Director of Cafés

Company DescriptionAirship Coffee is dedicated to fostering authentic community and creating meaningful coffee experiences. Since 2008, we have been committed to improving the coffee industry by supporting sustainable farming practices and increasing the economic well-being of coffee growers. Our focus extends beyond sourcing and roasting exceptional coffee; we aim to deliver warm and friendly service to our café customers. At Airship, our culture is built on hard work, service, and a passion for what we create, with a steadfast dedication to maintaining our service-oriented values as we grow.About the RoleWe're looking for a seasoned multi-cafe leader to own the performance, culture, and guest experience across all Airship cafe locations. As Director of Cafes, you'll be the connective tissue between our cafe-level teams and company leadership — translating brand vision into daily operations, monitoring and supporting the systems, people, and habits that make every location thrive.This is a highly visible, high-ownership role. You'll be in cafes regularly, mentoring managers, solving problems, and raising the bar. You'll also spend meaningful time on strategy — workforce planning, financial performance, and new location openings. The role includes competitive compensation, accrued PTO, and bonus potential. What You'll OwnOperations & PerformanceOversee day-to-day operations across all cafe locations, ensuring consistent quality, speed of service, and brand standardsOwn P&L performance across all units — monitor labor, COGS, and controllable expenses; drive profitability improvementsEnsures cash management procedures (drawer counts and deposits) are being followed accuratelyDevelop and enforce standard operating procedures, opening/closing checklists, and cafe playbooksCompliance: Ensures that Retail Food Permits and Alcohol Permits are up to date and posted according to requirementsEnsures up-to-date CTL maintenance of alcohol server awareness forms Monitors the cleanliness of cafes through weekly check-ins and holds CTLs accountable to environmental standardsCommunicates facility maintenance needs and facilitates CTL coordination of contractors/service techs. Scheduling annual backflow prevention Coordinates fire suppression system inspectionLead new location openings from operational readiness through launchPartner with Café Team Leads, Fulfillment, and Marketing teams to maintain product consistency and inventory healthEnsure CTLs maintain zero out-of-stocks with inventoryEnsure successful coffee and merch drops at cafesGrow merch café sales by evaluating what works at each café and communicating café-specific trends to the marketing team.People & CultureDirectly manage, coach, and develop Cafe Team Leads; conduct weekly L10 meetings, performance reviews (rubric evaluations), and career conversationsEnsure CTLs have required food safety trainingBuild internal talent through skills training and structured development programsSupport CTLs and the Education team in identifying barista training needsTrain CTLs on Square POS functionalityCreate and implement product upselling initiatives to be executed by CTLs and cafe team membersOrganize and execute inter-café team culture activities in conjunction with CTLsSet the tone for a hospitality-first and high-accountability team culture Foster an environment of professionalism through accountabilityPartner with Café Team Leads on hiring, onboarding/offboarding, disciplinary matters, and compensation planning. Forecast labor needs in conjunction with CTLs, initiate call for resumes with Marketing Team, conduct interviews with CTLs, make offers, and support CTLs with onboarding new team membersObtain New Hire Docs and deliver to Payroll staffAdd and remove new/old team members to Square and Slack Ensure new team members are welcomed and introduced to their teams by CTLs Ultimate responsibility for ensuring ample coverage of all cafe schedules. Monitor and approve bi-weekly café schedules, ensuring CTLs have adequate staffing ready. Reduce turnover through strong engagement, clear expectations, and meaningful recognitionGuest Experience & BrandChampion exceptional guest experiences — own satisfaction scores, respond to trends in feedback, and drive service standards. No bad customer reviews!Ensure all locations reflect the brand's visual identity, hospitality standards, and product quality commitmentsSupport event programming by approving the plan, ensuring CTLs are adequately prepared, and communicating content capture needs to the marketing teamShare monthly update to CTLs on upcoming events in Bentonville and how they affect cafe operations Identify and implement improvements to the guest journey across all touchpoints; café signage, menu updates with the Marketing Team.Strategy & GrowthPartner with leadership on market expansion strategy, site selection evaluation, and growth planningAnalyze sales data, operational metrics, and competitive trends to surface insights and opportunitiesRepresent retail operations in cross-functional meetings with marketing, education, finance, and fulfillment teamsWHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORRequiredBarista skills, if not will need to learn3-5+ years of multi-unit leadership experience in specialty coffee, fast-casual, or hospitalityDemonstrated track record of driving financial results across multiple locationsStrong people leader — experience managing managers, not just frontline teamsDeep operational fluency: scheduling, inventory, food/beverage cost management, complianceData-driven mindset with comfort analyzing dashboards, sales reports, and labor metrics to make decisions and take actionExcellent written and verbal communication skills; able to influence at all levelsPreferredExperience with specialty coffee or a strong passion for the craft and cultureBackground in scaling from 3–5 to 10+ locationsFamiliarity with POS systems (Square), scheduling tools, and retail analytics platformsExperience leading new cafe openings end-to-end