Director, Growth & Operations Standards

Panera Bread; Newton (MA); On-site; USD 177,000 - 213,000; Full time

Job summary

Panera Bread in Newton, Massachusetts is seeking a visionary Director to lead Growth Operations and Operations Standards, shaping cafe expansion, governance, audits, and continuous improvement across the system.

The role oversees senior managers, drives portfolio readiness, and partners with cross-functional teams to deliver scalable, standards-driven growth. Location shifts to Weston, MA planned for 2027, with competitive compensation and executive leadership responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in restaurant operations, growth operations, new-unit openings, operational standards, food safety, quality assurance, project or portfolio management, franchise operations, or a related field.
• Demonstrated people-leadership experience with responsibility for leaders, teams, complex programs, or enterprise portfolios.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives and operational programs in a multi-unit environment.

Responsibilities

• Set vision, strategy, priorities, and roadmap for Growth Operations and Operations Standards.
• Translate growth, franchise, operations, food-safety, and brand priorities into functional plans and measurable outcomes.
• Define governance, decision rights, service levels, escalation paths, and performance expectations.
• Advise executive sponsors on portfolio risks, standards performance, capacity, investment priorities, and recommended actions.

Skills

Project planning

Business acumen

Influence without authority

Executive communication

MS Office

Travel flexibility

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Project-management tools

Job description

The Director, Growth & Operations Standards leads Panera's Operations Services capabilities for cafe growth execution, portfolio-change readiness, operational standards governance, audit-program performance, integrated operational intelligence, and continuous improvement.

This leader oversees the Senior Manager, Growth Operations and Senior Manager, Operations Standards & Audit Programs. The scope includes New Bakery-Cafe openings, remodels, relocations, closures, market/café ownership transitions, FSO openings, new franchisee café opening support, BSR, FSA, Health Department audits, pest-management support, and future operational solutions.

The Director creates one connected operating system in which projects follow disciplined critical paths, standards are measured consistently, findings become action, and lessons learned improve future execution.

Location: Newton, MA moving to Weston, MA in 2027

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Strategy & Functional Leadership

• Set the vision, strategy, annual priorities, and roadmap for Growth Operations and Operations Standards.


• Translate growth, franchise, operations, food-safety, and brand priorities into functional plans and measurable outcomes.


• Define governance, decision rights, service levels, escalation paths, and performance expectations.


• Advise executive sponsors on portfolio risks, standards performance, capacity, investment priorities, and recommended actions.

Growth Operations Portfolio Oversight

• Ensure scalable critical paths, portfolio prioritization, prototype development, resource planning, cross-project dependency management, and intervention on high-risk work.


• Ensure opening orders, operational materials, vendor activation, technology, staffing, training, setup, opening support, and post open café stabilization are coordinated.


• Ensure all drawing sets adhere to operational model standards and provide support to the design team with drawing revisions and cross functional alignment

Operations Standards & Audit Leadership

• Oversee BSR and FSA strategy, content, governance, administration, reporting, and continuous improvement.


• Ensure assessments align with approved operating standards, food safety requirements, training, tools, and business priorities.


• Oversee third-party audit and pest-management providers, quality, calibration, scheduling, data accuracy, service levels, and issue resolution.


• Integrated Intelligence & Continuous Improvement


• Establish an integrated view of BSR, FSA, Health Department, pest activity, corrective action, and growth-project readiness.


• Oversee dashboards, portfolio reviews, executive reporting, systemic risk identification, and role-specific actions.


• Sponsor root-cause analysis and future solutions across standards, processes, training, tools, equipment, facilities, ordering, communications, analytics, and technology.


• Measure adoption, effectiveness, recurrence reduction, and sustained operational impact.


• Lead two Senior Managers and indirectly lead four Managers across the organization.


• Serve as senior integration leader across Operations, Franchise Operations, Development, Design, Food Safety, Supply Chain, Technology, HR, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Marketing, Facilities, Finance, Legal, Risk, Procurement, and outside vendors.


• Build succession, cross-training, workload-balancing, and development plans.


• Oversee budgets, forecasts, vendor commitments, program costs, investments, and executive performance reporting.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred.


• 5+ years of progressive experience in restaurant operations, growth operations, new-unit openings, operational standards, food safety, quality assurance, project or portfolio management, franchise operations, or a related field.


• Demonstrated people-leadership experience with responsibility for leaders, teams, complex programs, or enterprise portfolios.


• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives and operational programs in a multi-unit environment.


• Experience partnering with executives, franchise leaders, field Operations teams, and third-party providers.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Exceptional project planning, organization, prioritization, and follow-through.


• Strong business acumen, analytical thinking, judgment, and creative problem-solving.


• Ability to influence without authority, navigate ambiguity, and build stakeholder alignment.


• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and executive presentation skills.


• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and project-management tools.


• Ability to travel based on business needs.

Competitive Pay $177,243 - $212,691 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.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Disabled/Veterans