Area Operations Manager

WatchHouse is a group of specialty coffee Houses located in iconic neighbourhoods across London, Bath and New York. We are dedicated to elevating the coffee experience through our "Modern Coffee" philosophy. We offer premium products in exceptional places with our passionate team to ensure each visit offers a unique guest experience. This commitment to quality and heartfelt hospitality, earnt us the title of Europe’s Best Coffee Shop Chain at the 2024 European Coffee & Hospitality Awards. Join us and be part of a team that’s redefining the coffee experience with community, innovation, and excellence at its core. We are looking for an experienced, dynamic and passionate Area Operations Manager to join WatchHouse. As the Area Operations Manager, you will play a pivotal role in the success and growth of WatchHouse. You will lead a dynamic team, ensuring each House under your management achieves excellence in coffee quality, customer service, and operational efficiency. Reporting to the Head of Operations, you will work closely with other senior leaders to implement company strategies and drive business growth. Your leadership will be instrumental in nurturing talent, improving processes, and fostering a culture of diligence, passion, empathy, and can-do. Directly reports into (Line Manager): Head of Operations. Key Responsibilities: Lead and develop a team of House Managers, fostering a positive culture and driving high performance across approximately 10 Houses. Not being afraid to get stuck in when needed. Manage full P&L for your area, ensuring Houses meet or exceed budget expectations while driving profitability. Ensure each House adheres to WatchHouse Brand Standards, delivering best-in-class coffee and guest experiences. Collaborate with the wider Support Office team to develop and implement strategies that align with the company’s growth objectives. Influential people management with proven experience in leading and developing teams. Ensure all Houses comply with H&S and food safety regulations, maintaining standards through the WatchHouse LMS and Food Alert systems. Conduct regular audits and provide actionable feedback to enhance operational standards and overall performance. Positive ambassadorship of the brand, assisting and overseeing the local level marketing of the sites by the management team to grow sales. Oversee recruitment, training, and development to build cohesive, high-performing teams, working closely with the People Team. Lead monthly House Manager meetings to discuss current business, inform them of any plans or changes, facilitate any specific training to create a supportive management team. Any ad-hoc duties as outlined by the Head of Operations as and when required for the business. The role in more detail: As the Area Operations Manager, you will play a pivotal role in the success and growth of WatchHouse. You will lead a dynamic team, ensuring each House under your management achieves excellence in coffee quality, customer service, and operational efficiency. Reporting to the Head of Operations, you will work closely with other senior leaders to implement company strategies and drive business growth. Your leadership will be instrumental in nurturing talent, improving processes, and fostering a culture of diligence, passion, empathy, and a can-do attitude. The Area Operations Manager must have a passion for driving their House’s and instilling standards across our teams. You will be responsible for looking after up to ten unique Houses, each with a different dynamic, being able to maximise sales, performance and standards. A highly organised individual with honesty and integrity, who puts their team at the forefront of everything they do, the Area Operations Manager must have impeccable communication skills across all levels and the ability to adapt management styles and methods depending on the audience. Strong attention to detail is crucial to this role, whilst demonstrating a great commercial acumen and a desire to learn and develop in the role. Key to this role: Self-Motivation & Initiative: Proactively solve problems and implement improvements across your Houses. Inspirational Leadership: Track record in motivating and developing teams to achieve high standards Creative Sales Initiatives: Innovate to drive sales growth and guest engagement across multiple sites. Organizational Skills: Strong planning abilities, attention to detail, and the capability to manage multiple priorities. Flexible approach: Ensure busy periods and New House Openings are covered, including weekend, evening and Bank Holiday work where necessary. Getting stuck in to service where needed. Effective Communication: Ability to clearly convey standards, targets, and expectations to House Managers and teams. Passion for People & Hospitality: Deep commitment to guest experience and team development, with experience in specialty coffee or premium hospitality. Health & Safety Expertise: Meticulous adherence to H&S procedures and food safety compliance. KPI & Target Achievement: Proven ability to set, meet, and exceed sales targets and KPIs. Working at WatchHouse. WatchHouse was born from a passion to do better. Diligence and attention to detail are paramount to what we do, we focus on the detail. We strive for perfection. We really care. We are a people first business, curious and interested in those around us. We treat everyone with respect. We pride ourselves on creating an environment where diversity is celebrated, equality is insisted and inclusion expected. A company where we believe in having the right person in the role; personality and individuality at the top of the list of what we are looking for in applications and throughout our hiring process. We also know that everyone is different, and we value and respect diversity, standing up for equality and standing against any form of discrimination. Decisions about and the treatment of people at work should be based on the individual’s abilities, skills, performance and behaviour- these should be assessed against the WatchHouse job description requirements for each individual role. We are always patient and considerate towards others. Encouraging, approachable and communicating brilliantly. We strive to be the best we can be, by giving and receiving regular and honest feedback in a professional manner. We plan ahead, prioritise and are mindful and respect the time of others. We complete every task to the best of our ability. Always happy to ask for help, work in cohesion with other people/departments and share successes. We work to make WatchHouse an environment of trust and comradery, where others are inspired to play their part in working effectively together. Building strong relationships with others and demonstrating positive energy. We recognise and value the contribution of others across the business, working together to deliver the Modern Coffee experience to each and every person touched by our business. Our four core values - passion, can do, diligence and empathy - are what makes WatchHouse who we are. Our decisions are made based on these principles. To grow and succeed at WatchHouse, it is imperative that these values also resonate strongly with you, and can drive your ambition in the same way they do ours. Our Job Application Privacy Notice

Location: London, GB

Posted Date: 1/20/2025