Associate Operations Manager

Lab37•Los Angeles, CA

11d•Onsite

About The Position

Lab37 Robotics is a technology company focused on the development and deployment of robots designed specifically for direct-to-customer food production. Our mission is to revolutionize the food industry by creating innovative robotic solutions that enhance efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction. We are passionate about pushing the boundaries of technology to deliver cutting-edge products that meet the evolving needs of our clients. As an Associate Operations Manager, you will play a key role in the day-to-day performance of our Los Angeles kitchen operations. You will work closely with the Head of Operations to ensure our kitchens run safely, efficiently, and consistently while developing frontline leaders. This is a hands-on field operations role. You will spend significant time in our kitchens, coaching leaders, solving problems, ensuring standards are followed, and driving accountability across locations. As Lab37 grows, this role will expand in scope and responsibility.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in restaurant, foodservice, QSR, fast-casual, commissary, or similar operations.
Experience managing multiple restaurant or foodservice locations is strongly preferred.
Experience owning or supporting labor, food cost, staffing, manager development, facilities, inventory, health and safety, and location KPIs.
Strong understanding of labor scheduling, productivity, and labor-cost management.
Working knowledge of food cost, inventory, waste, purchasing, and basic restaurant/unit economics.
Experience maintaining food-safety, cleanliness, and operational standards.
Strong people-management skills, including coaching, accountability, performance management, and leader development.
Comfortable using operational data and KPIs to identify problems and make decisions.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Comfortable learning scheduling, timekeeping, inventory, purchasing, POS/order-management, and SOP/task-management systems.
New-store or kitchen-opening experience is a strong plus.
Comfortable working onsite and being hands-on with frontline teams.

Responsibilities

Own day-to-day operational performance across assigned Los Angeles kitchens and serve as the first point of escalation for location-level issues.
Manage and coach Shift Leads, Floating Managers, and other kitchen leadership while building a high-performance culture.
Ensure SOPs are followed across cleaning, food safety, opening/closing, prep, equipment care, inventory, and order quality.
Own location-level labor management, including staffing, scheduling, overtime, productivity, and labor costs.
Help manage food cost, inventory, waste, purchasing, and other controllable operating costs.
Coordinate facilities and equipment issues, vendors, repairs, and preventive maintenance.
Spend regular time onsite observing execution, identifying gaps, coaching employees, and stepping in when needed.
Monitor location KPIs, identify underperformance, and implement corrective action plans.
Support hiring, onboarding, training, and development of kitchen leaders and hourly employees.
Support new kitchen launches and help stabilize locations after opening.
Identify recurring operational issues and recommend practical improvements to leadership.
Maintain clear communication and follow-through to ensure issues are resolved.
Escalate issues requiring senior leadership judgment, material spend, or broader strategic decisions.