NPO Manager, Café

Position Summary

The NPO Manager, Café is a member of a four-person New Park Opening team that opens each new Lava Island park. The Manager arrives on site 1-2 weeks before opening with the NPO GM, the NPO Manager, Party, and the NPO Manager, Park & IT, and stays through the grand opening and the first 2-3 weeks of stabilized operation.

This role brings deep café operational fluency to every opening. The Manager is responsible for café readiness, café team hiring input, training, execution through the opening, and the standard of the food operation through stabilization. The Manager must be able to run the Lava Island café to standard from day one and develop a capable café team at the new park before handoff.

The role functions in a manager-on-duty capacity during deployments, supervising the team and making operational decisions in real time. Over time, the long-term aim is for NPO Managers to develop dual-fluency across their partner areas; on entry the role specializes in café.

Reporting Relationships

Internal partners: NPO GM, the other NPO Managers on the team (Party and Park & IT), the other NPO team's Managers, the Senior GMs, Leadership Training, the incoming café leadership at each new park, MCS field leadership at the handoff point, the local marketing team supporting the grand opening, and HQ HR, IT, and marketing support teams.

External partners: Limited. Occasional coordination with local food suppliers or vendors during the opening window.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Café Readiness

• Arrive on site 1-2 weeks before opening with the NPO team. Confirm the café is ready to operate to Lava Island standards.


• Complete setup work in the café outside the scope of MCS, including equipment calibration, stocking, station setup, and prep system readiness.


• Confirm food safety and ServSafe standards are in place; surface anything that needs HQ or vendor support to the NPO GM early.

Café Team Hiring and Training

• Interview café candidates alongside the NPO GM; provide input on hiring decisions (NPO GM has final say). Build a café team with the right shape and depth for opening volume.


• Lead on-site training across all café stations: prep, line, expedite, and food safety.


• Teach Lava Island café standards: recipes, portions, ticket times, station discipline, cleanliness, and guest experience expectations from the café.


• Build cross-training so café team members can run multiple stations confidently. Surface team members who need additional support or may not be ready for opening.

Grand Opening, MOD, and Stabilization

• Lead the café team through grand opening week as the on-shift leader. Make real-time decisions on prep, par levels, station coverage, and guest issue resolution. Hold the line on food safety, quality, and pace under high volume.


• Serve as Manager on Duty on assigned shifts during the deployment. Hold team members accountable to performance expectations and Lava Island standards during shifts.


• Remain on site 2-3 weeks post-open. Continue to coach the team, address performance and attendance issues in real time, and refine café operations.


• Walk the incoming café leadership (typically the OM or AM responsible for café) through the team, current state of operations, and any open items before departing.

Problem Solving and Cross-Functional Coordination

• Adapt to the unexpected. Find the café solution on the ground when the standard approach does not fit; push issues that require HQ support to the NPO GM and the right HQ team quickly and clearly.


• Coordinate closely with the NPO Manager, Party on party food timing and cross-area handoffs, and with the NPO Manager, Park & IT on dining and overall flow.


• Coordinate with the local marketing team on food and beverage tie-ins to opening events.


• Model the Lava Island standard at all times in front of the team, the incoming leadership team, and any external partners on site.
  

Working Conditions and Travel

Work environment and travel: Active park café environment during deployments. Fully traveling, 4-6 weeks per opening. Rental car, lodging, and per diem per the NPO Field Policy. Upon first arrival the park is still an active construction site; standard construction site safety protocols and PPE apply until MCS completes its work. Recovery time between deployments is built into the cadence; if a gap exceeds approximately a week, the NPO Manager takes on reinforcement at the training parks or support for upcoming openings.

Physical requirements: Active café environment with hot surfaces, sharp tools, and standard food-service hazards. Standing, walking, and moving for extended periods. Occasional lifting up to 50 lbs.

The road ahead: This is not a one or two opening role. The expectation is a meaningful commitment, ideally through the end of 2027. We know this lifestyle is intense and we are not asking anyone to burn out. Natural off-ramps include stepping into an AM or OM role at a permanent park (which this role builds toward), returning to your home park, or continuing to travel. We will work with you to find the right landing when the time is right.

Qualifications

• Prior experience at Lava Island as an AM with café depth, or as a Crew Member with strong café experience and demonstrated readiness for a salaried leadership role.


• Strong operational fluency in café operations: prep, line execution, food safety, station discipline, and team leadership in the café.


• Demonstrated ability to lead through high-intensity shifts with calm and clarity, and to coach a brand-new team to performance quickly.


• Willingness to travel continuously, with no home park base, in 4-6 week deployment cycles. Comfort working in unfamiliar environments and bringing the Lava Island standard to a brand-new park, brand-new team, and brand-new community.


• 18 or older.


• ServSafe Manager Certification current, or completion within 30 days of hire.


• Technology: comfort with email, spreadsheets, scheduling tools, and digital documentation. Lava Island operates in a Microsoft 365 and Outlook environment.

Preferred

• Experience with new restaurant or new café openings; familiarity with Lava Island café systems, prep methods, and menu.

Competencies

• Ownership mindset. Takes responsibility for café readiness, the café team, and the food standard at every opening.


• Hands-on leadership. Runs the Lava Island café to standard from day one and works alongside the team on the line.


• Composed under pressure. Stays steady and clear-headed through opening intensity and high-volume shifts.


• Coaches with care. Builds a capable team fast through clear, real-time direction and consistent, fair accountability.


• Adaptable on the road. Finds the solution on the ground when the standard approach does not fit, and thrives in unfamiliar environments.


• Standard-bearer. Brings the Lava Island standard to a brand-new park, team, and community, and models it at all times.


• Clear communicator. Escalates issues to the NPO GM and HQ early, with context, options, and a recommendation.