Sr. Manager, Operations Standards & Audit

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