Operations Manager at Charlies Collectible Show

Operations Manager — Charlie’s Collectible Show (CCS)About the Role

Charlie’s Collectible Show (CCS) is looking for an experienced, hands-on Operations Manager to take ownership of the operational execution of our location and events.

This is not a desk-only management position, nor is it a position for someone who simply follows an existing checklist.

The Operations Manager is accountable for making sure the operation works: the venue is ready, the team knows what to do, vendors are taken care of, problems are resolved, events open on time, and operational standards continuously improve.

We are specifically looking for someone who is

Results-Oriented

• Detail-Oriented
• Highly Organized
• Strong at Delegation
• Proactive About Improvement

The right person does not wait for leadership to identify every operational problem. You are expected to recognize gaps, determine why they are happening, and improve the procedures, systems, training, or accountability necessary to prevent them from continuing.

What You Will OwnEvent & Operational Execution

You are accountable for the operational execution of each event from planning through close-out.

You will

• Finalize event logistics, including venue layouts, vendor assignments, staffing plans, setup plans, and operational timelines.
• Review and approve event maps and floor layouts prepared by the Operations team.
• Ensure tables, signage, displays, equipment, staffing, vendor areas, and guest-facing areas are ready before doors open.
• Conduct the final Floor Ready walkthrough and make the go/no-go decision for opening.
• Ensure events launch on schedule and operational deadlines are met.
• Make day-of layout and operational changes when circumstances require them.
• Oversee opening, closing, facility reset, and event close-out procedures.
• Take ownership of results rather than simply completing assigned tasks.

The standard is not "I did my part." The standard is "Did the operation achieve the expected result?"

Operational Improvement & Systems

The Operations Manager is responsible for improving the operation, not just maintaining it.

You will

• Proactively identify operational gaps, inefficiencies, recurring problems, and areas where standards are unclear.
• Determine the root cause of recurring operational failures rather than repeatedly fixing the same symptoms.
• Improve operational procedures, checklists, workflows, training, documentation, and systems.
• Develop new processes when existing procedures are insufficient.
• Identify tasks that are falling through the cracks and establish clear ownership and accountability.
• Look for ways to make operations more efficient, consistent, scalable, and easier for the team to execute.
• Review what went wrong after events and turn those lessons into permanent operational improvements.
• Maintain and continuously improve SOPs as CCS grows.
• Make sure improvements are actually implemented and followed by the team — not simply documented.

A strong Operations Manager should constantly be asking

What isn't working? Why isn't it working? How do we fix the system so it works consistently next time?

Team Leadership & Delegation

The Operations Manager is responsible for getting results through the team, not personally doing everything.

You will

• Direct and develop Operations Associates and Operations Assistants.
• Break larger operational objectives into clear assignments with owners and deadlines.
• Delegate responsibilities based on the capabilities and responsibilities of each team member.
• Clearly communicate what success looks like before assigning work.
• Follow up on delegated responsibilities without micromanaging.
• Hold employees accountable for deadlines, checklists, cleanliness, setup standards, and follow-through.
• Train employees on CCS operational procedures and systems.
• Provide direct and constructive feedback when expectations are not met.
• Develop employees so increasingly complex responsibilities can be delegated to them.
• Ensure the Operations team can function effectively without constant intervention from senior leadership.

A successful Operations Manager does not become the person who does everything. They build a team and a system that gets everything done.

Organization & Attention to Detail

CCS events involve hundreds of individual operational details occurring simultaneously.

The Operations Manager must be able to maintain visibility across those details without losing sight of the overall objective.

You will be expected to

• Maintain clear priorities, deadlines, assignments, and follow-ups.
• Keep operational documentation accurate and current.
• Catch missing or incorrect details before they become event-day problems.
• Track multiple workstreams simultaneously.
• Ensure plans discussed in meetings or Slack actually turn into completed actions.
• Follow through until tasks are fully completed rather than assuming they were handled.
• Distinguish between what is urgent, what is important, and what can be delegated.

Vendor & Guest Experience

The Operations Manager owns the on-site operational relationship with CCS vendors and is the primary escalation point for operational complaints.

You will

• Build professional relationships with permanent and guest vendors.
• Resolve vendor and customer complaints professionally and consistently.
• Ensure vendor setup, placement, and operational needs are handled correctly.
• Enforce CCS operational policies when necessary.
• Identify recurring problems affecting vendors or guests and develop operational solutions to address them.
• Work cross-functionally to improve the overall vendor and guest experience.

Problem Solving & Incident Management

Things will go wrong. Your responsibility is to determine what happens next.

The Operations Manager serves as the operational lead during incidents and unexpected situations.

You must be comfortable

• Assessing situations quickly.
• Prioritizing safety and business continuity.
• Making decisions with incomplete information.
• Resolving problems without waiting for senior leadership to tell you what to do.
• Determining when something can be handled locally and when leadership needs to be involved.
• Managing difficult customer, vendor, or employee situations.
• Documenting incidents and communicating outcomes clearly.
• Following up afterward to determine whether a procedural or system change can prevent the issue from happening again.

We are looking for someone who does not simply identify problems — we want someone who takes ownership of solving them and preventing them from recurring.

Cross-Functional Coordination

Operations works closely with CCS leadership, Events, Marketing, and Vendor teams.

You will

• Coordinate operational requirements with other departments.
• Turn event information into an executable operational plan.
• Communicate deadlines, problems, dependencies, and changes clearly.
• Follow up when another department's deliverable affects operational readiness.
• Coordinate judges, volunteers, collaborators, contractors, and other outside parties when needed.
• Represent CCS professionally when communicating with vendors, partners, and outside organizations.

Systems, Documentation & Communication

A significant portion of this position requires working through digital systems.

You must be comfortable learning and consistently using tools such as:

• Slack
• Notion
• Google Drive / Google Workspace
• Scheduling systems
• Digital checklists
• Event maps and planning documents
• Written SOPs and training documentation

You do not need to already be an expert in Notion or every system CCS uses.

You do need to be comfortable using computers, learning new software, documenting your work, and communicating consistently through digital systems.

Required Experience

Please review these requirements carefully before applying. Candidates who do not meet the minimum management requirements may not be considered.

Candidates should have

• 3+ years of professional operations, retail, hospitality, warehouse/logistics, venue, entertainment, or other high-volume operational experience.
• 2+ years of direct people-management experience with responsibility for assigning work, coaching employees, enforcing standards, and holding a team accountable.
• Experience directly supervising a team during active operations — not solely administrative or office-based management.
• Experience as a manager on duty, shift leader, department manager, operations manager, assistant general manager, or equivalent where you were accountable for the outcome of a shift or operation.
• Demonstrated experience successfully delegating responsibilities across multiple employees or operational areas.
• Demonstrated experience identifying an operational problem and implementing a process, procedure, training, or system improvement to solve it.
• Experience handling customer, client, vendor, or employee escalations without immediately passing the situation to another manager.
• Experience working in an environment where priorities change quickly and multiple problems need to be handled simultaneously.
• Strong organizational skills and demonstrated attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Basic-to-intermediate computer literacy and demonstrated ability to learn new software.
• Experience using workplace communication, scheduling, documentation, POS, inventory, workforce management, project management, or similar business software.
• Ability to create, improve, and follow written procedures, checklists, schedules, and operational plans.
• Ability to work independently and make reasonable operational decisions without constant direction from senior leadership.
• Ability to work the weekends and hours required by CCS's event schedule.

Strongly Preferred Experience

Preference will be given to candidates with experience in one or more of the following:

• High-volume retail management
• Warehouse or logistics management
• Hospitality management
• Venue or event operations
• Entertainment or attraction operations
• Multi-department operations
• Opening/closing responsibility for a large facility
• Managing teams of 10+ employees
• Vendor management
• Facility operations
• Inventory or receiving operations
• Event setup and breakdown
• Developing or improving SOPs
• Process improvement
• Training and developing supervisors or junior managers
• Implementing new operational systems or workflows

Experience with collectibles, trading cards, anime, comics, gaming, or conventions is helpful but not required.

We would rather hire an excellent operations leader who can learn our industry than an industry enthusiast who has never successfully managed people and operations.

What Success Looks Like

The strongest CCS Operations Managers demonstrate five characteristics:

1. Results-Oriented

You take ownership of the outcome, not just your individual tasks. If something isn't working, you stay with the problem until there is a solution.

2. Detail-Oriented

You notice the missing sign, incorrect vendor placement, incomplete checklist, staffing gap, or missed deadline before it becomes a larger problem.

3. Organized

You can manage dozens of moving pieces, establish priorities, assign ownership, track deadlines, and follow through without things falling through the cracks.

4. Excellent at Delegation

You understand that management is not doing everything yourself. You establish clear expectations, assign responsibility, follow up, hold people accountable, and develop your team.

5. Continuous Improvement Mindset

You don't accept recurring operational problems as "just how things are." You identify the underlying gap and improve the procedure, system, training, or accountability structure so the entire operation gets better.

Ultimately, success means the location and its events operate consistently without senior leadership needing to constantly intervene.

The Operations Manager should make the operation more organized, more reliable, and more scalable over time.

Growth Opportunity

CCS is building an Operations career path with advancement from:

Operations Assistant → Operations Associate → Operations Manager → Branch Manager

An Operations Manager who demonstrates the ability to consistently run events independently, develop their team, improve operational systems, exercise strong business judgment, and think beyond individual events may be considered for advancement into Branch Manager, where responsibility expands to the overall performance and operation of the location.

Pay: $52,000.00 - $64,000.00 per year

Application Question(s)

• Tell me about an operational problem or recurring issue you identified without being asked. What did you change, and what was the result?
• Tell me about a time you had multiple important tasks that needed to be completed by your team under a tight deadline. How did you decide what to delegate, to whom, and how did you make sure everything actually got done?

Work Location: In person