Application Deadline for Fall 2025: February 28th!
Who We Are: Saxbys®, a certified B Corp, is a hospitality company fueled by our rave-worthy menu, driven by its mission to Make Life Better®, and fiercely dedicated to social impact in the communities it serves. But Saxbys greatest resource of all? Our people. We’re not looking for employees: we’re looking for teammates. We’re not hoping to hire you for a job: we’re hoping to help build your career.
Join us in our goal to bring our Experiential Learning Platform to college campuses across the country. We are looking for team members who are passionate about equipping the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs with the skills they will need to succeed in the future workplace. If this is the type of work that gets you up in the morning, we’d love for you to consider joining our team.
Job purpose: As the Student COO of a Saxbys cafe you will gain invaluable experience developing a team, and managing the financials & business fundamentals of a bustling cafe. While you will have the full support and resources of the Saxbys headquarters team, you will also have unparalleled ownership of the entrepreneurial and operational processes. The Student COO will take on Team Development & Community Leadership responsibilities and Financial Management responsibilities.
*The Student COO will be offered semesterly to one student at the following locations: PA Convention Center and University of Pittsburgh Big Idea Center
**The Student COO will be offered semesterly to two students and operate on a rotational program at the following locations: University of Virginia and Boston University. In the rotational model SCOOs will spend 8 weeks on Team Development and Community Leadership and the other 8 weeks on Financial Management.
Summary of duties and responsibilities:
Team Development: Student COOs actively lead and develop a team of their peers. It is the responsibility of the Student COO to engage their team in the Saxbys mission and culture, and to provide feedback and coaching to an individual team. Specific duties include:
Developing talent around operational needs and individual strengths:
- Organize appropriate and regular trainings for the upskilling and promotion of team members
- Organize specialized training to effectively and efficiently roll out new products in cafes.
- Delegate tasks to team members while keeping motivation levels, team morale, and energy levels high.
- Provide regular direction and feedback to team members
- Identify and advocate for opportunities to continuously develop the self and others for advanced cafe roles and opportunities.
Completing on-location HR responsibilities:
- Use the team member handbook to ensure team member accountability.
- Approve and complete accurate team member payroll in the time tracking system.
- Record accidents, incidents, and other required reporting.
- Administer team member separations, on an as-needed basis.
- Administer coaching and counseling forms as necessary and follow necessary progressive discipline protocols.
Evaluating current and prospective talent to determine recruiting needs:
- Assist the Operations Lead in identifying and recruiting for open team member positions.
- Assist Recruiting in identifying, recruiting, and pipelining team members for effective Student COO succession planning.
- Maintain current knowledge of DEI in recruiting, as well as the cafe’s targets for diversity in hiring.
- Complete onboarding for new team members as necessary.
- Assist in recruiting events including table days, classroom presentations, and other opportunities to attract new talent.
Manage a labor model to determine staffing and scheduling:
- Monitor and report on cafe staffing levels to achieve and maintain operational requirements while meeting or exceeding labor goals.
- Utilize sales and labor data tracking to create weekly labor schedules that ensure appropriate labor per cafe volume.
Community Leadership: Student COOs set out to build a business that serves as a community cornerstone. It is the responsibility of the Student COO to take on the role of servant leader, and to identify opportunities to consistently engage guests through exceptional hospitality. Specific duties include:
Building an internal culture of empowering team members to create impact:
- Model servant leadership by assisting in the preparation and service of menu drinks and food items.
- Demonstrate the ability to build a company’s mission and core values, including DEI initiatives, into daily operations.
- Conduct monthly team lead meetings and quarterly team meetings to discuss strategic updates.
- Communicate effectively with the Operations Lead about training needs, status, and outcomes.
- Communicate effectively internally through regular team emails to make certain all team members are aware of the cafe’s goals and objectives.
Financial Management: Student COOs master the financial details that impact a business’s Profit and Loss statement. Specific duties include:
Generating top line sales:
- Apply best practices in driving four-wall profitability.
- Collaborate with the Operations Lead to identify opportunities to meet and exceed sales goals.
- Assist with the development and implementation of policies and procedures to enhance operational efficiency.
- Utilize financial management resources to plan for financial growth.
- Generate guest experience improvements through an app and out-of-stock process.
- Ensure ServSafe standards are upheld to maintain cafe cleanliness including all service spaces, guest seating areas, and bathroom facilities.
- Analyze profit and loss statements to understand labor, inventory management, cost of goods sold, and top line sales.
- Write weekly Three Pillars Review reports regarding labor, inventory management, cost of goods sold, and top line sales.
- Complete deposits and manage cash in conjunction with weekly and monthly financial close-outs.
Organize their place of business around an understanding of cost of goods sold:
- Calculate cafe-level cost of goods sold, monitoring cost to increase profitability.
- Monitor and manage product availability and waste through inventory counts.
- Order product and supplies according to regularly set PARS.
- Apply best practices for product safety, and managing waste.
Qualifications:
- Support, exhibit, and promote Saxbys Mission Statement, Make Life Better, and Core Values in all daily activities. Our Core Values include:
- We are a community serving our community
- We embrace being O.D.D. (Outgoing, Detail oriented and Disciplined)
- Profit creates opportunity
- We live with pride, passion, and purpose
- Serve yourself by serving others
- Care personally and communicate openly
- Must be academically eligible per their individual college or university’s requirements
- Prior Saxbys cafe experience preferred
- Physical Requirements
- Able to stand, walk, and smile for extended periods of time.
- Able to stoop and kneel.
- Push, pull, lift or carry up to 35 lbs.
- Ascend or descend ladders, stairs, ramps, etc.
