Manager, Operator Initiatives

Grocery Outlet; Emeryville, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Grocery Outlet is seeking a Manager, Operator Initiatives to develop and maintain SOPs, best practices, and field materials to support Independent Operators.

You will spend time in stores validating processes, gathering operator feedback, and translating insights into clear guidance, partnering with Operations, Training, Communications, and Finance.

Reporting to the Director, Operator Initiatives, this role requires collaboration, attention to detail, and practical store-floor experience.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in retail operations, field operations, training and development, process improvement, project management, or a similar operations role.
• Strong understanding of store operations and the ability to assess whether processes are practical and executable in a real store environment.
• Experience developing SOPs, best practices, training materials, process documentation, presentations, or other operator/field-facing resources.
• Knowledge of project management standards, processes, procedures, guidelines, and tools.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex processes into clear, simple, actionable guidance.
• Comfortable spending meaningful time in stores, engaging with operators and store teams, and using field observations to improve materials and processes.
• Ability to influence and collaborate across operators, field leadership, corporate partners, and project teams.
• Detailed-oriented, organized, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment with ambiguity.
• Strong proficiency with MS Office, collaboration/project management tools, and Lucidchart or similar process-mapping tools.

Responsibilities

• Own the creation, maintenance, and ongoing governance of store and field SOPs, best practices, process documentation, and related support materials.
• Review existing SOPs, training content, communications, job aids, Lucidchart workflows, and field materials to identify gaps, duplication, outdated guidance, and opportunities to simplify execution.
• Develop clear, operator-ready materials including SOPs, best practice guides, process maps, field training resources, meeting materials, and implementation support tools.
• Spend significant time in stores observing processes, validating current-state execution, testing proposed best practices, and identifying what is practical for operators and store teams.
• Facilitate operator and field reviews of proposed SOPs and materials to ensure guidance is accurate, usable, and grounded in real store conditions.
• Update and standardize Lucidchart best practice workflows and process maps to ensure they reflect current store operations and are easy for field teams and operators to use.
• Manage operator- and field-facing initiatives from intake through execution, including project scope, requirements, milestones, deliverables, risks, decisions, and follow-up.
• Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Field Leadership, Training, Communications, Technology, Merchandising, Marketing, Finance, and other teams to ensure projects are coordinated and executable at store level.
• Act as a representative for the Independent Operator community by advising project teams on store realities, execution risks, training needs, communication considerations, and adoption barriers.
• Gather feedback after implementation and facilitate lessons learned to determine what should be refined, documented, or scaled more broadly.

Skills

Retail operations

Project management

SOP development

Process improvement

Cross-functional collaboration

Lucidchart

MS Office

Communication

Tools

Lucidchart

MS Office

Collaboration tools

Job description

• Our Mission: Touching lives for the better
• Our Vision: Touching lives by being the first choice for bargain-minded consumers in the U.S.

About the Team:

The Grocery Outlet Store Support team is here to enable our Independent Operators and Aspiring Operators in Training (AOTs) to be successful Operators. We do this by providing world-class Project Management, Training, Communication, and Support services so our Independent Operators can focus on what matters: their families, business, customers, and communities. We build strong relationships with our Operators by being transparent and collaborative in all that we do and by looking for ways to improve the operator experience continuously.

About the Role:

This highly visible and field-oriented role offers an opportunity to develop and maintain the SOPs, best practices, process maps, and support materials that help our Independent Operators and field teams execute consistently. We are looking for a collaborative-minded leader with strong project management skills, excellent communication, and a practical understanding of store operations.

This role will spend meaningful time in stores reviewing current materials, validating processes, gathering operator feedback, and translating store-level insights into clear, usable guidance. The Manager, Operator Initiatives will also act as a representative for the Independent Operator community, advising cross-functional teams on the operator point of view and helping ensure projects are realistic, scalable, and supported beyond launch. This role reports to the Director, Operator Initiatives.

Responsibilities Include:

• Own the creation, maintenance, and ongoing governance of store and field SOPs, best practices, process documentation, and related support materials
• Review existing SOPs, training content, communications, job aids, Lucidchart workflows, and field materials to identify gaps, duplication, outdated guidance, and opportunities to simplify execution
• Develop clear, operator-ready materials including SOPs, best practice guides, process maps, field training resources, meeting materials, and implementation support tools
• Spend significant time in stores observing processes, validating current-state execution, testing proposed best practices, and identifying what is practical for operators and store teams
• Facilitate operator and field reviews of proposed SOPs and materials to ensure guidance is accurate, usable, and grounded in real store conditions
• Update and standardize Lucidchart best practice workflows and process maps to ensure they reflect current store operations and are easy for field teams and operators to use
• Manage operator- and field-facing initiatives from intake through execution, including project scope, requirements, milestones, deliverables, risks, decisions, and follow-up
• Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Field Leadership, Training, Communications, Technology, Merchandising, Marketing, Finance, and other teams to ensure projects are coordinated and executable at store level
• Act as a representative for the Independent Operator community by advising project teams on store realities, execution risks, training needs, communication considerations, and adoption barriers
• Gather feedback after implementation and facilitate lessons learned to determine what should be refined, documented, or scaled more broadly

About You:

• 5+ years of experience in retail operations, field operations, training and development, process improvement, project management, or a similar operations role
• Strong understanding of store operations and the ability to assess whether processes are practical and executable in a real store environment
• Experience developing SOPs, best practices, training materials, process documentation, presentations, or other operator/field-facing resources
• Knowledge of project management standards, processes, procedures, guidelines, and tools
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex processes into clear, simple, actionable guidance
• Comfortable spending meaningful time in stores, engaging with operators and store teams, and using field observations to improve materials and processes
• Ability to influence and collaborate across operators, field leadership, corporate partners, and project teams
• Detailed-oriented, organized, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment with ambiguity
• Strong proficiency with M.S. Office, collaboration/project management tools, and Lucidchart or similar process-mapping tools
• A self-starter with an ownership and results oriented mindset and a commitment to continuous improvement

Equal Opportunity Employer
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