Operations Manager - Cafe Operations
About the Employer
Job Description
WE ARE HIRING
Operations Manager – Café Operations
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Employment Type: Full-time | On-site
Company: Department of Coffee – J.M. Robertson & Co.
About Department of Coffee
Department of Coffee is a specialty coffee café brand under J.M. Robertson & Co., a heritage business with deep roots in coffee and tea since 1845.
Founded in Sri Lanka in 2019, Department of Coffee has been at the forefront of introducing specialty coffee blends and alternative brewing methods to the local market. Today, the brand operates across Sri Lanka and Oman, delivering a consistent, quality-led specialty coffee experience.
From sourcing and roasting to brewing and serving, we manage our coffee throughout the value chain, giving us greater control over quality and consistency.
Beyond our cafés, Department of Coffee is building a growing retail and e-commerce ecosystem, offering specialty coffee beans, brewing equipment, and barista tools for customers who want to enjoy better coffee at home.
We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Operations Manager to strengthen our café operations and help build a scalable platform for future expansion.
Role Overview
The Operations Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day operational performance of Department of Coffee cafés, ensuring consistent standards of service, product quality, people, cost management, and customer experience.
Based in Colombo, this is a hands-on, multi-site leadership role requiring a strong presence across our café locations. The Operations Manager will work closely with Café Managers and cross-functional teams to improve operational efficiency, develop people, maintain standards, and deliver against the company’s commercial objectives.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversee daily operations across Department of Coffee café locations, ensuring consistency in service, product quality, cleanliness, and overall guest experience.
- Lead, support, and develop Café Managers and their teams, establishing clear expectations and a strong performance culture.
- Manage staff scheduling, manpower planning, resource allocation, and operational workflows to ensure efficient deployment of teams.
- Monitor café performance against key operational and financial KPIs, including sales, labour costs, food and beverage costs, wastage, inventory and productivity.
- Identify opportunities to improve revenue, profitability, efficiency, and customer experience across locations.
- Maintain strong inventory controls, including stock levels, ordering, transfers, stock counts, wastage and variance management.
- Coordinate with Supply Chain, Roastery, Finance, HR, Marketing, Maintenance, and other departments to ensure smooth and uninterrupted café operations.
- Implement, maintain, and continuously improve operational SOPs, checklists, reporting systems, and safe work practices.
- Conduct regular outlet visits and operational audits to identify gaps and ensure corrective actions are implemented in a timely manner.
- Ensure coffee, beverage, and food preparation standards are consistently maintained across all locations.
- Monitor customer feedback and service performance and implement initiatives to continuously improve customer experience.
- Ensure compliance with food safety, hygiene, health and safety, and other relevant regulatory requirements.
- Coordinate preventive maintenance and repairs of coffee machines, grinders, kitchen equipment, POS systems, and other operational assets to minimize downtime.
- Support recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, and development of café teams.
- Develop Café Managers and Supervisors to build a strong internal leadership pipeline.
- Support new café openings, operational projects, and expansion initiatives as the business grows.
Qualifications & Experience
- Proven experience in operations management within cafés, restaurants, hospitality, QSR, or multi-site F&B operations.
- Strong understanding of day-to-day café operations, including staffing, service delivery, inventory, control, and operational standards.
- Experience managing multiple locations and operational teams is highly desirable.
- Strong team leadership and people-management capabilities, with the ability to coach, develop, motivate, and hold teams accountable.
- Sound commercial and financial understanding, including budgeting, cost management, sales performance, and KPI analysis.
- Ability in scheduling, resource allocation, and workflow management.
- A strong customer-service mindset with a commitment to maintaining high standards of product quality and guest experience.
- Knowledge of specialty coffee operations is highly beneficial.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify operational issues and implement practical solutions.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across departments and levels of the organization.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and POS systems; experience with inventory management or operational software would be an advantage.
- A Diploma or Degree in Business Management, Operations Management, Hospitality Management, or a related discipline is preferred.
- A willingness to work on-site in Colombo and maintain a regular presence across café locations.
What We’re Looking For
We are looking for someone who is hands-on, commercially aware, detail-oriented, and passionate about operational excellence.
This role requires an individual who can balance the demands of daily café operations with the bigger picture — developing people, improving systems, controlling costs, protecting quality, and building an operational structure capable of supporting the continued growth of Department of Coffee.
Experience in specialty coffee is an advantage, but equally important is a genuine appreciation for quality, hospitality, customer experience, and building high-performing teams.
Send your resume at [email protected]
Call on 076 1214416
