Location: Vancouver Island
Type: Full-time 40-45hrs/week
About Serious Coffee
Serious Coffee is an established, locally rooted café company with 16 locations (4 corporate, 12 franchised). We’re built on delivering outstanding coffee and hospitality while growing a consistent, high-quality brand across corporate and franchise cafes.
The role — at a glance
We’re hiring an District Manager to own day-to-day operations and help grow and align both corporate and franchise stores. This is a hands-on, multi-discipline operations and leadership role focused on improving sales, quality, consistency, and profitability while supporting our corporate managers and teams in daily operations.
Reporting: Reports to the company GM/CFO, and Operations Manager.
Base: North Cowichan, BC. Regular travel across Vancouver Island and occasional overnight travel for store openings, franchise events or shows.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The District Manager will be required to carry out all or part of the following duties within the Serious Coffee team as directed;
Operational Oversight & Store Performance
- Complete store inspections in a timely and consistent manner.
- Perform cash reconciliations at each store location.
- Research and document discrepancies between safe counts, POS reports, and operational paperwork.
- Ensure daily paperwork is completed accurately, including dailies, till sheets, over/short logs, labour reports, policy and procedure forms, banking documents, and end-of-month submissions.
- Evaluate inventory levels, monitor expiry dates/outdates, and support merchandising standards as required.
- Ensure monthly operational reports are completed and submitted on time.
- Respond promptly to operational issues, providing in-store support when incidents occur.
- Participate in special projects and divisional initiatives.
- Work some shifts in a Serious Coffee Cafe as a Store Manager, performing full store duties when operationally required or for training, support, or emergency coverage.
Leadership, Staff Support & Communication
- Follow up and provide guidance to store teams regarding monthly and seasonal promotions.
- Provide coaching and operational direction to Store Managers to support performance improvement.
- Respond quickly to manager calls, offering operational problem-solving and support.
- Assist with shift coverage when required or ensure coverage is arranged.
- Communicate effectively with staff and management, including forwarding, responding to, and monitoring emails regularly.
- Collaborate with upper management to improve operational systems, workflows, and store performance.
- Support onboarding, training, and development of staff where required.
New Store Openings & Franchise Support
- Assist with the planning, preparation, and operational readiness of new Serious Coffee store openings, including setup, scheduling support, hands-on training, and launch execution.
- Provide operational support to franchised stores, including guidance, troubleshooting, training reinforcement, and brand standards support.
- Participate in ensuring new stores—corporate or franchised—are aligned with Serious Coffee operational expectations and product standards.
Product Innovation, Testing & Development
- Participate in product innovation, including developing new beverages, food items, and operational improvements.
- Conduct product testing, trials, and controlled experiments to evaluate new ideas and offerings.
- Provide feedback, documentation, and operational insight into product performance and customer reception.
- Work collaboratively with leadership to roll out new products chain-wide, including training materials, preparation procedures, and implementation support.
Policy & Procedure Development
- Assist in developing, documenting, and updating policies and procedures for the Serious Coffee chain.
- Help implement new operational protocols across all locations, including providing training and follow-up checks to ensure consistency.
- Support updates to store manuals, operational guides, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Compliance, Safety & Policy Enforcement
- Review video surveillance and document policy breaches.
- Record and prepare surveillance clips for police or management as required.
- Adhere to all Serious Coffee internal policies and ensure store compliance.
- Ensure all work is performed in accordance with applicable Federal and Provincial Occupational
Health & Safety regulations
- Respond to alarm call-outs and coordinate appropriate follow-up actions at any time of day or night.
- Conduct follow-ups on safety concerns, incidents, and compliance issues.
Financial Controls & Loss Prevention
- Support stores with loss-prevention strategies and monitor for risk indicators.
- Assist with identifying causes of unbalanced dailies before accounting submission.
- Manage safe counts, change requests, and float adjustments as needed.
- Perform bank runs when required.
Customer Service & Brand Standards
- Ensure locations maintain Serious Coffee brand expectations for cleanliness, product quality, customer service, and store presentation.
- Support stores with customer complaints, escalations, or incident resolution.
- Promote consistency in guest experience across all locations.
Inter-Store Support & Multi-Location Leadership
- Work at any Serious Coffee location as needed across the district.
- Provide on-site troubleshooting and leadership during urgent or unexpected operational challenges.
- Drive cross-location consistency in standards, processes, and expectations.
Reporting & Administrative Responsibilities
- Regularly report inspection findings, concerns, and store performance updates to the General Manager or Operations Manager.
- Submit accurate and timely administrative documentation as required.
- Use surveillance records, reports, and operational data to identify trends, gaps, or improvement opportunities.
Other Duties
- Solve store issues over the phone when possible.
- Support planning and execution of new initiatives, promotions, or procedural changes.
- Perform other duties as directed by ownership or senior management.
ORGANISATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
- Reports to Operations/General Manager
- Liaise internally with the other members of the Management Team
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
- Ability to communicate effectively both orally and written
ACCOUNTABLITY
- Ability to work independently and exercise initiative
- Able to establish priorities and monitor workflow in areas of responsibility
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: $56,000.00-$62,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Commuter benefits
- Extended health care
- Flexible schedule
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
Experience:
- Store management: 2 years (preferred)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: On the road
