Operations Manager - Hiring on behalf of a client

Salary: $52,000/year

Operations Manager Youth & School Programs

Sticky Fingers Cooking Northern Virginia and Washington, DC Remote with occasional local school visits
• Salary: $52,000 per year + performance bonus
• Healthcare Stipend: $200/month
• Job Type: Full-time, Exempt (Salaried)
• Paid time off
• Flexible work schedule
• Primarily remote work environment with occasional local school visits
• Opportunity to grow with a growing education business
• Meaningful work supporting children's learning and creativity

About Sticky Fingers Cooking
• Sticky Fingers Cooking brings hands-on cooking adventures to children through after-school programs, camps, and special events. Our chefs teach kids to explore global cuisines while building confidence, creativity, and life skills in the kitchen.
• We partner with schools across Northern Virginia and Washington DC to deliver engaging cooking programs that inspire young chefs.
• We are seeking ahighly organized Operations Manager with strong team management experience
to oversee the daily operations of our youth programs and support our growing instructor team and report to the franchise owner.

Position Overview
• The Operations Manager is responsible for managing the operational side of our school programs, including supervising chef instructors, coordinating schedules, and ensuring programs run smoothly across partner schools.
• This role requires someone who is comfortable leading a team, managing logistics, and solving operational problems quickly and effectively.
• You will supervise a team of 20-30 part-time chef instructors and ensure that programs are properly staffed, supplied, and delivered at a high level of quality.
• This is a full-time salaried exempt position, focused on leadership, operations management, and program coordination.

Ideal Background

Candidates with experience in the following roles are strongly encouraged to apply:
• Camp Directors or Assistant Camp Directors
• After-School Program Managers
• School Enrichment Program Coordinators
• Youth Program Managers
• Education Program Administrators

If you have experience managing instructors, counselors, teachers, or youth program staff, we would love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership
• Manage and support a team of 2030 part-time chef instructors
• Recruit, interview, and onboard new instructors
• Build and maintain instructor schedules for before/after-school programs and camps
• Coordinate substitute instructors when needed
• Provide guidance and support to instructors to ensure program quality
• Maintain a positive and professional team culture

Program Operations
• Oversee scheduling for after-school programs and camps
• Ensure all programs are fully staffed and confirmed
• Communicate weekly schedules and logistics with instructors
• Troubleshoot time-sensitive, last-minute staffing or operational issues

Inventory & Supply Management
• Maintain inventory of cooking kits and classroom supplies
• Coordinate supply purchasing and distribution
• Track equipment issued to instructors
• Help control and reduce unnecessary supply purchases

Program Quality
• Ensure instructors follow program guidelines and recipes
• Maintain consistent program standards across schools
• Support safe food handling and allergy protocols
• Address operational issues reported by schools or instructors

Camp & Event Support
• Assist with operational planning for seasonal camps
• Help coordinate logistics for special events and birthday parties

Job Expectations

The person in this role will:
• Manage and support a team of 20-30 instructors
• Coordinate schedules and logistics across multiple school programs
• Respond to operational issues quickly and professionally
• Maintain strong communication with instructors and leadership
• Ensure programs consistently run smoothly and professionally

This role requires someone who is comfortable managing people, making decisions, and handling operational challenges.

Required Qualifications

Applicants must meet the following requirements:
• Minimum 2-3 years of experience managing a team
• Experience supervising employees or contractors
• Strong organizational and scheduling skills
• Excellent communication and problem-solving abilities
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Professional and reliable work ethic

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in the following areas is strongly preferred:
• School enrichment programs
• Camps or youth programs
• Event coordination
• Program operations or logistics management

Work Schedule & Operational Coverage
• This position typically works MondayFriday daytime hours (approximately 10 AM 6 PM). Because our programs run in the afternoons at partner schools, the Operations Manager is responsible for monitoring our operations hotline during program hours and responding to instructor questions or scheduling issues if they arise.
• Operational hotline coverage is primarily needed between 3:00 PM 6:00 PM on weekdays, when after-school programs are running.
• Abrief system check on Sundays is also expected to review any instructor messages or operational requests that may have come in over the weekend and ensure the upcoming week is properly prepared.

We look forward to hearing from candidates who are passionate about leadership, organization, and creating meaningful experiences for children.