Area Leader

sweetgreen•Los Angeles, CA

5h•Onsite

About The Position

The Area Leader is responsible for developing internal succession plans, coaching managers, driving recruitment of high-potential talent, and ensuring continuous performance improvement across multiple store operations. This role focuses on balancing people, financial, and customer experience metrics to meet and exceed annual P&L objectives, primarily through top-line sales, productivity, and production management. The Area Leader also drives sales performance by fostering customer connections through community marketing, technology initiatives, new product launches, and merchandising. A key aspect is training, coaching, and inspiring locations to deliver exceptional customer experiences and high-quality culinary operations, adhering to sweetgreen’s policies. The role involves leading head coach development, fostering strong cross-functional partnerships, and cultivating a positive, team-oriented environment with a healthy competitive spirit. Additionally, the Area Leader is tasked with growing community connections within each restaurant neighborhood by developing brand ambassadors and maximizing sweetgreen's community-based programs. Sweetgreen is a national restaurant brand dedicated to building healthier communities by connecting people to real food, reimagining fast food to be fresh, flavorful, and rooted in relationships with farmers and communities. The company is committed to developing its people in restaurants and at its support center, aiming to create spaces where food, people, and purpose come together.

Requirements

5+ years of prior restaurant experience with 3+ years of multi-unit management.
Proven experience balancing focus on new store openings and existing business performance: can manage multiple projects, delegates freely with quality follow and drive new store support and project management.
Strong communication skills that engage people in a genuine, authentic way. Proactively connects to the team to drive behavior and results.
Highly organized, able to multi-task, and easily adapts and respond to change.
2+ years of experience in both front of house and back of house/kitchen operation management.
Disciplined approach to priority setting with the ability to identify the root cause of store operations and people opportunities, and move quickly to improve performance.
Demonstrated management of applicable restaurant regulatory areas, including: employee safety; HAACP; wage + hour; immigration; food safety.
Proficient computer skills in the Microsoft Office suite.
Personal characteristics reflective of sweetgreen: high-energy, action oriented, self-motivated, positive and humble attitude, service-focused, flexible, fun-loving personality, and ethical with a high degree of integrity.
Belief in and passion for the sweetlife and sweetgreen’s core values.

Responsibilities

Developing internal succession plan and a deep bench of managers at all levels of store operations by developing head coaches and the ability to identify “raw” talent. Candidate will have a clear understanding of how to move capability and performance and a sense of urgency to do so.
Developing and coaching an understanding of the sweetgreen profile and driving recruitment of high-potential internal and external talent.
Driving continuous performance improvement focusing on leading indicators and established key metrics. Candidate will be balanced in their approach focusing on people, financial, and customer experience metrics equally.
Meeting/exceeding annual P&L objectives with a primary focus on top-line sales, productivity, and production management.
Driving top-line sales performance by fostering customer connections through community marketing, throughput and technology initiatives, new product launches and an in-depth merchandising mentality.
Training, coaching, and inspiring all locations to deliver exceptional customer experiences and high quality culinary operations ensuring a commitment to sweetgreen’s operational policies and procedures.
Leading head coach development both personally and professionally through goal setting, coaching and feedback, and an innate understanding of what makes people tick, always connecting development to improved performance.
Developing strong cross-functional partnerships that ensure the right support is provided to the stores to improve performance and remove barriers to focusing on the customer, people, and results.
Fostering a positive, team-oriented environment with a healthy competitive spirit that ensures the sharing of best practices and a commitment to goal achievement.
Fostering and growing strong community connections within each restaurant neighborhood by leading head coaches to develop brand ambassadors and maximizing sweetgreen community-based programs.

Benefits

Competitive base salary + 20% bonus potential
Stock options
Medical, dental + vision insurance plans to suit your and your family's needs
Flexible PTO plan
401k program
Paid family leave; we believe in fully supporting new parents
Complimentary greens
Free sweetgreen swag
An opportunity to make a real impact on the people around you, both by growing them and by connecting them to real food
A collaborative team of people who live our core values and have your back
A clear career path with opportunities for development, both personally and professionally