Operations Manager | Chicago

Blank Street • Chicago, IL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

As an Operations Manager at Blank Street, you are the ultimate leader of an entire area of 5+ stores and the General Managers who lead them. Your greatest responsibility is growing people. You will hire, coach and develop an A team of GMs, helping them become confident leaders who build engaged, high-performing teams across our stores. You are also the strategic mind behind your stores: you will own your area's PnL and decide how to plan, prioritize and follow through, so your stores get better day by day. In a fast-moving and constantly evolving business, you will create clarity, build capability, and foster a culture of accountability, hospitality and continuous improvement. You'll report to the Director of Operations and work closely with the rest of our Field Leadership team. Together, you'll help scale the next generation of leaders while driving an exceptional experience for both our teams and our customers.

Requirements

• 5+ years of leadership experience in hospitality, retail, or another fast-growing consumer business.
• Experience leading multiple locations (3-10) and developing the managers who run them.
• Passionate about hospitality: you love creating exceptional customer and employee experiences, and care about setting the bar high in every store you’ve managed.
• Commercial thinker: you have strong operational and financial judgment. You read the data (P&L, KPI dashboards) and know what to do next.
• People leader: you have developed managers in the past and are able to hire an A team, coach, make decisions and lead through change.
• Strategic planner: you know how to plan a quarter ahead and how to turn priorities into plans your GMs can act on.
• Excellent communicator: you know how to cut through the noise and are sharp in writing (Slack, Notion, email) and confident in speech (area meetings, workshops).
• Able to travel regularly between stores within your market.
• Full Time: 50 hours per week, 5 days of availability required and must be available to work 2 peak days (usually weekend days, weekend as described as Friday, Saturday, Sunday).

Responsibilities

• Be Our Ultimate Hospitality Leader: Make the standards stick by coaching GMs to build the systems, behaviors and processes that keep our hospitality standards high every shift. Hold the bar by checking standards across your area through regular store visits and data, and hold GMs accountable for closing gaps fast. Jump in where it counts by taking an active role in turning around struggling stores and launching new stores in your area.
• Run a Tight PnL: Plan for demand by translating quarterly sales forecasts into store-specific plans and ensuring GMs understand upcoming changes. Build the labor plan by setting labor targets a quarter out, including headcount and transfers, and coaching GMs to build rotas against them. Calibrate inventory to forecast demand and set clear guardrails to prevent overstocking or shortages.
• Build and Develop an A-Team: Develop GMs into future leaders through training pathways, regular 1:1s, and direct feedback. Own the talent pipeline by calibrating hiring and promotion decisions and setting quarterly succession targets from barista to GM. Build an area-wide culture where stores operate as one team, sharing best practices and supporting each other, fostering a fast-moving, high-energy, collaborative, and fun environment.
• Operate Strategically: Master your stores' KPIs and PnL, and set clear priorities for your area weekly and quarterly. Work with each GM to build and execute store-specific plans to drive performance. Land change and innovation by rolling out new initiatives, ensuring clear communication, hands-on training, team buy-in, and tracking adoption.

Benefits

• $100,000–$130,000 annual base salary
• 15 days of paid annual leave (on top of company-observed holidays and sick time)
• Three health plan options, with full coverage available for two employee-only tiers.
• Commuter benefits
• Parental leave
• Bereavement leave
• Exclusive access to our coveted Regulars program - yes, that means free coffee, matcha and more!
• Regular social outings with the team
• Free Blank Street swag

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed