Sr. Manager, Operations Documents & Resources

Job Purpose The Senior Manager is accountable for the end-to-end strategy, development, and execution of operational resources that enable flawless cafe execution across campaigns, off-cycle launches, and day-to-day operations. This role serves as a senior operational thought partner across Culinary, Food Ops, Ops Standards, Transformation, and the field-owning not just delivery, but how resources are designed, governed, connected, and sustained at scale. This role operates with a high degree of autonomy, leads complex cross-functional work, and sets the standards, prioritization, and ways of working for operational documentation and learning tools enterprise-wide. This role is hybrid and requires three days per week onsite at our Newton, MA offices. Duties & Responsibilities Strategy & Ownership Own the enterprise strategy for operational resource development, ensuring tools are clear, connected, scalable, and aligned to business priorities across all cafe formats. Establish and evolve standards, governance, and best practices for operational documentation, working closely with Ops Standards and field leadership. Proactively identify gaps, risks, and inefficiencies in current tools and processes; lead solutioning before issues impact cafe execution. Cross-Functional Leadership Serve as the senior operations partner to Food Ops during new menu and production process development, influencing decisions to ensure operational feasibility and simplicity. Provide senior-level feedback and recommendations during Innovation Center validations, balancing innovation with executional reality. Lead coordination across multiple Panera teams to synthesize feedback, align timelines, and resolve competing priorities. Resource Development & Execution Excellence Oversee development, editing, and finalization of high-impact operational resources supporting celebrations and off-cycle launches. Ensure all deliverables meet Celebration Team milestones, including drafts, reviews, sign-offs, and final distribution. Implement structured review cycles to ensure resources remain accurate, current, and aligned post-launch. Print, Distribution & Systems Stewardship Own print strategy and planning, including quantities, timelines, vendor coordination, and cost awareness. Maintain and govern: Enterprise Learning Tools Lists Print vendor "new cafe opening packet" documentation. Master document repositories with strong version control and accessibility Ensure cafes have timely access to the most current operational documentation, post-implementation. Qualifications (Education & Experience) Bachelor's Degree or equivalent required. 3+ years of experience in a restaurant operations environment (Panera experience strongly preferred). Highly detail-oriented and intellectually curious, with the ability to evaluate interdependencies across initiatives. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a creative and practical approach to solutioning. Proven ability to prioritize, multitask, and deliver high-quality work in fast-paced, time-sensitive environments. Demonstrated success managing projects on time relative to scope, resources, and business value. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional partners. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); strong working knowledge preferred. In design software experience is a plus. Adobe experience is a plus. Willingness and ability to travel up to 25%, based on project needs. Working Conditions Required travel - 25%. Physical Requirements While performing this job, the incumbent is regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear & use hands, and fingers to operate keyboards. Direct Reports This position will have approximately 2 direct reports. Additional Description Competitive pay $92,055 to $110,466 annually.