Museumoficecream

Museumoficecream

Director of Operations, New Museum Openings

New York, New York, United States · Director · Contract

Sponsorship not specified$160k-$180kDetected 41 days ago
AccessibilitySupply ChainRecruitingLeadershipCommunication

About the role

  • In our world, ice cream is the agent of change and the vehicle to ignite the creative spirit that lives in all of us.
  • Fueled by the power of imagination, MOIC is a universe of possibilities with tons of room for you to explore.
  • This is a hands-on operator role with strong systems orientation.

Responsibilities

  • You will align Development, Design, Construction, Facilities, Supply Chain, People, Training, Marketing, Ticketing, and Finance to deliver openings that are on time, on brand, and operationally ready.
  • Your Day-to-Day: Design-Phase Operational Partnership (Post Lease Sign through Construction) Partner with Development, Design, and Construction from lease signing forward to represent operational inputs in the design process - guest flow, BOH layout, F&B and retail footprints, staffing zones, storage, cleaning paths, accessibility, and life safety.
  • Review architectural and design decisions against the labor model and collaborate on capacity, throughput, and safety implications before they are finalized.
  • New Museum Opening Leadership Own the opening operating plan: timeline, readiness checklist, cross-functional workstreams, escalation paths, soft opening plan, and go-live readiness review.
  • Lead pre-opening walkthroughs, operational audits, mock service, and soft-launch execution; identify operational risks early and drive them to closure before doors open.
  • People & Training Partnership Co-own the pre-opening people plan with the People team, Talent Acquisition, and L&D - leadership hiring profiles, staffing plans, onboarding journeys, training calendars, and certification standards.
  • Champion a field-first opening culture where the team feels prepared, supported, and equipped to deliver from day one.
  • Stabilization & Handoff to Regional Directors of Operations Lead the post-opening stabilization window with a clear 30/60/90 plan and agreed-upon exit criteria.
  • Partner with the Regional Director of Operations on a clean handoff - open-issue log, training gaps, SOP variances, performance trajectory - and remain available to support post-handoff while giving the Regional DO full ownership of the business.
  • Track post-handoff performance to validate stabilization quality and feed lessons back into the playbook.

Nice to have

  • Demonstrated partnership with People, HR, and Talent functions on hiring, onboarding, and training readiness for new sites.
  • A genuine love of play, human connection, and hospitality as a craft - you see operational excellence as the foundation for guests to experience joy and wonder, not as an end in itself.
  • Calm, hands-on leadership in ambiguity and pressure, with strong written and verbal communication, organization, follow-through, and stakeholder management.
  • High ownership mindset with a strong bias toward action and accountability.
  • Ability to travel up to 70%, with surge to 85%+ during active opening windows.
  • Temporary relocation may be required during opening periods.

Skills

  • timeline, readiness checklist, cross-functional workstreams, escalation paths, soft opening plan, and go-live readiness review.
  • Act as a key escalation point for risks to opening quality, timeline, budget, or guest experience.
  • Slack, Google Suite, and ADP A love of ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Compensation

  • $160k-$180k

Benefits

  • The salary range for this role is $160,000 - $180,000 USD dependent on experience, as well as an annual bonus and options.
  • Systems & Playbook Maturity Each opening improves the playbook - measured by playbook updates, SOP coverage, and adoption at the next opening.

Company info

  • Museum of Ice Cream is an inclusive & immersive brand, designed to captivate your sweetest fantasy and sugar-filled daydreams online and IRL.
  • At the Museum of Ice Cream, we invite you to believe in the magic of creativity, to remind you that inclusive spaces do exist, and to show you that childlike wonder is worth savoring.
  • The Flavor Profile: Museum of Ice Cream is looking for a Director of Operations, New Museum Openings to lead how we bring new locations to life - from the moment a lease is signed, through design and build, into opening day and stabilization.
  • You bring multi-site openings experience and a working knowledge of design, construction, and development, and you partner with those teams from the earliest planning stages to ensure operational considerations are reflected in the build.
  • You own the opening playbook end to end - readiness, training, SOPs, soft launch, and go-live - and you hand off cleanly to our Regional Directors of Operations, who carry the business forward into steady-state operations.
  • At your core, you love what this work is for.
  • You believe in play, in human connection, and in hospitality as a craft.
  • You understand that what we build is not just a space - it is the stage for joy, wonder, and connection to show up every day.
  • You take pride in handing over a new museum that is ready on day one - staffed, trained, stocked, safe, and operationally sound - and in turning every lesson learned into a stronger playbook for the next opening.
  • You are equally passionate about systems, processes, and training, and you lead through ambiguity, pressure, and the complexity of an opening period with calm and focus.
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