Analyst, Deployment & Program Services

Panera Bread•Saint Louis, LA

22d•$64,638 - $77,565

About The Position

The Analyst, Deployment & Program Services executes critical Operations Services support functions across Cafe Event Management, Initiative Management, and Shared Services. The role serves as a key connection between field-facing personnel and internal support center resources across departments, supporting initiatives and events from planning through completion. For cafe events, the analyst owns the Ops Services Cafe Events inbox and coordinates end-to-end support for events such as NBCO, RELO, closures, DT retrospectives, remodels, capacity changes, and market transitions. The analyst ensures applicable PDP and PMA standards are followed, maintains event dates and initiative information, manages open items, supports cross-functional teams, trains teammates assigned to NBCO events, and reports process-improvement opportunities to team leadership. For initiatives, the analyst works within Deployment standards to help initiatives land effectively in targeted cafes. This includes participating in planning and cross-functional meetings, documenting test details, communicating with field personnel and support teams, managing open items, helping create support materials, maintaining reference documents, supporting the Retail Ops and Franchise communities, and updating internal systems such as PDP and eCommerce platforms. The analyst also takes rotational ownership of shared services, including ePAM (eCommerce, POS, and Cafe Configuration) and hierarchy information for aligning company cafes to divisions. The position is based at the Saint Louis Support Center and has approximately zero direct reports.

Requirements

1 to 3 years of experience with Panera Retail Operations.
1 to 3 years of experience as a project manager or in a similar role.
Highly motivated, self-starting approach and ability to perform well under pressure.
Accountability for individual and team results.
Demonstrated high-level problem-solving skills.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with senior executives.
Ability to manage tasks across multiple projects simultaneously and adapt to changing priorities.
Understanding of and experience with technology in a retail environment.
Ability to work effectively with technical and business teams across organizational levels.
Above-average to expert experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
Commitment to excellence and world-class customer service.

Responsibilities

Own and manage the Ops Services Cafe Events inbox, coordinating end-to-end support for assigned cafe events.
Coordinate support for NBCO, RELO, closure, DT retrospective, remodel, capacity, and market-transition events.
Ensure PDP and PMA standards are met and keep event dates and related information current based on audit documents and processes.
Manage initiative entries and open items using a 360-degree approach, including documentation, owner assignment, follow-up, journaling, and closure.
Support cross-functional teams for each event and provide guidance and direction as needed.
Train and support teammates assigned to manage NBCO events.
Report process-improvement opportunities to team leadership.
Attend and participate in weekly planning and cross-functional meetings, including RISE, Portfolio, Rollout Readiness, and Deployment Collab.
Schedule and attend one-on-one meetings with relevant cross-functional team members when required.
Contribute relevant perspectives and concerns to support successful initiative testing and deployment.
Communicate with support teams and field personnel using standard tools and processes.
Document required test details for assigned initiatives.
Provide communication support to Retail Ops and internal support groups during testing and rollout phases.
Help create support materials and communications for all phases of initiatives.
Promote adherence to Initiative Management processes and applicable rules of engagement for testing and rollout.
Support Retail Ops and Franchise communities through the Initiative Management inbox, documenting and escalating issues and tasks as needed.
Create and maintain reference documents as the single source of truth for large-scale initiatives until completion.
Update and validate information in internal systems, including PDP and eCommerce platforms, as needed.
Take rotational ownership of ePAM services and hierarchy information for company cafe-to-division alignment.
Perform other duties as assigned.