Senior Associate, Ops Systems

Senior Associate, Ops Systems

Location: Los Angeles, CA (Hybrid - 4 Days in Office)

Department: Operations Services

Reports To: Director, Operations Services

About the Role

We're looking for a detail-oriented and technically-savvy Senior Associate, Ops Systems to serve as a key partner in Sweetgreen's operations technology ecosystem. This role owns our COGS management technology and prep applications while supporting all ops-facing business systems that power daily restaurant execution. You'll act as both a business owner of our inventory system, hot and cold prep apps and a systems specialist, ensuring our technology delivers operational excellence and empowers our teams to succeed.

The ideal candidate brings technical aptitude, and cross-functional collaboration experience, with a proven ability to translate field needs into actionable system improvements. This role serves as the voice of our coaches and team members, partnering closely with Operations, Technology, Finance, and external vendors to evaluate system enhancements, drive adoption across the fleet, and ensure smooth implementation of new tools and features.

This role requires both technical expertise and field presence—spending time in restaurants to understand workflows, validate system effectiveness, and gather feedback that shapes our operations technology strategy.

Key Responsibilities

COGS Systems & Technology

• Serve as the business owner of NetChef (Crunchtime), managing the vendor partnership, gathering field requirements, identifying opportunities for improvement, and partnering with technology teams to develop and implement enhancements
• Act as the company expert on managing COGS in the restaurant, providing system user support, diagnosing system issues, troubleshooting AvT variance and ordering questions, managing inventory setup tickets and error investigations, and assessing implications of changes and new initiatives
• Drive COGS AVT reduction through system optimization initiatives like Auto-Prep implementation and recipe data validation, and restaurant operational initiatives like inventory best practices and waste reduction behaviors 
• Lead adoption strategies and change management including field training, troubleshooting guides, and support escalations to drive proper NetChef usage and operator confidence across the fleet

Prep Applications & Technology

• Serve as the business owner of hot and cold prep applications, identifying opportunities for improvement, gathering field requirements, and partnering with technology teams to develop and implement enhancements
• Act as the company expert on prep apps, diagnosing system issues, assessing implications of changes and new initiatives, and providing guidance to field and support teams
• Drive prep efficiency through application improvements like recipe integration, task management, and workflow optimization
• Lead adoption strategies and change management to increase prep app usage and operator confidence across the fleet

Systems Support & Field Partnership

• Support all key ops-facing systems (NetChef, QSR, Brink, Gravy, Pacer, Hot Prep, Cold Prep, Salesforce) and assist with system administration, developing a comprehensive understanding of how systems interface with one another.
• Represent the voice of coaches and team members, proactively identifying issues and opportunities to improve usability, efficiency, and overall impact on restaurant operations.
• Serve as a key liaison with internal engineering teams and external vendors to coordinate system rollouts and ensure smooth transitions with minimal disruption to restaurant teams.
• Lead end-to-end testing for system changes, identifying blockers, documenting issues, and providing go/no-go recommendations while closing the feedback loop between the field and support center.

Testing, Training & Enablement

• Develop, maintain, and distribute clear, effective training materials for all systems to support restaurant adoption, onboarding, and continuous improvement.
• Lead change management activities including communications, training rollouts, and post-implementation support to ensure restaurant teams can effectively use operational systems.

Qualifications

• 2–4 years of experience in operations systems, business systems management, project management, or restaurant operations
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives across functions
• Experience with inventory systems preferred.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with attention to detail and a track record of driving system improvement