Manager on Duty Level III

Life Alive Café; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 30,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

70% meal discount and yoga

Health, dental, and vision coverage

Free Mental Health Support

Flexible schedule

Job summary

Life Alive Café is seeking a Manager on Duty (MOD) Level III to lead shift execution and own key financial and administrative processes at our Cambridge, MA cafe. This hourly leader role bridges to salaried management, handling compliance, catering awareness, and financial reporting.

The MOD Level III will manage onboarding, labor forecasting, scheduling templates, end-to-end purchasing, and invoice payments while driving sales and operational excellence in a fast-paced, plant-based restaurant.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in customer service, staff management, and cafe operations.
• Completion and validation of the MOD Level III Training Plan.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and stand for 9+ hours several days a week.

Responsibilities

• Shift Management & Execution: perform core MOD Level I and II responsibilities and optimize service flow.
• Administrative & Financial Ownership: manage onboarding paperwork and labor scheduling, forecasting, and labor tracking.
• Oversee purchasing, invoices, and periodic inventory counts; reconcile labor reports and budgets.
• Lead team development, coaching conversations, and onboarding for new hires.
• Drive daily sales targets and ensure health, safety, and food safety standards.

Job description

About Us

Life Alive aims to energize the vitality of all living beings and our planet. We make delicious, beautiful, plant-based food and beverages in a unique, quick-service cafe, and are looking for dynamic, ambitious team members ready to jump in and grow. We value interconnectedness, participation, integrity, pleasure, and empathy — and most importantly, we value you for you. As we continue to expand, we are seeking a Manager on Duty to play a crucial role in supporting the efficient operation and growth of our restaurant.

The Role

The Manager on Duty (MOD) - Level III is an hourly leader responsible for high-level shift execution and ownership of key financial and administrative processes. This role acts as a strategic bridge to salaried management by taking ownership of compliance, catering awareness, and financial reporting.

Key Responsibilities

• Shift Management & Execution:
• Perform all core MOD Level I and Level II shift-running responsibilities.
• Manage day-to-day café performance and make real-time service flow adjustments.
• Coach, delegate to, and motivate team members effectively.
• Administrative & Financial Ownership:
• Manage new hire onboarding paperwork through the UKG platform.
• Demonstrate end-to-end knowledge of schedule writing, including labor templates, forecasting, building schedules, and tracking labor.
• Manage the Imperial Dade account, executing end-to-end purchasing of paper goods.
• Oversee the purchase folder, manage invoice payments, and execute declining ledger entries.
• Validate and reconcile the Weekly Labor Report and actively manage real-time shift labor budgets.
• Maintain full awareness of all café catering orders, acting as the primary liaison.
• Drive daily sales targets, improve speed-of-service goals, and execute period-level inventory counts.
• Conduct advanced Cafe Food Safety validations beyond standard line checks.
• Ensure strict compliance with health, food safety, cleanliness, and general safety standards.
• Proactively identify operational challenges and implement solutions with guidance from the AGM/GM.
• Team & Guest Focus:
• Participate in team member 1-on-1 check-ins.
• Serve as an official witness to progressive coaching conversations and the issuance of Performance Support Notices (PSNs).
• Lead by example to deliver exceptional hospitality and resolve immediate guest concerns.
• Support onboarding and training initiatives for new team members.
• Area of Responsibility of PPC (People, Product & Cost Balancing)- full and complete understanding of the Life Alive Operating Model

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Independently motivated and able to manage through ambiguity.
• Growth-mindset oriented with a cool and calm demeanor under pressure.
• Able to troubleshoot and solve problems in the moment.
• Possesses strong leadership abilities to manage and motivate team members.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in customer service, staff management, and cafe operations.
• Successful completion and mastery of MOD Level I and Level II responsibilities.
• Completion and validation of the MOD Level III Training Plan.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and work 9+ hours on your feet multiple days a week.

Perks & Benefits

• 70% meal discount and free/discounted Yoga.
• Health, dental, and vision coverage (for full-time employees).
• Free Mental Health Support (for full-time employees).
• Flexible schedule supporting your lifestyle and personal goals.

Life Alive is an equal-opportunity employer, and we encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply. We look forward to welcoming a dynamic leader who will contribute to our mission of energizing the vitality of all living beings and our planet through plant-based cuisine and sustainable practices. We strive to foster a community where all feel welcome, safe, and valued. We embrace all differences of age, sexual orientation, gender and its expression, race, culture and ethnicity, national origin, mental and physical health and ability, religious background, marital status, family structure, citizenship, education, and military or veterans’ status. Life Alive invites you to bring your whole self to work.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.