New Site Opening Manager

Description

 POSITION SUMMARY

The New Site Opening Manager is the single, on-the-ground owner responsible for driving each assigned new site from installation through successful opening and handoff to ongoing operations.

Working within one of three regions — Northeast, Southeast, or West — this role is accountable for ensuring the site is physically installed correctly, equipment and systems are fully tested, critical deadlines are met, staffing and training readiness are confirmed, and the team has had the appropriate practice and repetitions needed to operate confidently on opening day.

The New Site Opening Manager coordinates and drives all on-site opening activities, identifies and resolves issues in real time, holds internal and external partners accountable to commitments, and ensures the location is truly ready before transitioning ownership to the field organization.

Success in this role means every assigned location opens on time, meets FEG standards, is fully operational, appropriately staffed, and has a prepared team capable of delivering a strong opening-day experience.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Own New Site Opening Execution

• Serve as the single on-site owner for assigned new locations from installation through opening and operational handoff.
• Translate the overall project plan into an actionable on-site opening plan with clear deadlines, owners, dependencies, and completion standards.
• Drive all opening activities to completion and hold internal teams, vendors, and partners accountable for commitments and due dates.
• Maintain constant focus on the opening date and proactively address any issue that could impact timing, quality, safety, staffing, or readiness.
• Escalate critical risks quickly and clearly when additional resources or leadership decisions are required.
• Develop and execute recovery plans when opening milestones fall behind schedule.

Installation & Equipment Readiness

• Lead and execute on-site equipment installation activities from planning through completion.
• Coordinate installation sequencing across equipment, technology, merchandise, facilities, vendors, and other required workstreams.
• Confirm equipment is installed correctly, configured to FEG standards, and positioned according to approved layouts and operating requirements.
• Commission, test, and validate all equipment before opening.
• Ensure games, readers, systems, cranes, merchandise equipment, and related technology are functioning properly before turnover.
• Maintain and drive completion of an installation punch list, including clear owners and resolution dates.
• Ensure critical installation issues are resolved before opening and that any approved exceptions are documented and communicated.
• Validate that tools, parts, operating supplies, and other required resources are in place before opening day.

Staffing & Team Readiness

• Partner with Operations and People teams to confirm staffing plans are on track against approved opening.
• Confirm the location has adequate leadership and team-member coverage to support the opening plan.
• Escalate staffing risks that could impact opening readiness or guest experience.
• Ensure local teams complete required training before the location opens.
• Coordinate training schedules with Operations, Technical, Merchandise, Learning & Development.
• Confirm employees are trained on the specific systems, equipment, procedures, and operating standards.
• Ensure team members receive appropriate hands-on practice and repetitions before performing critical tasks.
• Validate that training has translated into demonstrated readiness, not simply course completion.
• Support opening-week coaching and retraining when performance gaps are identified.

Opening Readiness & Quality Assurance

• Conduct structured pre-opening readiness reviews and validate completion of all critical opening requirements.
• Confirm readiness across key areas including:
  • Equipment installation, licensing and commissioning
  • Technology and system functionality
  • Employee practice and proficiency
  • Operational standards
  • Safety and compliance
  • Site presentation and cleanliness
  • Guest-service readiness
• Maintain a clear list of open issues, owners, deadlines, and escalation needs.
• Ensure the location is not considered ready based solely on schedule completion; validate that it can actually operate successfully.
• Provide an objective assessment of opening readiness to the VP, New Site Opening Operations and other leaders.

Opening Week Execution

• Own on-site execution during the opening period and resolve issues quickly to protect the guest and partner experience.
• Remain actively engaged with the local team during initial operations to identify issues.
• Coordinate technical and operational support as needed during opening.
• Ensure problems identified during opening week are documented and assigned for permanent corrective action.

Partner & Vendor Management

• Serve as the on-site point of contact for the partner throughout installation and opening. Build trust through clear communication, responsiveness, and reliable follow-through.
• Coordinate vendors, contractors, technical resources, and internal support teams to ensure work is completed on time and to standard.
• Hold vendors accountable for quality, schedule, safety, and completion expectations.

Handoff to Ongoing Operations

• Lead a structured transition from New Site Opening Operations to the ongoing field organization.
• Ensure all required documentation, outstanding items, warranties, vendor information, equipment records, and operating notes are transferred.
• Confirm the receiving field leader understands any remaining risks, punch-list items, or follow-up commitments.
• Validate that local leadership is prepared to assume full responsibility for daily operations.
• Remain engaged until the agreed stabilization and handoff criteria are met.

Continuous Improvement

• Conduct a post-opening review after each assigned site. Help refine opening standards, checklists, tools, and playbooks so each opening becomes more predictable and efficient.
• Document what worked, what caused delays or rework, and what should change for future openings.
• Share lessons learned across regions to improve consistency and reduce repeat problems.

KEY PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Success in this role should be measured against tangible opening outcomes, including:

• Percentage of assigned sites opened on or before the committed opening date
• Percentage of critical opening milestones completed on time
• Installation completed to approved standards before opening
• Percentage of equipment fully operational at opening
• Number of unresolved critical punch-list items at opening
• Opening-week equipment uptime and issue volume
• Partner satisfaction with opening execution
• Quality and completeness of operational handoff

Requirements

 QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience leading equipment installation, commissioning, site openings, or field operations projects, ideally in a multi-site, entertainment, hospitality, retail, or franchise environment
• Demonstrated ability to take full ownership of an opening and drive multiple workstreams toward a fixed deadline
• Strong vendor and contractor management skills
• Hands-on technical aptitude with equipment, systems, and field-installation processes
• Strong understanding of operations and the ability to distinguish between “installed” and “ready to operate”
• Experience coordinating staffing, training, installation, or opening-readiness activities preferred
• Proven ability to identify problems early and drive corrective action
• Strong organizational and project-management skills
• Ability to hold others accountable while maintaining strong working relationships
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• Comfortable representing FEG directly with partners and senior leaders
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities and resolve issues independently under opening-week time pressure
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently within the assigned region

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

Every assigned location opens on time and is truly ready for operation.

Equipment is installed correctly, tested, and functioning. Critical deadlines are met, problems are surfaced early, vendors and internal teams are held accountable, and the partner experiences a professional and well-managed opening.

The New Site Opening Manager does not simply oversee installation — they own opening readiness from arrival on-site through successful handoff.

Travel

Frequent travel to new and prospective site locations required.