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Newton, MA moving to Weston, MA
Hybrid
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.
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