, and responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.