Manager, Growth Operations
Panera Bread · panerabread.com
NewtonHybridLead / Manager3+ yrs
Straight from the company’s own careers site.
The job in short
Coordinate restaurant cafe openings, remodels, transitions and closures as project manager.
MarketingSupply chainLogistics
Details
- Found
- 25 d ago · posted 2026-10-09
- Location
- Newton, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Pay (as listed)
- $92,055–$110,466 a year
Full description
Position Summary
The Manager, Growth Operations coordinates assigned New Bakery-Cafe Openings, remodels, market/café ownership transitions, closures, FSO openings, new franchisee café openings, relocations, and other cafe portfolio changes within Operations Services.
The Manager owns each assigned critical path, coordinates company and franchise partners, manages opening orders, monitors milestones and dependencies, and ensures successful opening, reopening, transition, closure, and stabilization.
Location: Newton, MA moving to Weston, MA (hybrid)
Key Responsibilities
Project & Critical-Path Management
· Manage assigned projects from operational engagement through stabilization.
· Build and maintain critical paths with scope, milestones, owners, dependencies, lead times, decisions, risks, and completion requirements.
· Facilitate readiness reviews, track commitments, develop recovery plans, and escalate issues.
· Maintain accurate plans, status reports, decision logs, risk logs, and documentation.
New Bakery-Cafe Openings & Orders
· Coordinate people planning, staffing, training, cafe setup, opening support, systems, vendors, and opening-week execution.
· Maintain an order tracker with items, owners, vendors, order dates, delivery dates, status, and issues.
· Maintain an inventory of all smallwares required to open a café successfully
· Monitor shortages, delays, substitutions, missing shipments, and installation dependencies.
· Coordinate recovery plans and remain engaged through post-opening stabilization.
Remodels, Transitions, Closures & FSOs
· Manage operational critical paths for remodels, temporary disruptions, franchise ownership transitions, closures, and FSOs.
· Coordinate communications, inventory, technology, equipment, vendor services, ordering, training, and business-continuity needs.
· Maintain visibility into development milestones and confirm readiness or completion requirements.
Cross-Functional Leadership & Improvement
· Coordinate Development, Operations, Franchise Operations, Supply Chain, Technology, HR, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Marketing, Facilities, Finance, and vendors.
· Maintain dashboards covering milestones, orders, readiness, risks, and open issues.
· Capture feedback and improve critical paths, checklists, ordering processes, communications, and readiness tools.
Qualifications
Education & Experience
· Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience preferred.
· 3+ years of experience in restaurant operations, new-unit openings, development operations, project management, franchise operations, supply chain, or a related field.
· Experience coordinating multi-location projects, vendors, orders, logistics, or critical deliverables preferred.
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 $92,055 - $110,466 annually
Additional Description :
Program / Project Manager jobs in Newton, Massachusetts · Program / Project Manager jobs in the United States · All Panera Bread jobs · Senior Program / Project Manager jobs in Newton, Massachusetts · Senior Program / Project Manager jobs in the United States · Senior and manager-level jobs in Newton, Massachusetts