VP, Regional Retail Operations

Purpose

The Vice President of Regional Retail Operations is a strategic leader responsible for driving sales growth, elevating the guest experience, and ensuring operational excellence across a large muti‑state territory. This includes requirements to lead high‑performing regional teams and influence cross‑functional areas such as HR, L&D, Real Estate, Design & Development, Ops Services, and Category Management.  This role sets the overall strategic direction for a large, complex retail region and is accountable for scaling operational systems, developing deep leadership bench strength, and cultivating a culture that drives both immediate results and long‑term enterprise value.

Candidates must be based in the upper Midwest, or be willing to relocate.

Essential Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Enterprise Impact

• Set the strategic vision for a large retail territory.
• Drive multi‑year growth plans focused on sales, transaction increases, and long‑term value creation.
• Act as a key advisor to senior leadership (SVP and above) on regional performance, competitive insights, and regional opportunities.

Sales, Guest Experience & Operational Execution

• Build a guest‑centric culture that champions food quality, service standards, and safety.
• Ensure consistent achievement of sales, margin, and P&L expectations.
• Deep understanding of drivers behind variances

Leadership of Expanded Organization

• Lead and coach 10+ direct reports including multi-unit market-level leaders
• Scale leadership systems, communication rhythms, and operational routines to support a larger, more diverse team.
• Ability to create and execute turnaround plans
• Strong collaboration with Finance and Ops Services

Bench Development & Talent Strategy

• Design and execute a regional leadership development strategy in partnership with HRBP to ensure a strong, ready pipeline of future leaders
• Lead regional talent calibration, performance management, and diversity and inclusion efforts in partnership with HRBP.

Cross‑Functional & Enterprise Collaboration

• Partner closely with HR, Real Estate, Construction, Learning & Development, and Category Management. 
• Oversee major initiatives—including site selection, capital spending, and project management.

Required Knowledge, Skills & Competencies

• Regional Leadership: Able to operate with long-term strategic thinking and inspire action by clearly connecting strategy and goals to mission while executing at scale and holding team accountable to deliver expected results.
• Sales & Guest Excellence Orientation: Deep understanding of retail guest experience drivers, unit‑level economics, competitive landscape, and sales levers.
• Bench & Talent Architect: Demonstrated ability to build a sustainable talent pipeline across large territories.
• Operational Mastery: Expert knowledge of food safety, labor, P&L, cost management, and multi‑unit operations.
• Change Leadership: Thrives in a fast-changing environment and able to inspire, role model and hold multi-unit market-level leaders accountable to lead teams through transformation.
• Influential Communicator: Strong communication and team‑building skills across the entire retail organization.

Minimum Requirements

Reflects original requirements but scaled for expanded scope:

• Four‑year college education
• 10+ years of industry and/or Panera experience (internal or external) with progressive, multi‑unit leadership responsibility
• Demonstrated success leading large territories and 10+ direct reports
• Proven track record of delivering sales growth and exceptional guest experience

Work Environment

• Extensive travel to support a large geographic territory.
• Regular time spent in cafés, markets, and cross‑functional meetings.
• Ability to balance field presence with strategic, office‑based work.

Competitive Pay $188,838 to $226,606 annually.