Location: Milan (HQ)
Travel: 50–70% (international)
Reporting to: Chief Retail Officer
About Poke House
Born in November 2018 from the dream of two friends to “nourish the world with positivity and well-being”, Poke House is the global leader in the fast-casual poke bowl category. With over 180 stores across 9 countries and more markets ahead, we sit at the intersection of digital food, modern restaurants, and community-driven brands.
We are now entering a new phase of international maturity, where operational excellence, leadership depth, and scalable capabilities are critical. To support this evolution, we are looking for an International Retail Operations Manager to elevate performance across our international markets through people, systems, and disciplined execution.
Your Mission
Your core mission is to multiply impact through people.
You will build, empower, and upskill International Area Managers, enabling them to consistently develop high-performing Store Managers and teams across markets.
You will not run stores directly, but this is a field-driven leadership role: it requires a leader who is comfortable in the store environment, thrives during service hours, and leads by example on operational discipline.
What You’ll Be Doing
* Own operational performance across our countries, with a strong focus on store economics, productivity, and customer experience
* Act as the key operational bridge between HQ and local teams, ensuring clarity, consistency, and accountability
* Spend 50–70% of your time in stores across international markets (mostly Europe, but also US), working directly with Area Managers and Store Managers.
* Translate company strategy into clear operational priorities for international markets
* Train, and develop International Area Managers, enabling them to:
* Lead through data and KPIs
* Effectively coach Store Managers
* Drive accountability without micromanagement
* Design and implement in cooperation with the Retail Excellence team training frameworks, rituals, and operating cadences for Area Managers and Store Managers
* Monitor and improve key KPIs: Sales, Labor Productivity, COGS, Waste, Inventory Accuracy
* Ensure consistency in forecasting, ordering, inventory management, and labor planning across countries
* Support corrective action plans in underperforming stores or regions, always through local leadership
* Ensure brand standards, operating procedures, and customer experience are consistently applied across markets
* Drive disciplined usage of operational tools (POS, labor systems, inventory & purchasing platforms)
* Partner with Data & Finance to strengthen performance visibility and decision-making
* Support new market openings and store rollouts, ensuring operational readiness and leadership capability
What You Bring
* 5+ years of experience in Operations leadership roles within multi-country restaurant or retail chains
* Proven experience managing and developing managers of managers (Area / Regional Managers)
* Strong international exposure; comfortable operating across cultures and markets
* Highly analytical, data-driven, yet with a creative and people-oriented approach
* Strong business acumen with hands-on operational credibility
* Natural coach and builder: you develop leaders, not dependency
* Excellent knowledge in the use of IT tools from Excel to specific F&B software
* Willingness and energy to travel 50–70% of the time
* Fluent English (mandatory); additional languages (Spanish, French) are a strong plus
* Valid visa/work authorization allowing frequent business travel within Europe and the United States
What We Offer
* A key leadership role in one of Europe’s fastest-growing food brands
* High autonomy and real impact on international performance
* Competitive salary aligned with experience
* Significant career growth opportunities at international level
* Being part of a purpose-driven, people-first company
* Career growth potential
* Special offers dedicated to employees