Director of Operations

Lever, Inc.; Paramus (NJ); On-site; USD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Level99 Paramus is preparing to open a 40,000-square-foot venue featuring a full‑service bar and entertainment space designed for 300,000 guests annually. The Director of Operations will lead a 100+ person team and drive exceptional hospitality, financial performance, and guest satisfaction.

The role requires strategic leadership and hands-on execution, ensuring daily operations meet Level99 standards while collaborating across departments to deliver a superior guest experience at Garden State

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of progressive growth in the hotel, entertainment, or food & beverage industries.
• Multi-unit operations experience within a single large format unit.
• Deep knowledge of hospitality, entertainment, or bar operating systems including sales forecasting, labor management & scheduling, COGS reporting, invoice management, reservation management, and more.
• Strong guest-facing communication and service recovery skills.
• Team-first attitude and ability to communicate across all levels of the organization.
• Outstanding verbal, written, and interpersonal skills.
• Proficient in Google Suite and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Able to work a flexible schedule including days, nights, weekends and holidays; long shifts.
• A valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all aspects of day-to-day venue operations including ensuring a customer-first experience and developing / managing all team members (scheduling, compliance, standards/performance, and policies).
• Lead the management and improvement of the financial performance of the unit via daily, weekly, and period-frequency projects (sales forecasting, scheduling, inventory, vendor relations, etc).
• Ensure best-in-class hospitality experience and team member satisfaction.
• Monitor and develop team member performance, including leadership, coaching, and evaluations.
• Recruit, hire and train team members, overseeing the success and development of 100+ individuals at the venue.
• Oversee service quality, operational efficiency, guest satisfaction, standards compliance and financial measures.
• Support the development and execution of Level99 operations playbook; uphold standards across venues.
• Identify performance gaps and implement corrective actions with cross-organizational learnings.
• Travel between venues and to Support Center to enhance collaboration and drive success at Paramus location.
• Other duties, as assigned

Skills

Hospitality Ops

Multi-unit Ops

Forecasting

Scheduling

COGS reporting

Guest service

Team leadership

Communication

Office software

Flex scheduling

Driving license

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Google Suite

Microsoft Office

POS systems

Job description

WHO WE ARE

Level99 is a sprawling playground designed for adults with over 50 life-sized mini-games where Players dodge axes, crack puzzles, and outsmart real‑world challenges. Each game lasts about 1–4 minutes and is built for 2–6 people to play together. One ticket to Level99 unlocks access to all of our games including Challenge Rooms, Player‑vs‑Player duels, and an art scavenger hunt. We save your progress each time you play so you can earn rewards and climb our coveted leaderboard.

Alongside the games, Level99 offers a full‑service bar and award‑winning restaurant – featuring scratch‑cooking, local craft beers, handmade cocktails, and a variety of event spaces. Level99 has locations in Natick, MA, Providence, RI, Tysons, VA, Disney Springs, FL, and is opening in West Hartford, CT, Paramus, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, and Raleigh, NC. Level99 is backed by Act III Holdings, led by Panera founder Ron Shaich, and we have a talented team that has worked on successful entertainment projects ranging from 5 Wits to Walt Disney Imagineering. Visit www.level99.com for more details.

Level99 Paramus - Garden State Plaza, NJ - coming soon!

OVERVIEW

The Level99 team is seeking a Director of Operations for our upcoming opening in Paramus, NJ who will be responsible for ensuring a best‑in‑class customer experience for nearly 300,000 guests per year by managing daily operations of both our full‑service bar and entertainment venue which combined span over 40,000 square feet. The Director of Operations will lead a team of 100+ associates and deliver exceptional financial results via their commitment to detail and ability to work across all levels of the Level99 organization.

A successful candidate will not only be a strategic business leader, but will also dive into all of the daily details and be the expert on every role within the organization leading by example day‑in, and day‑out. The Director of Operations is responsible for the overall success of the venue: cultivating a team environment that provides our guests with an extraordinary hospitality experience while directing the management team (across beverage program, entertainment operations, event operations, and maintenance) and ensuring all team members perform at a consistently high level. Our team is highly collaborative, working alongside teammates from multiple disciplines to produce optimal results.

A Level99 Director of Operations has honesty and personal integrity that is above reproach, prefers a joyful and positive approach to challenging situations, chooses humility over the need to “be right,” and in all things acts as though they are the Owner and Operator of their venue.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead, direct and manage all aspects of day-to-day venue operations including ensuring a customer-first experience and developing / managing all team members (scheduling, compliance, standards/performance, and policies).
• Lead the management and improvement of the financial performance of the unit executing a cadence of daily, weekly, and period‑frequency projects ensuring operating standards are maintained concurrently (eg sales forecasting, scheduling, inventory, local vendor relations, etc)
• Ensure best‑in‑class hospitality experience and team member satisfaction.
• Monitor and develop team member performance, particularly the leadership team, to include, but not limited to, providing supervision and professional development, scheduling, conducting counseling and evaluations and delivering recognition and reward.
• Recruit, hire and train team members, overseeing the success and development of 100+ individuals at the venue.
• Oversee service quality, operational efficiency, guest satisfaction, standards compliance and service and financial measurements.
• Support the development and lead the execution of the Level99 operations playbook, ensuring standards are consistently upheld across venues.
• Identify operational performance, productivity and efficiency gaps and implement measures to correct those deficiencies and communicate learnings across the organization for consistency and best‑in‑class operations.
• Travel (as necessary) between venues and to the Support Center to enhance overall team collaboration, leverage learnings and best practices, and drive the overall success of Level99 Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ.
• Other duties, as assigned

MUST-HAVE SKILLS

• Minimum 15 years of progressive growth in the hotel, entertainment, or food & beverage industries
• Multi-unit operations, or multi-discipline (within a single, large format unit), experience
• Deep knowledge of hospitality, entertainment, or bar operating systems including sales forecasting, labor management & scheduling, COGS reporting, invoice management, reservation management, and more
• Strong guest‑facing communication and service recovery skills
• Team‑first attitude and ability to successfully communicate across all levels of the organization
• Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal skills
• Requires strong computer skills and proficiency in Google Suite and/or Microsoft Office specifically Word, Excel, & PowerPoint
• Ability to work a flexible schedule based on business needs which will include days, nights, weekends and holidays as well as emergency responsiveness as required
• Able to work ten hour‑plus shifts, plus ability to stand, sit, squat or walk for extended periods of time, walk up and down stairs, and read
• Able to grasp, reach overhead, push, lift and carry up to 50 pounds
• Must possess outstanding organizational and administrative skills, coupled with excellent attention to detail
• Must have the ability to promote positive, fair, and ethical relations with all team members as an ambassador of the Level99 brand
• Compassionate, empathetic, humble, respectful, and kind – very high emotional intelligence
• A reliable car, current driver’s license
• Ability to train on‑site out‑of‑state at an existing location.

OTHER DESIRABLE (BUT NOT NECESSARY) SKILLS & EXPERIENCE INCLUDE

• Bachelor’s Degree or above in a related field, or equivalent experience
• Knowledge of a second language, particularly Spanish or Portuguese, a plus
• Experience with new openings for hotels, restaurants, or entertainment establishments

$125,000 - $150,000 a year

While we don’t expect a candidate to have deep experience in all of the above, we’re looking for someone with the passion and capability to learn quickly in the areas that are new!

YOU MIGHT BE A FIT ON THE LEVEL99 TEAM IF YOU…

• Like to laugh, would be described as a "low maintenance, low drama" person, have a tendency to have a bit of fun while you work
• Have a high tolerance for ambiguity, like to go fast, and are excited to learn on the job
• Are just a little bit obsessive about getting the details right the first time
• Have a high energy personality, the kind of person who is typically smiling, and likes to "get it done now"

Level99 is an E-Verify employer.