Operations Manager Northeast Region

The Yay Company

8d • $60,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Yay Company is looking for an experienced, hands-on Operations Manager to own the performance of our Northeast area markets. These will consist of locations in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. You are in your markets, at your schools, and with your teams on a rotating basis, ensuring every location runs to Yay's standards and every school feels great about the program. This region operates primarily through Yay-produced hub kitchens, meaning you are managing real food production, kitchen teams, and distribution logistics — not just coordinating third-party vendors. You will be responsible for standing up new kitchen locations, managing Kitchen Managers and Lunch Coordinators across multiple markets, and owning the financial performance of your region. This role is based in Pennsylvania. The ability to lead remote teams with high trust and clear expectations is as important as your ability to show up in person. This is a high-accountability, high-visibility role at a company that is scaling fast. If you love being in the field, own outcomes rather than activities, and thrive in an environment where every day is different, this role is for you.

Requirements

• 5-7 years of experience in multi-unit operations management, ideally in food service, hospitality, or a similarly fast-paced field environment.
• Experience managing kitchen or food production operations, understanding food cost, labor scheduling, and kitchen profitability.
• Proven ability to manage remote teams effectively.
• Strong people management skills, including leading field teams, holding individuals accountable, and developing talent.
• Financially fluent, able to read a P&L, understand direct margin, and connect daily operations to financial outcomes.
• Self-directed and highly organized, capable of managing multiple markets across a large geography.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and growth in a scaling environment.
• ServSafe Manager certification or willingness to obtain within 30 days of hire.
• Must be based in Philadelphia or within commuting distance.
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation, as regular travel across markets is required.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for the direct margin of every school in your region by actively managing food cost, labor, waste, and sales.
• Own the labor budget for your region, building and managing schedules for Kitchen Managers to ensure correct staffing based on production volume.
• Approve overtime, monitor clock-in compliance daily, and hold teams accountable for punctuality and task completion.
• Own the sales number for your markets, understanding participation rates, identifying underperforming locations, and proactively addressing barriers.
• Oversee weekly and monthly inventory counts across all schools in your region, conducting physical inventory on a rotating basis and holding remote managers accountable for accurate counts.
• Manage the launch process for new kitchen schools end-to-end, including health department coordination, equipment procurement, staffing plans, and operational setup.
• Directly manage Kitchen Managers and all ground-level staff, setting clear expectations, developing the team, addressing performance issues, and building a culture of ownership.
• Maintain field presence in core markets, concentrating time where it matters most, and ensuring all markets are managed effectively whether physically present or remotely.

Benefits

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• A high-growth, mission-driven company where your work directly impacts what kids eat every day
• A leadership team that values accountability, transparency, and operators who own their outcomes
• Real career growth as we expand into new markets and continue building our leadership team

What This Job Offers

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