Sr. Manager, Operations Standards & Audit

Panera LLC; United States; Hybrid; USD 136,000 - 164,000; Full time

Job summary

Panera LLC is seeking a Senior Manager of Operations Standards & Audit Programs to lead strategy, governance, and continuous improvement of BSR, FSA, Health Department audits, and pest-management support within Operations Services.

This hybrid role is based in Newton, MA, moving to Weston, MA, and requires experience in audit-program management and vendor leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.
• 4+ years of experience in restaurant operations, food safety, quality assurance, audit-program management, compliance, operational excellence, or a related field.
• Demonstrated cross‑functional program and team‑leadership experience.
• Experience managing third‑party providers and vendor relationships.

Responsibilities

• Own the integrated strategy, governance, effectiveness, and roadmap for BSR and FSA.
• Establish annual and cycle priorities for content, administration, reporting, communication, and improvement.
• Ensure programs measure Panera brand, operational, food-safety, and regulatory standards.
• Govern assessment additions, removals, revisions, testing, and approvals.
• Lead and develop the BSR and FSA Managers with aligned expectations across both functions.
• Coordinate priorities, resources, calendars, dependencies, and workload.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Project planning

Analytical thinking

Executive presentation

Stakeholder management

Travel readiness

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Project-management tools

Job description

Position Summary

The Senior Manager, Operations Standards & Audit Programs leads the strategy, governance, and continuous improvement of Panera's BSR, FSA, Health Department audits, and pest-management support programs within Operations Services. This leader directly oversees the Manager, Brand Standards Review and Manager, Food Safety Audit, ensuring parallel accountability, consistent governance, effective third-party administration, integrated reporting, operational improvement, and future-solution development.

Location: Newton, MA moving to Weston, MA (hybrid)

Key Responsibilities

• Program Strategy & Governance
  
  
  
  • Own the integrated strategy, governance, effectiveness, and roadmap for BSR and FSA.
  
  
  • Establish annual and cycle priorities for content, administration, reporting, communication, and improvement.
  
  
  • Ensure programs measure Panera brand, operational, food-safety, and regulatory standards.
  
  
  • Govern assessment additions, removals, revisions, testing, and approvals.
  
  
  
  


• Team & Vendor Leadership
  
  
  
  • Lead and develop the BSR and FSA Managers with aligned expectations across both functions.
  
  
  • Coordinate priorities, resources, calendars, dependencies, and workload.
  
  
  • Serve as senior business owner for audit and pest-management providers.
  
  
  • Oversee quality, calibration, scheduling, data accuracy, service levels, contracts, performance, and issue resolution.
  
  
  
  


• Integrated Standards Intelligence
  
  
  
  • Evaluate BSR, FSA, Health Department, pest activity, corrective action, and operational information as one view of cafe risk and performance.
  
  
  • Lead dashboards, scorecards, heat maps, and executive reporting.
  
  
  • Convert findings into prioritized actions for executives and Operations teams.
  
  
  
  


• Continuous Improvement & Future Solutions
  
  
  
  • Lead reviews of recurring findings to identify root causes and systemic opportunities.
  
  
  • Sponsor improvements to standards, processes, training, tools, equipment, facilities, communications, or technology.
  
  
  • Oversee pilots, rollout, and measurement of future solutions.
  
  
  • Present performance, risks, recommendations, and decisions to senior leadership.
  
  
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.


• 4+ years of experience in restaurant operations, food safety, quality assurance, audit-program management, compliance, operational excellence, or a related field.


• Demonstrated cross‑functional program and team‑leadership experience.


• Experience managing third‑party providers and vendor relationships.

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.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Disabled/Veterans

Competitive Pay $136,383 - $163,660 annually

Newton Support Center

With more than 2,000 Panera LLC and independent franchise bakery‑cafes in the Panera Bread® family, and more locations opening all the time, it’s no wonder our company has been an excellent source of career and personal growth opportunities for more than 25 years. In neighborhoods across the U.S. and Canada, customers enjoy flavorful, handcrafted meals centered around freshly baked artisan bread. To us, that means serving food like we serve our own families – free of any of the items on our ‘No No’ List. Along the way, we also like to give back to our community. We enjoy working together, shoulder to shoulder with our customers, to confront a serious problem plaguing communities across this country – Hunger. Through our Panera Cares community cafes, we offer a dignified dining experience in an uplifting environment. In addition, we support our communities through day‑end donations at our bakery‑cafe locations and partner with local non‑profit organizations. It’s this warmth that you’ll find when you join Panera Bread. From our competitive compensation and benefits packages to our unique cultural values, we’re confident you’ll find us a rewarding and fun place to work.