Maison Marou
Marou Maison Vietnam is a Vietnamese bean-to-bar craft chocolate company operating a premium retail store chain, known for sourcing single-origin cacao from across Vietnam to create world-class chocolate products and immersive customer experiences. MMV is executing a global expansion toward 60+ stores across three continents by 2030.
Vision and Mission
With limitless fun and authenticity, our spirit inspires the world. Our work is our adventure: By tasting good, we are doing good.
Values
Stepping into the unknown with curiosity to explore and push boundaries.
In action: Volunteer for new store opening task forces; take on roles you have never held before; suggest new products or initiatives; move across stores or regions; explore new markets and channels; join cacao farm field trips; attempt new crafts (first tiramisu plating, first masterclass, first roasting profile iteration).
Being honest, speaking up, and showing up as your real self.
In action: Share personal opinions and hometown-inspired ideas in team meetings; say 'I don't know' openly and commit to finding the answer; admit mistakes rather than concealing them; leaders acknowledge their own limitations publicly; push back on strategic directions that conflict with business priorities or values; ensure Head Office communications are clear and honest before cascading them to frontline teams.
Doing what's right, even when it's hard, inconvenient, or no one is watching.
In action: Notify teammates immediately if you might be late; restart a recipe on error rather than shipping it; fix customer order mistakes the customer hasn't noticed; refuse to let sub-standard product leave the factory; recognise revenue in the correct accounting period even when it means missing a target; explain fair-trade sourcing and farmer pricing honestly to every customer who asks.
Bringing excellence, energy, pride, and purpose to everything you do.
In action: Proactively seek training from managers; share the Marou origin story with customers from a place of personal pride; maintain an impeccable uniform every shift; keep pushing to improve roasting profiles; share expertise willingly with teammates; run tasting masterclasses that help customers understand the provenance and craft behind every product.
Bringing joy and shared laughter into the way we work – let's celebrate!
In action: Celebrate wins and milestones as a team; transform meetings into connection experiences with games and gratitude rounds; help a colleague through a tough shift with a smile; share ideas with infectious enthusiasm; maintain an informal, first-name culture at every level including with co-founders.
Working together across roles as one team to make things better and stronger.
In action: Help colleagues complete tasks once your own work is done; hand off products to the next team member on time; cross-train top performers across stores; step into any role during high-demand periods regardless of formal position; align Sales and FP&A on shared data insights before making market decisions together.
North Star / Customer Promise
Guide every guest to be wowed and inspired by Marou's unique chocolate adventure.
Every Chocolate Maker feels genuinely connected to and inspired by the chocolate adventure.
Build meaningful partnerships with farmers, suppliers, and distributors grounded in purpose and pride.
Strategy
International expansion begins this July (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Japan, US, France to follow). Steph's six-month agenda includes upgrading the QAQC department.
Build export-grade quality systems for a global premium brand. Store network scaling toward ~90 stores by 2033.
Vision 2030: globally celebrated vertically integrated chocolate maker, sourcing from 800 hectares of sustainable cacao, B-corp certified, minimizing carbon footprint yearly.
2026 quarterly milestones — Q1: Compile full list of MMV key-position talents; produce a clear written definition of Marou culture with supporting documents; complete training foundation setting. Q2: Activate culture content for use in recruitment and candidate interviews. Q3: Complete detailed MMV succession plan report; achieve 80% ICPD completion for all mid-managers, supervisors and above; hold 2 leadership talent-sharing sessions with a shared talent-pool library file. Q4: Publish 5 internal career growth stories; achieve 100% FOH and kitchen certification through Marou Academie; achieve 10% A+ rating on annual performance reviews.
By end of 2030: operate 60+ stores across 3 continents with consistent Marou brand experience and CX standards regardless of geography; scale production capacity beyond 670 tons through an optimized, end-to-end supply chain; establish Marou as the creator of the world's finest bean-to-bar chocolate recognized by international awards; build a self-sustaining internal talent pipeline through Marou Academie that directly enables all new store openings; achieve store chain profitability with a clear P&L per store (financial model to be finalized).
Competency framework
The assessment categories every candidate is scored against.
Score the candidate against the six Marou values (Adventure, Authenticity, Integrity, Passion, Fun, Collaboration).
Detail-oriented and analytical; hands-on and proactive; process-driven; ownership.
Domain knowledge relevant to the role (for QA: VN food-safety law; international standards HACCP/ISO/FSSC/FDA/EU; chocolate and brand).
English, given the French COO and the global roadmap. Other languages if relevant.
Communication and reporting; problem-solving under pressure; QA tools and systems.
The technical core of the JD (QMS development and certification; product registration and compliance docs; internal and external audit leadership; QA training).
Team building and development; cross-functional and stakeholder management; role-model leadership.
Years and depth versus the JD bar; relevant-sector experience; tenure stability.