Director of Operations

Co-Manufacturing Strategy & Management

• Identify, evaluate, and onboard new co-manufacturing partners aligned with product, cost, capacity, and quality needs.
• Own day-to-day co-manufacturer relationships, including scheduling, performance tracking, quality assurance, and contract negotiations.
• Develop and maintain production forecasts, run strategies, and capacity plans.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across safety, quality, yields, efficiency, and cost with partners.

Operations & Supply Chain Leadership

• Build, scale, and optimize operational processes across purchasing, inventory management, production, logistics, and fulfillment.
• Develop and maintain an integrated supply plan balancing demand forecasts, production constraints, and financial targets.
• Develop a company-wide S&OP process.
• Oversee sourcing and supplier relationships for raw materials and packaging, ensuring competitive pricing and supply reliability.
• Implement KPIs and dashboards to measure operational performance and guide decision-making.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with R&D on commercialization, product specs, trials, and scalability assessments.
• Work closely with Sales on demand planning, inventory exposure, retailer launches, and service levels.
• Collaborate with Finance on COGS modeling, budget planning, scenario analysis, and cash flow impacts.
• Ensure effective communication across the organization regarding production timelines, risks, and prioritization.

Quality & Compliance

• Lead food safety compliance, including documentation, certifications (SQF, GFSI, Organic, Kosher, etc.), and ingredient/packaging traceability.
• Establish and maintain quality standards and processes across internal teams and co-manufacturers.
• Manage corrective action processes and continually improve quality KPIs.

Leadership & Team Development

• Build and lead a high-performing operations team as the company scales.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Champion operational excellence across the organization.