Director of Operations Innovation

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream•New York, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is hiring a full-time Director of Operations Innovation, based out of New York City. This is a great opportunity for a highly experienced individual to work with the greater retail operations team at Van Leeuwen Ice Cream as the company embarks on its next stage of growth. The ideal candidate is someone who is passionate about operations, a strong and effective communicator, highly analytical, and can thrive in a fast-paced environment (and loves ice cream!). As an Operations Innovation Director, you are the voice and representative of our scoop shops at Headquarters and are responsible for driving flawless operations execution. You will be responsible for simplifying, streamlining, and enhancing store processes, systems, and technology, while ensuring that we continue to innovate and improve. This role will be based out of our Williamsburg, Brooklyn office and follow Van Leeuwen's Hybrid work model and be in office at least two to three days a week.

Requirements

6+ years professional experience in an operations, strategy, or consulting role (preferably in the food/retail space, but not required)
You are an enthusiastic problem solver, who enjoys diving into operational complexities to evaluate business needs and test potential solutions
You have a strong instinct and passion for operations and people
You have an enthusiasm for thinking differently, tackling complex problems, and identifying new ways of doing things
Strong ability to make a business case and influence decision making, leveraging data, analytics, presentations, etc.
Experience leveraging systems and data to drive business needs
Ability to work evenings and weekends as required
Ability to travel as required (up to 50% of time, depending on season)
Ability to work in the field as required
Proficiency in MS Office and Google-suite tools
Excellent communication and problem-solving skills
Excellent organizational skills
Ability to multitask
Strong attention to detail
Must be comfortable working in-store scoop shifts as needed, while adhering to DOH guidelines

Responsibilities

Identify and implement innovation opportunities
Build testing protocols and lead testing of new operational processes
Work with Learning + Development Team to implement output of innovation work into stores
Create and maintain all store processes, systems, and standards
Build tools to support store execution
Oversee all store technology
Conduct operational analysis to optimize store operations
Develop and maintain all store communication channels
Define field priorities and lead organization through thoughtful and streamlined roll-out processes that deliver simple, prescriptive content to the field
Drive field prioritization based on partnership with our field leadership
Lead efforts to roll-out new products, systems, and processes across our storew
Support new scoop shop openings from inception to completion
Build and drive the new store opening launch calendar
Coordinate efforts both internally and externally to ensure smooth store openings
Drive a culture of continuous improvement within the new store opening processes, evaluating the successes and opportunities of each project