Job Description: Operations Manager
About Climpson & Sons.
Climpson & Sons is an award winning, independent, specialty coffee retail and wholesale business; sourcing, roasting, and crafting the finest specialty coffees from the heart of Hackney. Hailing from our roots as a market stall on Broadway Market in 2002, we are pioneers in the evolving UK specialty coffee sector. We’ve grown organically from a busy community led cafe and coffee bar, to a leading specialty coffee roastery and training academy and as a home for collaborative innovation in food and drink.
20 years on, we continue to explore possibilities in coffee. Our approach is equally driven by seeking and understanding quality, a commitment to developing sustainable and ethical relationships and to learning across all aspects of our business. Our coffee selection, range of Midnight OIl coffee liqueurs (and espresso martini) are a showcase of our values championing innovation, sustainability, community and inspiration.
Our coffee is fully traceable. We have forged lasting friendships with some of the industry’s leading producers, to the point where much of our menu is now a familiar cast of returning farm names and faces. Our partnership with coffee producers means that 90% of our coffees are from the same people, year after year. Our partnerships mean coffee producers have more certainty in harvest planning, and we can ensure a consistently delicious, seasonal coffee offering which we can look forward to every year.
It is important we continue to learn from and alongside our coffee producers, wholesale partners, suppliers and collaborators; with sustainability at the core. We’ve been around for awhile, but it hasn’t dampened our desire to explore flavour, seek and encourage quality and bring the world of specialty coffee to life through collaboration and innovation.
Our community makes us who we are. We are part of the the Hackney Furniture by serving and celebrating locals, supporting charities and schools including the Hackney Foodbank, run the Hackney Half Marathon in support of Shelter and are the key coffee sponsor for the Blue Marine Foundation.
Aside from coffee, our Climpsons team make what we do special. We support diversity and inclusion, are London Living Wage employers at minimum and offer a range of support, education and fun for our team to develop skills in and around the business of coffee.
Job Description: Operations Manager
Reporting to MD / CD
Starting date: asap
The Operations Manager plays a vital role in ensuring that the day-to-day operations of the overall business run smoothly. Climpsons has both wholesale and retail divisions, working alongside the Directors and the management team to support and manage core operations, people and finance support.
The goal of this role is to keep the ‘company dashboard’ of people and processes; prioritising sustainability, workplace safety and human resources management alongside operational efficiencies, profitability and harnessing company culture. As no day is the same we are looking for someone who is dynamic, solutions focused and able to manage their and their teams priorities and time to deliver projects. Engaging with and implementing the strategic objectives of Climpsons is key.
The expectations of this role are to harness a working environment which encourages teamwork, energy and show operational agility in fulfilling objectives. To achieve this, strong leadership and excellent problem-solving skills along with good communication skills are required. This role requires the ability to think on your feet; be empowered to make quick decisions and to delegate and ensure follow through. As an operations manager, you are responsible for managing a team of people, which involves both the engagement and development of these people. It is also important to understand where the team and departments sit, alongside roles and responsibilities of other departments to ensure operational effectiveness and improvement.
The operations manager’s responsibilities are to develop and maintain operational systems of best practice across key areas of the business - HR, Health & Safety, Purchasing, Operational processes and managing a team
Key responsibilities
HR
- Overseeing HR operations to include on boarding and training, as well as functional HR with submitting payroll, managing holiday and HR comms.
- Have a key understanding of the departments and participate in role clarity. Working with teams to ensure they are cross functional and dynamic.
- Be a key stakeholder and main point of contact for HR queries and create new or update policies as needed
- Reviewing workloads and people power;. Ensure 1 to 1 process is in effect;
- Working on creating a great place to work across the board, including working climate.
Operations & Health & Safety
- Contribute operations information and recommendations to strategic plans and reviews; this could be through preparing and completing action plans; implement standards and processes for production, productivity, quality, and customer-service;
- Be a key stakeholder in assisting with finding resolutions for problems or challenges.
- Oversee and manage the follow through and communicate all operating policies and/or issues at department meetings
- Support the entire business with office management and facilities coordination
- Work with the directors and to the strategy to accomplish operations and organisation mission
- Documenting procedures for third-party monitoring such as Bcorp. Assisting with annual Bcorp review and continuation.
- Develop processes for receiving product, equipment utilisation, inventory management, and shipping
- Maintain safe and healthy work environment by establishing, following, and enforcing standards and procedures; complying with legal regulations
- Oversee the cafe operations working with the MD and Cafe Manager on creating the ultimate customer experience involving food and drink offering, customer service, consistency and team dynamics.
Purchasing / Finance
- Assist with forecast requirements; preparing an annual budget; scheduling expenditures; analysing variances and initiating corrective actions
- Purchasing to include ensuring systems in place for selecting suppliers, negotiating, administering and monitoring supplier performance, placing orders to suppliers, developing a responsive supplier base, and maintaining good supplier relations.
- Track pricing changes, rebates, and service levels. Review and approve all operational invoices and ensure they are submitted for payment
- Work closely with the team to perform analysis of our inventory and ensure we are utilising our inventory effectively, purchasing the right equipment, maintaining solid inventory data, and reduce sub-rental expenses
- Oversee the assets of the business and ensure all documentation and processes are corrected by the end of the financial year.
Managing the team
- Communicate job expectations; planning, monitoring, appraising, and reviewing job contributions with key team members.
- Direct reports: Logistics & Customer Experience Manager, Health & Safety Coordinator, Administrator, Technician
- Oversee the overall team as a key management functions
- Support the teams responsible for customers issues relating to equipment quality, customer service and process.
- Support to communicate and devise ways of improving the customer experience, including resolving problems and complaints
- Hold 1 to 1 meetings and appraisals with each member of the team on a regular basis.
Skills & Qualifications
- A minimum of two years working in a high-end speciality coffee environment in desired
- A minimum of 2 years experience working in operations
- A minimum of 2 years experience managing a team
- Demonstrable leadership skills
- Enjoys building working relationships with team members, suppliers and customers
- Employs a professional attitude and be a problem solver.
- An understanding of the ins and outs of running a cafe or business
- Excellent communication and organisation skills
- Fluent in written and spoken English
- Proficiency in Excel
Benefits
- All you can drink specialty coffee
- Reduced rates on food & beverage at Climpsons Cafe and Brat.
- Weekly yoga at a reduced rate
- Opportunities to learn and develop your coffee and management skills
- Staff BBQs and events
- Flexible working opportunities
- London Living Wage Employer and Pending Bcorp
Please apply with a CV and cover letter about your experience and why you are the best person for the role to nicole @ climpsonandsons .com
Applications close December 14 2022
