Job Purpose
The Senior Manager is accountable for the end-to-end strategy, development, and execution of operational resources that enable flawless cafe execution across campaigns, off-cycle launches, and day-to-day operations. This role serves as a senior operational thought partner across Culinary, Food Ops, Ops Standards, Transformation, and the field—owning not just delivery, but how resources are designed, governed, connected, and sustained at scale.
This role operates with a high degree of autonomy, leads complex cross-functional work, and sets the standards, prioritization, and ways of working for operational documentation and learning tools enterprise-wide.
This role is hybrid and requires three days per week onsite at our Newton, MA offices.
Duties & Responsibilities
Strategy & Ownership
- Own the enterprise strategy for operational resource development, ensuring tools are clear, connected, scalable, and aligned to business priorities across all cafe formats.
- Establish and evolve standards, governance, and best practices for operational documentation, working closely with Ops Standards and field leadership.
- Proactively identify gaps, risks, and inefficiencies in current tools and processes; lead solutioning before issues impact cafe execution.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Serve as the senior operations partner to Food Ops during new menu and production process development, influencing decisions to ensure operational feasibility and simplicity.
- Provide senior-level feedback and recommendations during Innovation Center validations, balancing innovation with executional reality.
- Lead coordination across multiple Panera teams to synthesize feedback, align timelines, and resolve competing priorities.
Resource Development & Execution Excellence
- Oversee development, editing, and finalization of high-impact operational resources supporting celebrations and off-cycle launches.
- Ensure all deliverables meet Celebration Team milestones, including drafts, reviews, sign-offs, and final distribution.
- Implement structured review cycles to ensure resources remain accurate, current, and aligned post-launch.
Print, Distribution & Systems Stewardship
- Own print strategy and planning, including quantities, timelines, vendor coordination, and cost awareness.
- Maintain and govern:
- Enterprise Learning Tools Lists
- Print vendor “new cafe opening packet” documentation.
- Master document repositories with strong version control and accessibility
- Ensure cafes have timely access to the most current operational documentation, post-implementation.
Qualifications (Education & Experience)
- Bachelor's Degree or equivalent required.
- 3+ years of experience in a restaurant operations environment (Panera experience strongly preferred).
- Highly detail-oriented and intellectually curious, with the ability to evaluate interdependencies across initiatives.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a creative and practical approach to solutioning.
- Proven ability to prioritize, multitask, and deliver high-quality work in fast-paced, time-sensitive environments.
- Demonstrated success managing projects on time relative to scope, resources, and business value.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional partners.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); strong working knowledge preferred.
- In design software experience is a plus. Adobe experience is a plus.
- Willingness and ability to travel up to 25%, based on project needs.
Working Conditions
- Required travel – 25%.
Physical Requirements
- While performing this job, the incumbent is regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear & use hands, and fingers to operate keyboards.
Direct Reports
- This position will have approximately 2 direct reports.
Competitive pay $92,055 to $110,466 annually.
The actual pay offered will be determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and geographical location. Individual compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.
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What We Do
Panera began in 1987 as St. Louis Bread Company, a humble community bakery founded with a sourdough starter from San Francisco and a dream of putting a loaf of bread in every arm. While our business has expanded well beyond St. Louis since then, that same sourdough starter is still used in our iconic sourdough bread and the craft of baking bread fresh each day remains at the heart of Panera Bread. Each day, our trained bakers fill our bakery shelves with delicious freshly baked cookies, pastries, bagels, and a range of breads from focaccia to classic baguettes. We believe in serving delicious, freshly prepared, clean food made with carefully selected ingredients that we are proud to serve our own families. Our menu, crafted by chefs and bakers, features classic, comforting dishes, each with an intriguing twist. We respect our planet and take measures to lessen our impacts. We believe in treating people with warmth, kindness, and respect, whether it’s a guest in our cafe or one of our associates. And we believe in helping our local communities, especially in times of need. We’re also focused on improving quality and convenience. With investments in technology and operations, we offer omni-channel access to your Panera favorites – like mobile ordering, catering, and Rapid Pick-Up® for to-go orders, Curbside pick-up and delivery – all designed to make things easier for our guests. Today, Panera operates as both Panera Bread® or Saint Louis Bread Co St. Louis Bread Company in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Panera Bread is privately held by JAB Holding Company. Panera Bread is part of Panera Brands, one of the largest fast-casual restaurant platforms in the U.S., comprised of Panera Bread®, Caribou Coffee® and Einstein Bros.® Bagels.
