Food Program Operations Manager at OpenAI

The Food Program Operations Manager will be a key member of the Real Estate and Workplace team, overseeing all day-to-day food service operations across our San Francisco offices and managing partnerships with food service vendors. Food is a critical component of our company culture, and this role ensures a great, seamless, efficient, and scalable food program as we rapidly expand. Success requires energy, strategic vision, adaptability, and the ability to manage multiple evolving projects.

As the primary point of contact for vendor management, the manager will ensure clear communication, proactive problem-solving, and consistent service across all locations. They will oversee daily operations, making tactical decisions to maintain efficiency and service excellence. Additionally, they will partner with vendors to develop and maintain menus in our cafes, micro kitchens, and catering departments, ensuring high standards and consistency.

The manager will also be responsible for setting operational Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), aligning them with broader company goals and ensuring measurable outcomes for operational efficiency and success.

This role requires managing all operational tasks, including setting and meeting service commitments to align with company goals. The manager will also engage with the health department, manage risk, and oversee feedback collection to drive continuous improvement.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA and will be in office 5 days a week. 

• Oversee food programs across all San Francisco offices, including micro kitchens, cafes, and event catering.

• Serve as the main point of contact for food vendors, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations and managing relationships with local leadership.

• Help meet budgets and cost-per-person targets, ensuring financial responsibility and predictability as we scale rapidly.

• Set and track operational Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) for the food program, ensuring alignment with broader company objectives and driving measurable success in operational performance.

• Collaborate with food vendors, the facilities team, and the health department to ensure compliance with food safety regulations and uphold high standards of quality assurance.

• Collect and analyze employee feedback on food programs, implementing corrective actions to drive engagement and satisfaction.

• Manage multiple initiatives and small projects, navigating evolving timelines and priorities while ensuring high-quality service.

• Oversee food operations across multiple office locations (currently 3, with potential growth to 6), adapting the program as the company expands.

• Experience: 6-8 years in food and beverage management, ideally within multi-office or campus settings, with exposure to diverse programs (micro kitchens, fast service, catering).

• Vendor Management: Proven experience selecting, negotiating, and managing vendor relationships at a senior level.

• Financial Acumen: Strong budgeting experience, including managing large-scale food service budgets and tracking financial performance across multiple sites.

• Project Management: Ability to manage complex, multi-site projects, ensuring timely execution amid changing circumstances.

• Leadership & Communication: Strong leadership, mentoring, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to interact across diverse teams and senior executives.

• Adaptability: Thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and remain calm and proactive in the face of evolving challenges.

• Food Safety Expertise: Thorough knowledge of food safety regulations and best practices in food service operations.

• Willingness to Travel: Ability to travel between office locations in San Francisco, with potential support for new office openings as needed.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. 

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