General Manager

Nemesis was founded in Vancouver, Canada, in 2017 with a simple ambition: to create a culture of memorable experiences through coffee, food, and genuine hospitality. Today we operate five Nemesis locations across British Columbia, alongside our sister concepts, Dope Bakehouse and BamBam. Each has its own identity and creative direction, but all are connected by the same foundation: genuine hospitality, uncompromising quality, curiosity, and a commitment to keep evolving what we do.
In 2026, Nemesis was recognized as the number one specialty coffee shop in Canada and number fifteen globally. We are proud of that recognition, but it has only reinforced what matters most to us: doing the work well, staying curious, caring about the details, and continuing to improve.
We are now taking our next major step: New York City. Our arrival marks Nemesis's first expansion into the United States and one of the most meaningful chapters in our growth to date.
At the centre of this expansion is our New York flagship, a purpose built hospitality space bringing together specialty coffee, pastry, food, design, and culture under one roof. This will be more than another Nemesis location. It will establish what Nemesis looks, feels, and sounds like in New York, while creating the foundation for our future growth throughout the city.
We are looking for a General Manager who wants to help build it.


The opportunity

We are seeking a General Manager to join our opening leadership team and lead the front-of-house operation of our first United States flagship. As one of the founding leaders of Nemesis New York, you will play a central role in shaping the guest experience, building the opening team, establishing operational standards, and creating the culture that will define Nemesis in the United States.
You will work alongside coffee professionals, chefs, bakers, creatives, and operators who care deeply about their craft, take the work seriously, and learn from one another. Our goal is to build a hospitality experience that feels distinctly Nemesis while belonging naturally in New York.
This role suits someone who understands that great hospitality is built through people. You set a high standard while remaining humble. You lead as much through listening and teaching as through decision making. You can protect an outstanding guest experience while bringing the operational discipline required to run a high volume business. You will have meaningful ownership over the development of the store and its team from the very beginning.
We care as much about how you lead as what you have led. We are looking for someone warm, calm, curious, and grounded. Someone who cares deeply about the work without needing to make the work about themselves. Someone who gives people clarity and guidance, listens well, shares credit freely, and understands that great ideas can come from anywhere. You should have a point of view, but also the curiosity to let that point of view continue to evolve.
This is also a role for someone who enjoys both sides of the work. You may spend one moment thinking about the feeling of a room, the music, a detail of service, or the way a guest is welcomed, and the next working through labour, revenue, systems, or a P&L. We do not see those as opposing responsibilities. The best hospitality depends on both.


What you'll do

• Lead the opening and ongoing operation of the Nemesis New York flagship
• Recruit, onboard, train, mentor, and develop an outstanding front-of-house team
• Establish and continually evolve the service standards that define the Nemesis experience in New York
• Build a culture rooted in genuine hospitality, communication, accountability, curiosity, and mutual respect
• Lead the daily guest experience and maintain a consistently high standard of service
• Partner closely with coffee, pastry, culinary, and operations leadership to deliver a cohesive experience across the space
• Build systems and processes that allow the operation to perform consistently as volume grows
• Develop future leaders within the team through coaching, feedback, training, and opportunities for progression
• Own scheduling, labor management, inventory, purchasing and cost controls
• Manage budgets, forecasting, revenue performance and P&L responsibilities
• Monitor key operational and financial performance indicators and translate them into meaningful action
• Maintain full compliance with HACCP principles, NYC Department of Health regulations, and workplace safety standards
• Lead through busy services and challenging situations with confidence, composure, and sound judgement
• Build relationships with guests, neighbors, partners, and the wider New York community
• Identify ongoing opportunities to improve the guest experience, team experience and business performance
• Help establish the operational foundation that will support future Nemesis locations throughout New York

Leadership at Nemesis is not about hierarchy. It is about care for your people, the guest, the room, the details, and the work itself. Our leaders set clear standards and give people direction, but they also stay close enough to the work to listen, teach, learn, and help. We expect our leaders to challenge themselves and their teams while creating an environment where people feel supported, trusted, and empowered to grow.

Humility and respect.  You understand that leadership is service, not status. You work for your team as much as they work for you. You are comfortable admitting what you don't know and recognizing that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. You earn respect through consistency, integrity, and action.

Self-awareness and empathy.  You are conscious of how your decisions, communication, and behavior affect the people around you. You seek feedback, reflect on your own performance, and understand that different people need different approaches to perform at their best. You listen before reacting and lead with empathy without compromising accountability.

Optimism and responsibility.  You naturally look for solutions. When challenges arise, you remain constructive and help your team focus on what can be controlled and improved. You take responsibility for outcomes, learn quickly when things don't go as planned, and lead by example.

Judgement and common sense.  You have the maturity and experience to make thoughtful decisions under pressure, and you know when a situation calls for deeper analysis versus a simple, direct solution. You maintain perspective and prioritize the well-being of your team, your guests, and the business.

Warmth and composure. You create calm rather than noise. You can be direct without being sharp, hold a high standard without making the room heavy, and make people feel seen while keeping the team moving forward.

Curiosity and collaboration. You bring a point of view without needing to own every answer. You seek context, ask good questions, and invite ideas from across the team. You are thoughtful about what influences you and can translate inspiration into work that feels original and appropriate to Nemesis rather than simply following what already exists.

Growth and development.  You believe good enough is temporary. You are willing to challenge systems, habits, and even your own ideas when there is an opportunity to improve. You actively develop the people around you, understanding that the strength of the leaders you create is one of the truest measures of your own leadership.


What You Bring

• Five or more years of hospitality leadership experience, including at least 2 years as General Manager, Assistant General Manager, or comparable senior hospitality management experience within a respected, high-volume restaurant, café, bakery, hotel, or hospitality organization
• A genuine passion for hospitality and creating memorable guest experiences
• Proven experience recruiting, training, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams of fifteen or more employees
• A leadership style grounded in humility, accountability, communication, warmth and respect
• Strong operational instincts and the ability to bring consistency and structure to a fast-paced environment
• Experience with scheduling, labor management, inventory, purchasing and cost of goods
• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, revenue management and P&L analysis
• The ability to interpret business performance and translate it into practical operational decisions
• Excellent communication and organizational skills
• Confidence operating in a high-volume, guest-facing environment
• The ability to collaborate effectively across coffee, culinary, pastry, and operations teams
• A thoughtful point of view and genuine curiosity about hospitality, food, deign, music, art and culture, with the judgement to turn influence into something original rather than simply imitate already exists
• Comfort moving between the creative and commercial sides of the business, protecting the experience while understanding the numbers and operational realities that sustain it
• A desire to continually learn, improve, and challenge the status quo
• Comfort operating within an ambitious, fast-growing company where systems and structures will continue to evolve
• Experience within specialty coffee is valuable, but great hospitality leadership matters most

What we offer

Joining an opening team is different from stepping into an established operation. Alongside the opportunity to help shape how the business runs, we want to provide the support, clarity and room to grow that allow great people to do their best work.

• Competitive base salary of $80,000 to $100,000, with performance-based bonus potential
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid time off, plus sick leave
• Retirement savings plan, including 401(k)
• Staff meals and product discounts across Nemesis, Dope Bakehouse, and BamBam
• Commuter benefits
• A founding leadership position with significant ownership over the opening team and culture
• Leadership development and progression opportunities as Nemesis expands throughout New York
• Relocation support for candidates moving from outside New York. Visa or work authorization support may be considered when appropriate

Build what's next

We are not looking for someone to simply maintain a store. We are looking for someone who wants to build one. Someone who sees an empty room, a new team, and a new city as an opportunity to create something meaningful.
Our General Manager will be one of the people responsible for translating nearly a decade of Nemesis culture and hospitality in Vancouver into something that feels authentic to New York, while helping us evolve along the way. This is an opportunity to build a team, establish a culture, shape an experience, and help define Nemesis in the United States from day one.
We want to build a place that people are proud to work in, return to, and care about. The person leading it should care just as deeply about the people, the details, and the work required to make that happen.