Country Operations Lead (m/f/d)

Mmaah is Germany's leading Korean fast food brand, and we're just getting started. We combine authentic Korean flavours with operational excellence and smart technology to build the next generation of fast food. From our current footprint to 100+ stores across Europe in the next 5 years. To get there, every shift in every store has to run like clockwork. That's where you come in.

Your Mission:

You own how Mmaah operates on the ground. Across our growing estate you make sure every guest gets the same Mmaah experience: same speed, same product, same quality, same energy. You build the playbook, certify the people, and run the audits that hold it together. You think in throughput, labour cost, food cost, and kitchen efficiency, and you don't manage from a desk. You spend real hours in stores, on shifts, with the teams running the line. You lead the Restaurant Operations function (Ops Managers, Trainers) and shape the next generation of store leadership. As we grow into new cities and new franchise markets, you make sure Berlin standards travel with us. If you love an operational problem you can walk into and solve before service ends, you'll feel at home here.

Tasks

• Own day-to-day operations across our company-owned and franchise stores: drive consistency of execution, store productivity (revenue per labour hour, throughput), and the guest experience at every location
• Lead from the floor: regular in-store visits across all locations, periodic shifts during lunch and dinner peaks, and direct ownership of opening, closing, and peak-hour procedures.
• Improve kitchen efficiency: optimise prep times for rush periods, test new kitchen devices and operational flows, and roll out what works across the estate • Own product quality and food safety end-to-end: HACCP compliance, recipe and menu consistency, product specifications, and the corrective action loop when
• standards slip. Act as Operations' point of contact with the founders for product development.
• Manage delivery platform operations as the single POC
• Lead and grow the operations team: direct reports include Ops Managers, and Trainers, with indirect leadership across the store network. Hire Ops Managers and Store Managers, run quarterly performance reviews, and build a culture of accountability, ownership, and customer delight.
• Build the Mmaah Standard Operating Playbook and run the audit system that holds it together: regular compliance audits across the estate and a closed loop on every finding within an agreed SLA
• Own new store launches as the operational lead: staffing, training, supply readiness, and KPI tracking from pre-launch through the first 90 days. Every new store ramps to Berlin standards within a defined window.
• Build and run the remote operations model for non-Berlin stores: team structure, monitoring routines, escalation paths, and the Remote Ops Playbook • Own franchise operational standards: define and communicate KPIs and minimum thresholds, manage underperformance through coaching, intervention, or disciplinary action, and close out audit findings against agreed SLAs
• Partner cross-functionally with Expansion (new store readiness), Marketing (local store activation, launches, promotions), People (hiring pipelines), and Finance (labor and food cost performance)

Requirements

• 5+ years in operations leadership in QSR, fast casual, or system gastronomy. • Direct ownership of 5+ outlets at minimum, with proven results on consistency, throughput, and store-level P&L.
• Hands-on operator's instinct: you can read a kitchen at a glance, spot what's broken, and fix it on the same shift.
• Acts as an owner, not a manager – you take full accountability for operational performance, drive issues to resolution, and provide leadership and support during critical business situations.
• Track record building and rolling out playbooks, audit systems, and store-manager certification programs that survive scale
• Experience leading and developing a multi-layered ops team (managers, trainers, store leaders).
• Numbers-literate: labor cost, food cost, throughput, audit scores, opening readiness. You can defend your operating model in a room with Finance.
• Fluent in German and English (C1 minimum in both, used daily).

This position is Berlin-based. If you are not in Berlin, but are genuinely committed to relocating, you are welcome to apply.

Benefits

• A strong brand with cult potential, made in Berlin
• Plenty of room to shape, build, and directly impact our hyper-growth journey
• Flat hierarchies, quick decision-making, and a motivated, multicultural team
• A company with strong values, great taste, and a clear vision • Direct exposure to the founding team and senior leadership
• 50% discount on Mmaah meals
• The chance to make a lasting impact on the European food landscape • Eat Korean, a whole new way of life