Job Description
Our client is a beloved neighborhood café brand rooted in the vibrant communities of New York City. With multiple café locations and a central bakery production facility, we serve high-quality coffee, thoughtfully crafted food, and freshly baked goods with heart and hospitality. Our mission is to create welcoming spaces that feel like a second home for our guests—and a meaningful place to grow for our team.
Role Profile
We’re seeking a strategic, operations-focused Managing Director to lead their multi-location café business into its next chapter. Reporting directly to the founders, you will be responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, scaling systems, driving growth, and nurturing our people-first culture across all locations, including our bakery production facility.
Key responsibilities of the role include:
- Leadership & Vision
- Set and execute strategic goals in collaboration with ownership.
- Provide day-to-day leadership across all departments: front of house, back of house, bakery production, HR, finance, and marketing.
- Maintain and evolve our community-oriented brand ethos.
- Operations Management
- Oversee and optimize performance across all café locations and the production facility.
- Implement systems and SOPs to streamline operations and improve efficiency.
- Ensure consistency in product quality and guest experience.
- Team Development
- Hire, train, and mentor senior leadership and store-level teams.
- Foster a positive, inclusive, and growth-oriented work environment.
- Drive accountability and support career development across the organization.
- Financial Oversight
- Manage budgets, P&Ls, and financial reporting.
- Identify areas of opportunity to improve margins and reduce costs without sacrificing quality.
- Collaborate with ownership to set and track KPIs.
You will need:
- 7+ years of experience in hospitality or food & beverage leadership roles; experience overseeing multi-unit operations strongly preferred.
- Deep understanding of café/bakery operations, supply chain, staffing, and guest experience.
- Proven track record of scaling systems and leading high-performance teams.
- Financial acumen with strong analytical and budget management skills.
- Collaborative, proactive, and mission-driven leadership style.
- NYC-based or willing to relocate.
This role is offering a strong remuneration package
To learn more about this role, submit your application or contact Ben Fitzgerald via Ben@hastingspeople.com
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