Retail Operations Manager

SUMMARY OF THE POSITION

The Ritual Coffee Retail Operations Manager is the organized, detail-oriented, and collaborative leader that ensures our cafes are profitable and on the cutting edge of quality, customer experience, and sustainability. We’re looking for someone who is passionate about building, implementing and maintaining systems that ensure our cafes run like well-oiled machines and set us up to continue our organic growth and an expert in creating and maintaining functional and healthy operations and teams. 

We are looking for that special someone who is excited to direct operations at our Retail spaces and help us grow our business to the next level through improved strategies, systems, and cultural development. 

This person is deeply interested in self-growth - asking for constructive feedback and applying it; a natural at providing direct, helpful, and inspiring guidance to all. We are looking for a leader with a clear and compassionate communication style who is great at being objective, and is a natural at connecting with people. 

As our Retail Operations Manager, you do not need to know our exact systems before you start, but you need to be a strategic thinker and committed to the big picture growth and success of the cafe teams, your co-workers across departments, and the company as a whole. Your role is to be willing to and actively jumping in and developing solutions where needed. 

People who are not flexible, not ready to lead by example, nor not open to feedback - need not apply. You are meant for this role if you are excited by improving systems and are driven by working collaboratively. We’re looking for someone who knows how to execute a cohesive vision, is a self-starter, and has a strong interest in - and appreciation for - coffee and people.

Ultimately, we are looking for someone who is inspired by driving progress, has a talent for operations, coffee, sales, supporting coworkers, and who is wholeheartedly enthusiastic about growing with our business. If this is you, we can’t wait to meet you!

ABOUT US: RITUAL IS CHANGING THE WAY PEOPLE KNOW COFFEE.

In 2005, when corporate coffee dominated American culture, Ritual unknowingly started a fun and exciting revolution that would ultimately help launch the new coffee movement.

We buy 90+% of our beans from producer partners that we have relationships with, setting the highest standard 
in the industry. This makes sure we get our hands on the best beans in the world, but more importantly, makes sure our farmers maintain the quality of life they deserve.

Now a bona fide San Francisco original, we’ve also earned our iconic status as one of the best coffee roasting companies in the world. The mission of Ritual Coffee is simple: to make people happy by giving them the best coffee experience they’ve ever had.  Ritual roasts in SoMa, and has cafes in San Francisco and Napa. 

DIVERSITY AT RITUAL: COFFEE IS FOR EVERYONE

We are passionate about creating safe, welcoming, and inclusive spaces on both sides of the counter and behind the scenes at Ritual. We best achieve our mission (making people happy by giving them the best coffee experience they’ve ever had) when our staff reflects the broad diversity of people who love coffee. Our commitment to inclusion across race, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, physical ability, experience, and perspective is part of what makes Ritual the innovative place that it is.   

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Be a key player on the Ritual leadership team. 

• Contribute to the overall culture and business growth using our Culture Guide as a tool for self-reflection and an ongoing commitment to self-growth, the growth in others, and the growth of the company

• Work with the leadership team to evolve and implement standards for Ritual’s culture, values, quality and customer service

• Be an active contributor, participant, and collaborator to help achieve Ritual’s day-to-day and long term goals on our leadership team

• Contribute to the overall culture and business growth by participating in or leading improvement committees and projects when needed

Develop and implement systems and procedures for Ritual’s cafes including operations, customer service, customer experience, and offerings across four cafes to ensure retail cafes always run smoothly in spite of inevitable surprises, and work to solve problems when they arise

• Support healthy financial records, initiatives and reporting for Retail

  • Be a key collaborator for retail new product rollouts

  • Create, modify and maintain reporting sheets for cafe managers

  • Assist retail leadership with end of month reporting

  • Ensure that transactions are booked accurately and in a timely manner so that the Bookkeeper can reconcile accounts each month

• Manage Square and Square Online

  • Maintain accurate pricing, item descriptions, item categories, tax settings adding new products as needed

  • Be proactive to anticipate needs, prevent problems, and institute changes for Square backend to maintain smooth operations for our cafes

  • Respond to customer inquiries and feedback in collaboration with the Retail Projects Manager

  • Be the point of contact for the Square rep

  • Troubleshoot any hardware or software issues with the POS in collaboration with the Retail Projects Manager

• Continually work to evolve our customer experience, in order to achieve our mission, which is to make people feel good by giving them the best coffee experience they’ve ever had

• Work with Founder/CEO to lead the planning for future cafes, and direct the development of systems for operations when we open new cafes in the future

• Support the Retail Leadership team to give timely reviews and deliver direct and compassionate feedback, both positive and constructive, and provide tools for employees to grow during their time at Ritual

• Work with People Operations Manager and Associate Finance and Operations Manager to collaborate on the implementation of systems and best practices around hiring, onboarding, developing, rewarding, and celebrating our teams of employees

• Work with People Operations Manager and Development Coordinator to collaborate on recommendations for wages, review structure, and employees perks to attract and retain talented coffee professionals

• Be available to troubleshoot in conjunction with People Operations Manager and cafe managers on scheduling needs

Oversee Education department to ensure that both staff and wholesale accounts are brewing and serving coffee to Ritual standards 

• Assist in updating comprehensive training program that fosters learning and incentivizes progress and continued learning

• Ensure that trainers are conducting comprehensive trainings and actively following up with new baristas and wholesale accounts

• Ensure creation and maintenance of a welcoming training lab and foster clear communication lines with baristas

• Ensure the training department is conducting research and development on new equipment

• Stay current with innovation in coffee industry

Ensure Ritual payables are accurate and up-to-date 

• Maintain strong vendor relations

• Upload and code internal invoices 

• Reach out to collaborators to ensure invoices are in the accounting system

Make strategic decisions to ensure our cafes are sustainable, profitable, and operate in line with Ritual’s values

• Analyze and monitor financials of the Retail cafes, examining what drives sales, profitability, and growth

• Work with Cafe Managers to achieve goals for each cafe

• Teach cafe managers to understand how to manage labor, cost of goods, and controllable expenses to contribute to a sustainable bottom line 

Ensure cafes are clean, beautiful, and safe, providing both employees and customers with fun, inclusive environments

• Oversee the maintenance of each cafe space to prevent them from getting worn down, dated, or falling into disrepair

• Work with Founder/CEO to plan and implement changes and updates to cafe spaces, ensuring our cafes reflect the individuality of each space and neighborhood while representing the Ritual brand

• Collaborate with Marketing to envision, plan for, and execute marketing initiatives in weekly marketing meetings

• Collaborate with Marketing team on signage needs and to communicate operational changes

 QUALIFICATIONS 

• Minimum 3 years experience in a cafe, foodservice, or similar leadership role

• Proven experience building healthy, inclusive, and diverse teams

• An approachable people-person with a high level of emotional intelligence, patience, compassion and problem solving skills

• Excellent communication and teaching skills, able to engage and inspire professional growth

• Love of coffee!

• Adept with sales and financial analysis, familiarity with P&Ls

• Proficiency with Google Drive, spreadsheets and general comfort with use of technology

• Availability: on-call to remotely support with emergencies, in person work in Napa or San Francisco as necessary

• Must be authorized to work in the United States (Required)

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS 

The physical requirements listed are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Regular and consistent attendance and the ability to sit and work with hands and arms for at least eight (8) hours per day and five (5) days per week.

• Physical ability to stand, reach, lift, bend, kneel, stoop, climb, walk, crawl, push and pull items weighing up to 20 pounds. 

• Stand and move throughout the cafe/ office.

• Have consistent and reliable onsite attendance at the cafe/ office.

• Continuous physical activity including walking, standing, twisting, sitting, bending, lifting, reaching, kneeling, stooping, crawling, wiping, climbing, pushing and pulling items weighing 50 pounds for distances of up to 20 ft.;

• Ability to perform moderately strenuous physical work and withstand temperatures of 0 degrees Fahrenheit or less and 100 degrees Fahrenheit or more; 

• Stand stationary in cafe throughout the shift for periods of time (up to 8 hours per day, 5 days per week);

• Must be able to interact with customers for at least eight (8) hours per day and five (5) days per week.

• Be able to adeptly use restaurant equipment;

• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. 

• Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percentage.

• Perform basic math and fractions to complete recipes;

• Proficient interpersonal relations and communicative skills in English; 

• Interpret and follow a variety of instructions and procedures furnished in English - written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

• Write routine reports and correspondence.