Head of Retail Operations & Operational Excellence
2 days ago
Manchester
Head of Retail Operations & Operational Excellence • Location: UK-based (UK + some international travel) / WFH, • Role Type: Full-time, • Salary: £80-90k (DOE) + Private Health Care, • Reports to: Founders Are you ready to shape the future of a scaling global brand? MyCookieDough is entering an exciting new phase of international growth. With a growing network spanning direct-managed stores, JV markets and franchise territories, we are now looking for an outstanding senior operator to lead performance, standards and operational excellence across our retail estate. This is a group-level operations leadership role focused on building and governing the operating model for an international, partner-led retail system. You will own the MyCookieDough operations playbook across the estate: standards, SOPs, training, compliance, audits, guest experience, performance routines and continuous improvement. You will work closely with our International Business Development lead, who drives territory activation and new market onboarding, before taking operational ownership once markets are live - ensuring strong handover, consistent execution and sustained performance delivery. We are looking for someone who can combine commercial sharpness with hands-on operational leadership. Someone who understands how to drive store performance, how to support and challenge partners, how to build scalable systems, and how to protect standards while a brand expands across markets. What you’ll be responsible for • Leading retail operations performance across all live territories, • Owning and embedding the MyCookieDough Operational Excellence framework, • Building the SOP, audit and governance structure for the full estate, • Implementing a groupwide LMS and digital training programme, • Driving compliance, food safety, health & safety and operational discipline, • Creating performance dashboards and intervention routines across markets, • Supporting smooth handover from new territory activation into steady-state operations, • Leading the UK estate as the flagship benchmark for the wider system What we’re looking for • Strong senior multi-site experience in hospitality, QSR, bakery or food retail, • Experience with franchise, licensed or JV operating models, • A proven builder of systems, standards and performance culture, • Strong command of operational KPIs and store-level commercial levers, • Excellent leadership and partner-management capability, • International mindset and willingness to travel, • A practical, sleeves-rolled-up operator who can build while doing Why join us? This is a rare chance to shape the operating backbone of a scaling international consumer brand. You will play a central role in defining how MyCookieDough performs, grows and protects its standards across markets - with real influence, real scope, and the opportunity to evolve with the business over time. No agencies please – we are managing this recruitment directly. Thank you!