Operations Manager

Butterleaf | Sydney

Butterleaf is a fast-growing healthy food brand built around a simple idea: wholefoods, made properly.

We make our food from scratch using premium ingredients, with no seed oils, no refined sugars and no shortcuts. From our house-made dressings and signature crunches to our protein plates, salads, warm bowls and more, we care deeply about the quality of what we serve and the experience we create.

With our second Butterleaf location opening very soon and further expansion already on the horizon, we’re looking for an exceptional Operations Manager to help us build the operational foundations for the next stage of our growth.

This is a key leadership position within Butterleaf.

The Role

As Operations Manager, you will take ownership of the day-to-day operational performance of our stores and help build the systems, standards and team required to scale Butterleaf successfully.

You’ll work closely with the founders and store managers, spending significant time in our restaurants rather than operating solely from behind a desk.

Your role will be to make sure that every Butterleaf location is running the way it should — efficiently, consistently and to an exceptionally high standard.

You will be responsible for:

• Leading and supporting Store Managers and Assistant Managers across multiple locations
• Driving consistency in food quality, service, cleanliness and presentation
• Ensuring operational procedures, checklists and systems are followed properly
• Identifying operational problems and implementing practical solutions
• Improving labour efficiency, productivity and store profitability
• Reviewing rosters, staffing levels and workforce requirements
• Recruiting, onboarding and developing strong managers and team members
• Building accountability and a high-performance culture across the business
• Monitoring store KPIs and working with managers to improve performance
• Maintaining strong food safety, WHS and compliance standards
• Supporting new store openings, including recruitment, training and operational setup
• Working closely with our production kitchen to ensure smooth supply and consistency across locations
• Helping develop and document SOPs as Butterleaf grows
• Continuously finding ways to make our operations simpler, faster and better

Who We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who has already operated successfully in a strong hospitality, QSR, fast-casual or multi-site food business.

You may currently be an Operations Manager, Area Manager, Multi-Site Manager or an exceptional Store Manager ready to step into a broader role.

More importantly, you are someone who takes ownership.

You notice when something isn't right, you fix problems rather than walking past them, and you hold yourself and the people around you to a high standard.

Ideally, you will have:

• Significant experience managing high-volume hospitality or food retail operations
• Experience overseeing multiple locations or leading managers
• Strong understanding of labour management, rostering and operational KPIs
• Excellent people leadership and communication skills
• A track record of building strong teams and developing managers
• Strong attention to detail and an obsession with operational standards
• The ability to create structure, systems and accountability
• Confidence working with numbers and understanding store-level profitability
• Experience opening new locations or scaling a hospitality business would be highly regarded
• A willingness to be hands-on and spend time working alongside store teams

The Person

We don't need someone who simply sends reports and tells store managers what to do.

We want someone who can walk into a restaurant, understand what is happening within minutes and know where attention is needed.

Someone who can coach a manager one moment, analyse labour the next, jump onto service during a rush if required, and then help us design a better system so the problem doesn't happen again.

You should be comfortable operating in a growing business where not everything has already been built for you.

Part of your job will be helping us build it.

Why Butterleaf?

Butterleaf is still at an early stage of its journey.

That means this isn't simply an opportunity to manage an established operation — it's an opportunity to help shape one.

You'll work directly with the founders, have significant influence over how the business operates, and play an important role in building the infrastructure required to grow Butterleaf from a small group of restaurants into a much larger brand.

For the right person, there is significant opportunity for the role to grow alongside the company.

If you're ambitious, operationally sharp, love hospitality and want to help build something from the ground up, we'd love to hear from you.

To apply, please send through your CV and a short introduction outlining the hospitality businesses you've worked with, the scale of operations you've managed and why Butterleaf interests you.

Pay: $90,000.00 – $130,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person