Retail Cafe Production Leader

Retail Café Production Leader A+ Smoodees | Mississauga, Ontario A+ Smoodees is looking for a strong, hands-on Retail Café Production Leader to help oversee the daily operations of our growing smoothie, wellness and food-production business. This is not a position for someone who only wants to supervise from the sidelines. We are looking for an individual who is comfortable leading a team while also being actively involved in food preparation, production, blending, packaging, inventory, customer service and the day-to-day responsibilities required to keep the business operating at a high standard. The ideal candidate has a culinary, food-service, kitchen, café, restaurant or food-production background and is no stranger to food preparation, cooking, sanitation standards and working efficiently in a fast-paced environment. Most importantly, we are looking for someone with leadership maturity, accountability, initiative and a strong work ethic who can eventually take greater ownership of the operation. Key Responsibilities - Lead and support the daily café and production team. - Help organize and prioritize production schedules and daily responsibilities. - Participate directly in food preparation, blending, batching, bottling, labelling, packaging and other production duties. - Ensure recipes, preparation procedures, portioning and quality standards are followed consistently. - Monitor cleanliness, food safety, sanitation and overall kitchen organization. - Oversee opening and closing procedures when required. - Ensure daily checklists and operational procedures are properly completed. - Monitor inventory levels and communicate shortages or ordering requirements. - Assist with receiving, organizing and rotating inventory. - Help manage customer orders, pickups and production requirements. - Provide excellent customer service and confidently educate customers about products. - Train, support and hold team members accountable to established procedures. - Address performance or procedural issues professionally and promptly. - Identify operational problems before they become larger issues. - Take initiative when something needs to be corrected rather than waiting to be told. - Communicate clearly with ownership regarding production, staffing, inventory, customer concerns and operational issues. - Make reasonable decisions independently when management is unavailable. - Help create a workplace culture built around professionalism, reliability, teamwork and accountability. What We Are Looking For Required - Minimum 2 years of experience in a leadership, supervisory, team-lead or management position. - Previous experience working with food preparation, cooking, kitchen production, restaurants, cafés, catering or food manufacturing. - Comfortable performing hands-on food-production duties. - Demonstrated ability to lead and direct employees. - Strong organizational and time-management skills. - Ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities in a fast-moving environment. - Strong attention to detail. - Reliable and punctual. - Comfortable enforcing standards and correcting employees when procedures are not being followed. - Able to receive feedback professionally and make adjustments without becoming defensive. - Strong verbal and written communication skills. - Comfortable working independently and making practical decisions. - Reliable transportation to our Mississauga location. Strong Assets - Culinary training or professional kitchen experience. - Food-production or manufacturing experience. - Experience with inventory management. - Experience training employees. - Experience creating or enforcing SOPs, checklists and quality-control procedures. - Experience managing opening and closing responsibilities. - Retail or customer-service experience. - Previous responsibility for production targets, scheduling or workflow. The Type of Person We Need We are particularly interested in someone who naturally takes ownership. If something is wrong, you notice it. If something needs to be done, you do not continually wait to be asked. If a team member is not following procedure, you address it. If you make a mistake, you acknowledge it, correct it and learn from it. If ownership is unavailable, you are capable of using sound judgment and making a reasonable decision. We need someone who is: - Responsible - Accountable - Dependable - Confident - Resilient - Organized - Strong-minded but professional - Comfortable taking initiative - Able to remain composed under pressure - Comfortable holding others accountable - Willing to work alongside the team rather than simply directing them This position requires someone who can be both firm and fair. We are not looking for unnecessary confrontation or ego. We are looking for someone who can communicate expectations clearly, maintain standards and handle difficult situations without allowing emotions to interfere with professional responsibilities. Growth Opportunity We are a growing independent company, and this position has the potential to develop into a larger Supervisor / Operations Manager / Café Manager role for the right individual. We are looking for someone who wants to build with the company, not simply work a few shifts. As trust, knowledge and responsibility grow, the successful candidate may take on greater responsibility for: - Team leadership - Production oversight - Training - Scheduling - Inventory - Quality control - Daily operations - Staff accountability - Customer experience - Operational problem-solving The right person will eventually become someone ownership can confidently rely upon to help run the operation without needing constant supervision. The Reality of the Role A+ Smoodees is a growing small business, not a large corporation with layers of management and departments for every responsibility. That means everyone contributes. There may be days when you are leading production, days when you are helping prepare ingredients, days when you are training an employee, days when you are assisting a customer and days when you are helping clean and reset the kitchen. If you enjoy being hands-on, solving problems, improving systems and helping build a growing operation, this may be an excellent opportunity. If you are looking for a management position where your primary responsibility is simply directing others, this would likely not be the right fit. Experience Leadership/Supervisory Experience: Minimum 2 years required Food Preparation / Culinary / Kitchen / Food Production Experience: Required Location: Mississauga, Ontario

We are an innovative vegan & gluten-free smoothie company that helps improve the wellness of others through delicious options..