About Puppy Sphere:

We are a high-growth startup redefining the wellness category through puppy therapy! We’re on a mission to bring people together in welcoming spaces where the gentle power of puppies helps them slow down, boost their mood, and return again and again.

As North America’s original puppy yoga company, we’ve built a community of over 400,000 people, making puppy therapy part of their everyday wellbeing ritual. We’ve partnered with global brands including the NBA, TikTok, and Google to bring the gentle power of puppies to even more workplaces, events, and communities!

Job Description:

As we continue to grow in Chicago, we're looking for a passionate and knowledgeable Head Supervisor to help lead our Chicago Pack. If you are a highly organized, hardworking and creative individual, this might be the right opportunity for you. In this role, you will play an integral part in leading the team that orchestrates our captivating puppy-centric events throughout your city.

The Head Supervisor position is pivotal for the success of any Puppy Sphere location. They are responsible for supporting and collaborating with the wider Management team to lead the day-to-day operations, achieve operational excellence, and  build a positive team culture.

This is a part-time, hybrid role located in Chicago. Onsite and weekend presence is a necessity. 
The rate for this role is $22.00 USD per hour.

Job Requirements: 

Event Operations:

• Assist and support Regional Operations Manager and Operations Coordinator with day-to-day operations to meet or exceed company goals.
• Oversee and support execution of on-site and off-site Puppy Sphere events and operations to ensure a seamless, high-quality, and positive team and guest experience.
• Manage the Puppy Sphere staff (event facilitators, supervisors, and yoga instructors).
• Assist with creating and publishing a balanced team schedule for all event types, monitoring potential gaps and coordinating fulfilment needs.
• Conduct on-site studio check-ins to ensure studio maintenance and cleanliness is in alignment with Puppy Sphere’s vision and standards.
• Conduct quick team member check-ins while on-site to ensure team pulse is in accordance with Puppy Sphere’s values and standards.
• Monitor city team chats to provide support, updates, clear communication and direction for inquiries, ensuring alignment with company values, standards, policies, and expectations.
• Continuously seek areas of opportunity to improve our quality and service for animal, team, and guest experiences.
• Ensure all events and team members comply with applicable company, local, city, provincial/state policies.
• Ensure all team members are trained and follow safe handling practices and guidelines, upholding Puppy Sphere’s animal welfare standards at all times.
• Responsibility for protecting studio assets by following procedures and policies for safety, security, maintenance, and cleanliness.
• Communicate and escalate essential information in a timely manner to Operations Manager, maintaining confidentiality where appropriate.
• Follows proper escalation channels and provides support with staff and guest relations, animal welfare, and safety incidents. 
• Serve as the on-site lead for emergency procedures and maintain familiarity with emergency plans and safety protocols.
• Act as a point of contact and manage any situations that arise during the events, liaising with management or customer service as necessary and ensure a smooth and successful experience for all attendees.
• Assist with weekly administrative tasks, sharing team updates, creating run-of-shows, and maintaining up-to-date financial budget and expense reports.
• Assist with weekly studio tasks to ensure studios and teams are prepared to operate events smoothly and successfully.
• Oversee weekly inventory ordering and management, ensuring all necessary items are ordered and in stock for all event types, working closely with vendors to maintain adequate levels and manage delivery schedules.
• Support in the interviewing, hiring and onboarding process of new Event Facilitators, Yoga instructors, and Puppy Sphere Event Staff.
• Assist with documentation for incident reporting, employee relations, and progressive discipline processes.
• Lead virtual and in-person training sessions for new event facilitators and supervisors by providing comprehensive guidance on event procedures and company standards to ensure all team members are well-prepared to consistently deliver exceptional Puppy Sphere experiences.
• Oversee the planning and execution of pop-ups or private events, ensuring all details are handled seamlessly from start to finish, including run of show, staffing, preparation of supplies before the event, ensuring everything is returned and stored afterward, and serving as the main point of contact for the client.
• Assist the Operations Manager in special projects, roll outs, and events happening in the city, such as partnership opportunities and support in the implementation of new wellness experiences.
• Ensure the studio(s) are always presentable and ready to host experiences, with supplies neatly organized and put away in a strategic manner.
• Maintain open communication channels with relevant stakeholders and attend weekly and monthly meetings to provide updates, share insights, and collaborate on solutions to enhance event operations.
• Act as Floor Manager during scheduled shifts; supporting, training, and leading the team while managing the following tasks when working our events:
  • Be a resource and provide support during the entire event flow including event set up, class check-in,  event speeches, yoga session, social period, post event reset, and event break down.
  • Monitor event flow and environment to proactively identify and resolve issues related to the event, animals, staff, and guest experience.
  • Coordinate and communicate necessary breaks to event staff during events to ensure all team members receive required meal and rest breaks in compliance with local labor laws.
  • Manage guest check-in, including ID verification and waiver completion, provide support during event speeches.
  • Assist all staff with operational tasks during events as needed.
  • Handle all aspects of injury reporting, including documentation and communication with city managers.
  • Ensure completion of Animal Welfare, Studio Inventory, and End-of-Day report forms to communicate any needs, issues, feedback, or remarks from the day's events.
• Manage and support the implementation of promotions, collaborations, company launches, and process updates to the greater team.
• Lead and assist the rollout and training of each upcoming initiative and follow up on the execution throughout the initiative.
• Attend weekly meetings with Operations Managers to collaborate on goals and initiatives, receive updates, review team development, share insights, and identify solutions to enhance event operations.
• Host bi-weekly / monthly supervisor meetings with Operations Manager for supervisors to share updates, share insights, and collaborate on solutions to enhance event operations.
• Exercise sound judgment in determining when to resolve issues independently versus when escalation is required, ensuring timely communication with the Operations Manager for decisions outside the Head Supervisor’s authority.

Leadership and Team Development:

• Be the role model of Puppy Sphere’s core values and mission to the team and guests, creating a positive, collaborative, and supportive team culture and environment, while setting the standard of operational excellence.
• Serve as the primary on-site leader during events, acting as an extension of the Operations Manager.
• Lead by example, demonstrating professionalism, calm decision making, and serve as the primary point of contact for the studio team.
• Support and uphold team engagement and morale by fostering a respectful, accountable, inclusive, and high-performing work environment.
• Develop and inspire Event Facilitators and Supervisors, providing continuous coaching and feedback to build their knowledge and skills.
• Uphold positive attitude and demonstrate enthusiasm to ensure all team members and guests feel welcomed.
• Maintain a high level of professionalism when interacting with guests, clients, vendors, and animal welfare partners, acting as a representative of Puppy Sphere to exemplifying our values and standards.
• Provide ongoing and in-the-moment coaching to the team during events to uphold best practices.
• Conduct training for growth positions, utilizing training tools, resources, and trackers to monitor progression and completion.
• Support the development of future leads or supervisors by modeling leadership behaviors and sharing knowledge.
• Collaborate with the leadership team to strategize the implementation of company financial goals.
• Collaborate cross functionally with departments to ensure positive relations and experiences for community, media, public, and private events.
• Communicate with respective department teams for related support and assistance.
• Escalates unresolved concerns or feedback beyond the city Operations Manager where appropriate, following established escalation pathways and maintaining a professional and constructive approach.

The Requirements Are:

• Demonstrated leadership capability and experience coaching, developing, motivating, and training others.
• Proven ability and excitement to develop and lead teams to foster a positive, high-performance culture.
• Must be available to work at least 12 shifts per month and have consistent availability to go into the studio for one day (Saturday or Sunday) every weekend.
• Must be available to go into the studio or onsite Monday - Friday where business needs.
• This role requires a genuine interest in animal welfare and the ability to take ownership of puppy care responsibilities while on shift.
• Comfortable working in a fast-growing, evolving startup environment where processes, priorities, and initiatives continue to develop and change.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and time management skills, organised and detail-oriented, with a proactive and solution-oriented approach to resolving challenges.
• Performance that consistently demonstrates Puppy Shere’s vision, values and mission.
• Ability to learn and adapt to new systems and processes as we scale.
• Comfortable using scheduling, communication, inventory, and reporting tools (e.g connecteam, slack, google workspace).
• Ability to lift, carry, push, and pull items weighing up to 30 lbs.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods, including throughout the duration of events.
• Ability to bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and perform repetitive motions as required during event setup, execution, and breakdown.
• Comfortable working with standard cleaning supplies and solutions, following proper safety and handling guidelines.
• Ability to work in environments with moderate noise levels, animals present, and high guest interaction.
• Bonus if you have access to a car and ability to drive.

Perks:

🚀 Join a fast-growing startup with upward mobility.
🦮 Experience the happiness of working around puppies. 
🧘 6 complimentary puppy yoga classes for you, family and friends. 
🔖 45% discount on individual puppy yoga classes. 
✨ Opportunity to work with celebrity clients and industry giants.

Puppy Sphere Values:

• We create happiness. 
• We care. 
• We adapt. 
• We show up. 
• We raise the bar. 

We’re so grateful for your interest in joining the team here at Puppy Sphere! Due to the high number of applications we receive, we may not be able to personally reach out to everyone, but please know we truly appreciate the time and effort you’ve taken to apply 🤍