Manager of Field Readiness and Innovation

It's fun to work in a company where people truly believe in what they are doing. At Dutch Bros Coffee, we are more than just a coffee company. We are a fun-loving, mind-blowing company that makes a difference one cup at a time. 

Position Overview:
The Manager of Field Readiness and Innovation owns the system that translates marketing initiatives, product innovation, digital experiences, and operational changes into executable shop operations across Dutch Bros.
This role ensures that all initiatives are designed, tested, and prepared in a way that enables consistent, efficient, and scalable execution in real shop environments. Acting as the bridge between Marketing, Product, Technology, Supply Chain, and Operations, this leader evaluates operational feasibility, defines execution requirements, and influences initiative design prior to launch.
The Manager of Field Readiness and Innovation is responsible for identifying operational risks early, shaping readiness standards, and ensuring shops are equipped to successfully execute new initiatives. This role plays a critical part in improving the shop experience while enabling innovation to scale effectively.

 

Key Result Areas (KRAs):

Operational Readiness Ownership

• Own the operational readiness of all marketing initiatives, product launches, digital experiences, and innovation efforts impacting shop execution

• Define what is required for successful shop execution, including workflows, labor considerations, equipment needs, and process requirements

• Ensure all initiatives are designed with real shop environments and constraints in mind

 

Operational Feasibility & Design Influence  

• Evaluate new initiatives for operational feasibility, complexity, and scalability

• Influence initiative design by providing recommendations that improve execution, efficiency, and team experience

• Partner early with Marketing, Product, and Technology teams to ensure operational considerations are embedded into new initiatives

• Act as the voice of the shop in planning sessions, advocating for practical, executable solutions

 

Launch Readiness, Validation, and Cross-Functional Launch Support

• Establish readiness criteria and standards that must be met prior to field rollout

• Partner with Shop Systems & Continuous Improvement to test new products, processes, equipment, and workflows

• Lead or support operational validation through test kitchen, pilot programs, and in-shop testing

• Ensure initiatives are fully vetted and refined before transition to Integration

• Align cross-functional teams on operational requirements and readiness expectations prior to launch

• Ensure all supporting materials, processes, and dependencies are in place before handoff to Operations Integration

• Partner with Integration to ensure readiness requirements are clearly defined and executable

 

Post-Launch Insights and Continuous Improvement

• Monitor early execution performance and field feedback to identify gaps in operational readiness

• Use post-launch insights to improve field readiness processes, frameworks, and decision-making

• Identify recurring challenges and drive improvements in how initiatives are designed and prepared

Operational Readiness Systems and Frameworks

• Define and improve how Dutch Bros evaluates, scopes, and prepares initiatives for field execution 

• Develop reusable frameworks, templates, and guardrails to reduce shop complexity and improve consistency 

• Establish standards for assessing initiative impact on operations (e.g. speed of service, labor, quality, complexity)

Skills:

• Data Literacy & Analytical Thinking

• Voice of Customer / Field Empathy

• Cross-Functional Leadership

• Project & Change Delivery Support

• Operational Requirements Definition

• Documentation & Standardization

• Vendor/Technical Partner Collaboration

Job Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in a related field, preferred

• Prior management experience, preferred