Each Starbucks district requires a district manager who sees to everything running smoothly. So, what is a district manager at Starbucks? Here is a detailed breakdown and guide of their jobs and benefits.

Since moving to New York a couple of years ago, I have been an avid Starbucks customer. I am quite admired for how my local outlet is run. The district manager happened to live a floor above me at my apartment complex, and I decided to ask her what it’s like to run a district, and what exactly the company requires from her. She was kind enough to let me in on a couple of details. If you are hoping to become a Starbucks district manager, you have come to the right place. Here is what holding the position would entail.

What is a Starbucks District Manager?

A Starbucks District Manager (DM)is a person placed in charge of several Starbucks outlet managers. They work to ensure that (in a nutshell) the stores run smoothly, right from production and sales of products, to customer satisfaction. Simply put, a district manager at Starbucks makes sure that a set number of stores within a certain area (district) operate as best as they should.

For this reason, all Starbucks district managers are required to be all-rounded in a sense. This is because they are meant to handle all members of staff, product quality, the stores’ finances, security, and safety of staff and customers. Below is a detailed breakdown of the roles of a Starbucks District manager.

Roles of a Starbucks District Manager

Leadership – This is easily one of the most crucial roles of a district manager at Starbucks. As mentioned, they oversee the working and well-being of every individual in all the outlets. The role of leadership can be broken down as below.

Goal setting – The district manager is expected to set goals for their entire team. This can include (but is not limited to) establishing projected sales for the week or month and leading in achieving the same. To facilitate this, the DM can assign roles based on staff capability, delegating various roles to the persons who perform the said roles best. As the DM, one must be the leading example to encourage the rest of the staff to follow suit.

Maintain smooth running – Seeing as different shifts come with varying levels of pressure, the DM needs to have the ability to maintain a calm demeanor throughout. This is especially crucial during hours when the stores experience a surge in customers. A good DM is able to help the team work harmoniously by delegating and leading in the distribution of work. In addition, they must be able to ensure a seamless handover of shifts. This ensures that the stores work as best as they should round the clock.

Ensuring customers are handled properly – Starbucks holds a customer-comes-first policy and the DM is charged with ensuring that this policy is upheld as much as possible. For this reason, they are required to train all new members of staff on how best to handle customers so that they are satisfied after each service. In the same regard, the district manager must hold staff members accountable for the way they handle customers at any one given time to make sure that the customers are accorded legendary customer service.

Driving the implementation of company programs – To make sure that company programs are implemented, a DM has to develop action plans for all stores. In addition, they are required to instruct and motivate staff to enable them to achieve the said company programs and objectives.

Promoting the culture, values, and mission of Starbucks – When it comes to the overall mission of Starbucks as a company, the DM is expected to uphold and promote it with a good level of integrity, knowledge, and honesty. In essence, they have to make sure that they and their staff uphold the company’s agenda with principle.

Working with store partners- To make sure that all operations run smoothly, the district manager has to identify, communicate, and plan with Starbucks store partners to make sure that everything runs smoothly. In addition, they are meant to delegate responsibilities and promote store practices to ensure that everything runs as it should.

Maintaining a conducive working environment – To make sure that each store’s operational goals are achieved, the district manager needs to constantly evaluate the working environment. This helps them to identify any concerns, problems, and even opportunities that could improve the operation of the outlets. In addition, the district manager provides direction and coaching to the stores’ teams to enable them to achieve the set goals and objectives.

Planning and Execution – A Starbucks district manager is expected to create operational plans, facilitate their execution, and measure the results. To ensure steady performance, they need to focus on two major aspects;

Store staffing levels – The DM has to ensure that there is the recommended number of staff members. In addition, they need to identify and hire the best talent for the job to ensure that every task is handled to the stores’ operation standards.

Conduct proper communication – A Starbucks DM is required to identify and use existing communication channels to effectively communicate with their team. When making the said communication, the DM needs to sift through the information and send out the right communication with discretion. This ensures proper running of the stores at all times.

Business requirements – As earlier mentioned, a Starbucks DM needs to be an all-rounded individual who can handle all aspects of a business. Handling business requirements well means that they must provide functional expertise and perform functional responsibilities by;

Ensuring the application of minimum wage – This is especially crucial when a store has minors and non-exempt partners as members of staff. The DM must see to it that they are well cared for as far as the minimum wage goes.

Looks out for customers – The DM must seek feedback from customers to help outlets run better and to make sure the customers are satisfied with the service and products. The said feedback also includes the needs of the community the stores serve.

Planning and achieving operation excellence – For proper operation, the DM needs to use such tools as Automated Labor Scheduling, Quarterly Business Review, Monthly Status Reports, as well as cash and inventory management tools.

Identifying and analyzing store trends – It is important for the DM to analyze store trends to see whether or not the outlets are operating at the optimum. The trends help to identify weak points which affect the performance of the stores.

Partner developments and Team Building –As the head of the district, a Starbucks District Manager is charged with making sure that all members of staff achieve developmental growth through coaching and feedback. The DM should;

Conduct Performance Assessments – Monthly performance assessments allow the DM to see where staff members are as far as meeting goals go. In essence, they should set challenging goals that allow the members of staff to work around the challenges and deliver results at the same time.

Challenging partners to achieve the set goals and deliver expected results. The DM ought to be an example to the partners by doing the same.

Maintaining harmonious relationships with and between partners – A Starbucks District Manager needs to make sure that every partner is listened to individually. The feedback given must be evaluated and taken into consideration to make sure that everyone is satisfied and that there is holistic harmony.

Ensures adherence to legal and operational compliance requirements – The DM is mandated with making sure that every partner works within the law, and that all operational compliance requirements are met to a satisfactory standard at all times.

Recognizing team achievements – When a team or individuals have performed as desired or exceedingly better than anticipated, the DM must recognize the effort and result of the team or individual. The District Manager is required to use existing tools and also come up with creative methods of recognition.

Upholding the value of partners – A DM must be able to use existing methods to make sure that the value of each partner and team member is not just upheld but also appreciated. This, in the long run, creates a successful cohesive team that performs as desired.

Starbucks District Manager Job Description

As one expected to be in charge of several Starbucks store managers at a go, a district manager is expected to do the following three things;

• Grow a portfolio of successful businesses

The District Manager is required to develop strategies for a district that work to ensure the financial, operational, and customer service goals of individual Starbucks stores. The said strategies must identify and highlight every store’s strengths and difficulties when carrying out different operations.

• Lead a team of leaders

The Starbucks District Manager will be expected to lead, coach, motivate, and strengthen store managers as retail operators, team managers, and store owners.

• Serve as a resource

To ensure the smooth running of a district, the district manager must offer their knowledge and expertise regarding such issues as team staffing and management, important customer issues, company policies and procedures, as well as store operations.

How to become a Starbucks District Manager

To become a Starbucks district manager, there is a particular set of skills and qualifications you must possess. The most important are listed below.

Job Qualifications

• Organizational and planning skills
• Ability to manage multiple stores independently
• Knowledge in the restaurant industry or retail environment operations as well as experience in a multi-unit environment.
• Supervisory skills
• Strong operational skills in a customer-service environment
• Team-building skills
• Ability to establish and build relationships
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written

Experience needed

• More than 5 years of experience managing more than 2 stores, units or departments, inventory, P&L, operations, or customer service.
• More than 5 years of experience leading a team of more than 6 persons, including coaching and training, with strong leadership and communication skills.
• More than 3 years of experience in a customer service-oriented role.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.

Education

• Minimum high school or GED

Note: A college degree in business or any related field or more than 4 years of US military service may substitute a portion of the experience required.

Privileges of becoming a Starbucks District Manager

• Bonuses

Every district manager at Starbucks is entitled to cash bonuses, profit sharing, and commissioning. On average, Starbucks district managers make anything between $10,000 and $25,000 in bonuses, commissions, and profit which is pretty decent.

• Allowances

Aside from the salaries and bonuses, Starbucks district managers are eligible for several allowances which include housing allowance, parking allowance, store mileage allowance, and lunch allowance. In some countries such as Ireland, performance benefits are categorized as allowances.

• Health Coverage

District managers at Starbucks are eligible for health coverage. They are offered medical, dental, and vision covers. In addition, they are given Health Care as well as Dependent Care reimbursement accounts, accident coverage, disability coverage, and life insurance.

The coverage comes with multiple levels, and the district managers are allowed to choose the ones that suit them and their dependents best. This is, however, governed by the company based on an individual’s pay grade.

• Paid time off

All Starbucks district managers are eligible for paid vacation days. In addition, they get two personal days per year. When it comes to holidays, the district managers (and most other employees) get a total of 7 paid holidays. During the said holidays, the hourly rate is increased to 1.5 times the usual hourly rate. District managers also get paid family sick time which allows them time off to care for a sick loved one, particularly family members.

• Parental leave

District managers at Starbucks are eligible for parental leave. They get time off and are also eligible for pay replacement. Additionally, for any parents looking to adopt a child, get a surrogate, or use Intrauterine Insemination, the company provides a Family Expansion Reimbursement worth $10,000.

• Partner assistance

Through the Caring Unites Partners Fund (CUP), district managers in financial crises receive assistance. The fund caters to such crises as natural disasters, illness, the death of a loved one, or any other circumstances deemed extreme.

Salary of Starbucks District Manager

New York City

District location	New York
Job description	Full-time
Average annual salary	$153,696
Average annual bonus	$21,000
Health coverage	Medical, visual, dental
Paid time off	7 holidays, vacation days, family sick days
Parental leave	Available
Parental assistance	Available

Florida

District location	Florida
Job description	Full-time
Average annual salary	$73,426
Average annual bonus	$11,000
Health coverage	Medical, visual, dental
Paid time off	7 holidays, vacation days, family sick time
Parental leave	Available
Parental assistance	Available

California

District location	California
Job description	Full-time
Average annual salary	$88,412
Average annual bonus	$12,000
Health coverage	Medical, visual, dental
Paid time off	7 holidays, vacation days, family sick days
Parental leave	Available
Parental assistance	Available

Canada

District location	Canada
Job description	Full-time
Average annual salary	$84,110
Average annual bonus	$11,000
Health coverage	Medical, visual, dental
Paid time off	7 holidays, vacation days, family sick time
Parental leave	Available
Parental assistance	Available

Seattle

District location	Seattle
Job description	Full-time
Average annual salary	$84,952
Average annual bonus	$12,000
Health coverage	Medical, visual, dental
Paid time off	7 holidays, vacation days, sick family days
Parental leave	Available
Parental assistance	Available

Typical schedule for a Starbucks store manager

• Their official working hours

Starbucks directs that store managers work an average of 40 hours a week. However, as sometimes shifts get intense during peak seasons, these hours may be stretched. Even though it is extremely rare, there are store managers who have worked 11 to 12-hour shifts when stores have been understaffed or when the customers have been too many.

This is, however, not in line with the company’s directive.

• Do Starbucks district managers work on weekends?

Yes, Starbucks district managers work weekends, but not always. This is largely dependent on the season, shift arrangements, and other factors. They may have weekends off depending on the schedule.

How to contact Starbucks district manager

You can use either of the following methods when looking to contact a district manager from your locality;

• Email

If you hope to reach them by email, go on and search for your locality’s district manager’s address. For instance, if you live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, you can google Starbucks district manager Tampa Bay Area email address.

• Phone number

If you are looking for the phone number, go on and follow the same steps and google Starbucks district manager Tampa Bay Area phone number. It will be made available for you.

FAQ Section

Who is the manager of Starbucks?

Currently, the entire Starbucks chain in the United States is run by Denise Nelsen. She is the company’s Senior Vice President and is in charge of the regional vice president team. This team oversees the operations of all Starbucks outlets across the United States. Denise joined Starbucks in 1997 as a barista and had a degree in human resource and marketing.

How do I contact the CEO of Starbucks?

It is surprisingly easy to find Starbucks CEO, Kevin Johnson. You can call him on 206-447-1575, or Fax him on 206-318-3432. You can also send him a mail using the following address;

Starbucks Coffee Company,

2401 Utah Avenue South

Seattle, WA98134

Does Starbucks pay for district managers’ vacation when they quit?

Yes, it does. If you have accrued vacation days that are unclaimed when resigning or quitting your job as a district manager, the firm pays for the vacation. If, however, they are all used up at the time of resigning, the company does not pay for any.

How long do you have to work at Starbucks to retire?

You are eligible for retirement when you have worked for more than 10 years in the company. Before then, you are not eligible for maximum benefits. Also, anyone above 55 can retire from working at Starbucks.

How much PTO do district managers get at Starbucks?

District managers at Starbucks are eligible for 10 vacation days, and 2 personal days per year, and they also get 7 paid holidays. They are also entitled to paid family sick days.

How much stock do Starbucks district managers get?

Even though it is undisclosed, each Starbucks district manager benefits from the company’s discounted company stocks and participation in the equity reward program.

How much vacation do Starbuck managers get?

Starbucks managers are eligible for 21 days of paid vacation per year. Since district managers are considered managers, they are eligible for the same number of days.

How long does it take to become a district manager at Starbucks?

To become a district manager at Starbucks, you need a minimum of 3 years’ worth of experience working in retail as well as one year of supervising and analyzing financial reports. An added 5 years of progressive experience in being a team leader is an added advantage.

Do you need a degree to be a Starbucks district manager?

While it is not a mandatory requirement, a degree in business or any related field places you at a better advantage. The degree may reduce the amount of experience required to qualify you for the position.

What is it like being a district manager for Starbucks?

According to many, it is a great experience. Many district managers at Starbucks have shared that their working schedules are quite friendly and that the pay is above average. Also, the job comes with many perks and benefits which makes it great for anyone with a family or looking to gain good financial standing.

Do Starbucks district managers get a car?

No, district managers at Starbucks do not get cars from the company. If they need one, they would need to buy it with their own money.

Final Thoughts

Starbucks district managers are essential in the overall running of the company, especially where stores are concerned. Being that it is a tasking job, one must have loads of experience to qualify for the position, but it comes with lots of benefits and perks for all who get it.