Director of Operations

About the Role

Pressed Cafe is a fast-growing, high-volume restaurant brand seeking a Director of Operations who can turn an ambitious growth plan into consistent execution in every restaurant, on every shift.

This is a field leadership role, not an office role.

The Director of Operations will own restaurant performance across an assigned territory, lead the District Manager team, and partner directly with the Chief Operating Officer to translate company priorities into results on the floor. This is more than hitting targets. It means building the leaders, the operating discipline, and the repeatable systems that let a brand grow well past its current footprint without losing what made it work in the first place.

The ideal candidate has led multi-unit operations in a high-volume restaurant environment through a real growth cycle. They know how a shift comes apart, and how to keep it from coming apart. They can read a P&L and find the line that needs attention. They develop managers who develop other managers, so the bench is ready before the opening is.

This is a hands-on, highly visible seat in a founder-led company. The right candidate is just as comfortable building a territory plan with the COO as working the line during a Friday lunch rush.

This is an on-site opportunity based out of our Nashua, NH headquarters, with regular travel to restaurants across New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Key Responsibilities

The Director of Operations leads the District Manager team and is accountable for every restaurant in the territory, from guest experience and brand standards to profitability, team development, and the readiness of each new opening.

RESTAURANT EXECUTION & GUEST EXPERIENCE

• Daily execution. Lead operations across all locations, holding restaurant leadership accountable for service, order accuracy, cleanliness, readiness, and consistent brand standards.
• Field presence. Maintain a regular visit cadence that includes peak periods. Observe the operation, coach in the moment, and track corrective actions through to completion.
• Speed and hospitality. Improve throughput across in-restaurant, takeout, and digital ordering channels while protecting food quality and a welcoming guest experience.
• Guest feedback. Review complaints, reviews, and service trends with restaurant leaders. Resolve escalated concerns and fix the recurring cause, not just the symptom.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE & UNIT ECONOMICS

• P&L ownership. Own restaurant operating results against agreed budgets. Partner with the Chief Operating Officer and Finance on forecasts, priorities, and corrective plans.
• Labor and productivity. Align staffing and schedules with sales patterns, service needs, and labor targets. Address overtime, deployment, and productivity gaps, and keep scheduling practices compliant in both states.
• Cost controls. Hold teams accountable for inventory accuracy, ordering discipline, waste, cash handling, and controllable expenses. Partner with Culinary on food cost opportunities.
• Operating reviews. Use a consistent scorecard for sales, labor, food cost, guest experience, and people metrics. Report performance, risks, owners, and next steps to the COO.

LEADERSHIP & TALENT DEVELOPMENT

• Leader accountability. Set clear expectations for District Managers and General Managers, coach regularly, and address performance issues promptly and consistently.
• Talent pipeline. Partner with Human Resources on recruiting, onboarding, retention, and succession planning, so growth is never limited by people.
• Training follow-through. Ensure operational and service training is completed, documented, and visible on the floor.
• Culture. Build respectful, dependable teams where managers communicate clearly, recognize strong work, and take responsibility for results.

SYSTEMS & CROSS-FUNCTIONAL EXECUTION

• Operating playbooks. Maintain practical opening, closing, shift management, service, and cash control routines, and verify that teams actually use them.
• Culinary and beverage partnership. Partner with Culinary and Beverage on menu launches, kitchen standards, and food safety execution. Make sure staffing, training completion, and operational readiness support every rollout.
• Technology and marketing. Coordinate with IT and Marketing on point of sale, online ordering, promotions, and process changes. Test readiness before launch and confirm adoption after.
• Facilities and supply chain. Escalate maintenance and supply issues early, coordinate resolution with the responsible teams, and protect service during disruptions.

SAFETY, STANDARDS & NEW OPENINGS

• Safe restaurants. Hold restaurant leaders accountable for food safety, sanitation, workplace safety, and employment policy execution in partnership with Culinary and Human Resources.
• Incident response. Coordinate response to guest, employee, food safety, or business continuity incidents. Escalate promptly and document follow-through with the appropriate functional lead.
• New openings. Lead operational readiness with Construction and Development, Culinary, Human Resources, IT, and Facilities, covering staffing, training, service rehearsals, and opening checklists.
• Stabilization. Stay close to new locations after opening, close performance gaps, and turn lessons learned into a stronger opening process.

Qualifications

• Experience. 8 years of progressive restaurant operations leadership, including at least 3 years overseeing multiple locations and direct supervision of managers who lead other managers. High-volume premium fast casual experience strongly preferred.
• Financial judgment. Demonstrated success managing multi-unit P&Ls, labor, and controllable costs without sacrificing quality or guest experience.
• People leadership. A track record of developing managers, building leadership depth, improving retention, and holding teams accountable with clarity and respect.
• Execution and growth. Experience opening locations, implementing operating systems, and delivering change consistently across multiple restaurants. Experience in a privately owned or founder-led company is a plus.
• Systems fluency. Comfortable using point of sale, scheduling, inventory, and reporting tools to identify issues and drive action. Familiarity with Aloha NCR and OLO is a plus.
• Compliance knowledge. Working knowledge of wage and hour, food safety, and workplace safety requirements in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Food protection manager certification, or the ability to obtain it within 60 days of hire.
• Travel and presence. Valid driver license and a driving record that meets our insurance carrier standard. Able to travel regularly from Nashua to restaurant locations and to work early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays as business needs require.

What Success Looks Like

• Restaurants meet agreed sales, labor, and controllable profit targets, with timely corrective plans for locations that fall behind.
• Guest experience and order accuracy improve, with dependable service and consistent operating standards across every location.
• Restaurant leaders are effective and accountable, with stronger retention and a ready pipeline of future managers.
• New restaurants open with trained teams and verified operational readiness, then stabilize against agreed performance milestones.
• The COO has a reliable view of field performance, emerging risks, and progress against operating priorities.

Pressed Cafe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.