Operations Manager

An established, fashion-forward salon in downtown Rutherford, New Jersey, offers modern hair styling, precision cuts, creative color, balayage, treatments, extensions, and men's grooming. The salon is seeking a hands-on Operations Manager to oversee day-to-day operations, lead the team, improve business performance, and support continued growth.

Work location: Rutherford, NJ 07070
Employment type: Full-time
Schedule: Approximately 37–40 hours per week; some evenings and Saturdays may be required.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee daily salon operations, including opening and closing procedures, front-desk workflow, staffing coordination, and operational readiness.
• Coordinate staff schedules, support onboarding and training, set expectations, and maintain a professional, accountable team environment.
• Monitor service revenue, retail sales, appointment utilization, stylist productivity, rebooking, and client retention; identify opportunities to improve performance.
• Oversee appointments, confirmations, cancellations, waitlists, and schedule adjustments to maximize stylist productivity.
• Ensure a consistent, personalized client experience from booking through checkout, and resolve service and scheduling concerns professionally.
• Coach the team on rebooking, service recommendations, retail sales, and relationship-building.
• Manage inventory and product ordering; maintain appropriate supply levels and accurate operational records.
• Support payment processing, transaction reconciliation, local marketing, promotions, and communication with ownership.
• Maintain cleanliness, organization, salon standards, and compliance with applicable procedures and licensing requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Approximately 3–5 years of management experience in a salon, spa, med spa, or comparable service-oriented business.
• Demonstrated ability to lead daily operations, coordinate teams, and take ownership of business results.
• Experience monitoring sales, customer retention, productivity, or other operational KPIs.
• Strong leadership, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Comfort using appointment scheduling platforms, point-of-sale systems, and standard office software.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, customer-facing environment.
• Ability to commute reliably to Rutherford, NJ, and flexibility to work some evenings and Saturdays.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience managing a hair salon, barbershop, spa, or beauty business.
• Track record of improving revenue, retail sales, rebooking, client retention, or staff productivity.
• Experience coaching customer-facing employees and implementing operational improvements.
• Familiarity with salon inventory, professional haircare products, and appointment-based service businesses.

Ideal Candidate

A hands-on, business-minded leader who can run the shop without constant direction, hold the team accountable, solve problems quickly, and translate business goals into measurable results. This is an operational leadership role—not simply a front-desk position.