Manager, Operator Initiatives

Grocery Outlet Career•Emeryville, CA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

This highly visible and field-oriented role offers an opportunity to develop and maintain the SOPs, best practices, process maps, and support materials that help our Independent Operators and field teams execute consistently. We are looking for a collaborative-minded leader with strong project management skills, excellent communication, and a practical understanding of store operations. This role will spend meaningful time in stores reviewing current materials, validating processes, gathering operator feedback, and translating store-level insights into clear, usable guidance. The Manager, Operator Initiatives will also act as a representative for the Independent Operator community, advising cross-functional teams on the operator point of view and helping ensure projects are realistic, scalable, and supported beyond launch. This role reports to the Director, Operator Initiatives.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in retail operations, field operations, training and development, process improvement, project management, or a similar operations role
Strong understanding of store operations and the ability to assess whether processes are practical and executable in a real store environment
Experience developing SOPs, best practices, training materials, process documentation, presentations, or other operator/field-facing resources
Knowledge of project management standards, processes, procedures, guidelines, and tools
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex processes into clear, simple, actionable guidance
Comfortable spending meaningful time in stores, engaging with operators and store teams, and using field observations to improve materials and processes
Ability to influence and collaborate across operators, field leadership, corporate partners, and project teams
Detailed-oriented, organized, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment with ambiguity
Strong proficiency with M.S. Office, collaboration/project management tools, and Lucidchart or similar process-mapping tools
A self-starter with an ownership and results oriented mindset and a commitment to continuous improvement

Responsibilities

Own the creation, maintenance, and ongoing governance of store and field SOPs, best practices, process documentation, and related support materials
Review existing SOPs, training content, communications, job aids, Lucidchart workflows, and field materials to identify gaps, duplication, outdated guidance, and opportunities to simplify execution
Develop clear, operator-ready materials including SOPs, best practice guides, process maps, field training resources, meeting materials, and implementation support tools
Spend significant time in stores observing processes, validating current-state execution, testing proposed best practices, and identifying what is practical for operators and store teams
Facilitate operator and field reviews of proposed SOPs and materials to ensure guidance is accurate, usable, and grounded in real store conditions
Update and standardize Lucidchart best practice workflows and process maps to ensure they reflect current store operations and are easy for field teams and operators to use
Manage operator- and field-facing initiatives from intake through execution, including project scope, requirements, milestones, deliverables, risks, decisions, and follow-up
Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Field Leadership, Training, Communications, Technology, Merchandising, Marketing, Finance, and other teams to ensure projects are coordinated and executable at store level
Act as a representative for the Independent Operator community by advising project teams on store realities, execution risks, training needs, communication considerations, and adoption barriers
Gather feedback after implementation and facilitate lessons learned to determine what should be refined, documented, or scaled more broadly