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
Education & Experience
· 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
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.
Newton Support CenterSkills Required
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
- 4+ years of experience in restaurant operations, food safety, quality assurance, audit-program management, compliance, operational excellence, or a related field
- Cross-functional program and team-leadership experience
- Experience managing third-party providers and vendor relationships
- Project planning, organization, prioritization, and follow-through
- 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
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.
