Operations Manager DCM

Operations Manager

The Yay Company is looking for an experienced, hands-on Operations Manager to own the performance of our DC Metro area markets across DC proper, Maryland, Virginia and Baltimore. This is a field-first role — you are not desk-bound. 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 DCM. Your strongest and most frequent physical presence will be in DCM, with regular rotation in Baltimore. 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.

Direct Margin & Financial Performance

You are accountable for the direct margin of every school in your region. That means actively managing the inputs — food cost, labor, waste, and sales — and knowing exactly where each market stands at all times. If a number is off, you know why and you have a plan.

Labor & Scheduling

You own the labor budget for your region. You build and manage schedules for your Kitchen Managers, ensuring every market is staffed correctly based on actual production volume — not habit. You approve overtime, monitor clock-in compliance daily, and hold your team accountable to being on time, on location, and on task — including markets you are not physically in that week.

Sales & School Experience

You own the sales number for your markets. You understand participation rates at every school, you know which locations are underperforming, and you proactively address the barriers — whether that's a school relationship issue, a service gap, or an execution problem. Your schools should feel like Yay's most important partners, whether you are there in person or managing remotely.

Inventory & Waste

You oversee weekly and monthly inventory counts across all schools in your region. You are physically present for inventory on a rotating basis in your core markets, and you hold Kitchen Managers in remote markets accountable to running accurate counts on schedule without your physical presence. You investigate any variance before it hits the margin report.

Remote Market Management

Baltimore will operate under strong Kitchen Managers who run their schools day-to-day with significant autonomy. Your job is to set the standard, stay close through daily Slack communication and weekly market calls, conduct regular site visits, and ensure nothing drifts without you knowing about it.

New Location Launches

As we bring on new kitchen schools in your region, you own the launch process end-to-end alongside your Kitchen Managers — from health department coordination and equipment procurement to staffing plans and operational setup. New kitchens get stood up right because of you.

Team Management & Development

You directly manage Kitchen Managers across the region and are accountable for all ground-level staff. You set clear expectations, develop your team, address performance issues directly, and build a culture of ownership in every market you cover — in person and remotely.

Field Presence

Your time in the field is concentrated where it matters most. DCM is your home base. Baltimore gets regular rotation. You are always reachable, always informed, and always accountable — regardless of which market you are physically in.

What We're Looking For

• 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 — you understand food cost, labor scheduling, and what it takes to run a kitchen at margin
• Proven ability to manage remote teams effectively — you know how to lead people you are not standing next to every day
• Strong people manager — you have led teams in the field, held people accountable, and developed talent
• Financially fluent — you can read a P&L, understand direct margin, and connect daily operational decisions to financial outcomes
• Self-directed and highly organized — you manage multiple markets across a large geography and nothing falls through the cracks
• Comfortable with ambiguity and growth — Yay is scaling and this region is expanding. You build as you go and you enjoy that
• 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 — this role requires regular travel across your markets

What We Offer

• 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

About The Yay Company

We are on a mission to fundamentally change school food for the better. We are a culinary-first school food company — we cook fresh, nutritious, and genuinely delicious meals in school kitchens every day. Since launching in 2018, we have expanded across multiple markets and are backed by experienced venture capital partners. This is school food the way it should be — and we are just getting started.