Director of Operations (CPG)

Overview: Grace Farms Tea & Coffee is seeking for a seasoned Operations Director who is passionate about exceptional coffee and tea, driving extraordinary performance, and using our innovative business model to further our charitable mission. The position will work closely with the company co-founder and CEO to organize, streamline, and manage the operational aspects of a growing tea and coffee business. The position will seek to scale the production of products while managing inventory, cost of goods sold and gross margin across multiple revenue channels.The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker who can execute and has worked in the operational role at a CPG and foodservice company before. The candidate should have experience with the supply chain management of packaging, working with co-manufacturers, and coordinating inbound and outbound shipments. The candidate should be familiar working with Third Party Logistic partners, distributors, and wholesale partners like Whole Foods Market.* The location of the role will be based in the Fairfield County, Westchester County, or New York City area in a hybrid work setting.About Us:· Grace Farms Tea & Coffee is the only premium coffee and tea brand that gives back 100% of profits to ending forced labor worldwide. Owned by nonprofit Grace Farms Foundation, Grace Farms Foods public benefit LLC is a Certified B Corp social venture created to extend the brand of Grace Farms, demonstrate & educate on ethical and sustainable supply chains, and give back 100% of profits.· Grace Farms Foods serves a collection of 18 premium organic teas available in both consumer and foodservice formats. Grace Farms Tea & Coffee is the first and only US-based tea brand to partner with Fairtrade International to source certified ingredients that support sustainable development for our suppliers.· Grace Farms Tea & Coffee also brews up 4 exceptional organic coffees sourced exclusively from women-led co-ops in Colombia, Ethiopia, and Indonesia.· Grace Farms Tea & Coffee has a quickly growing business to business channel and seeking to accelerate our direct-to-consumer presence and revenue. We currently provide teas to partners that include JP Morgan, Bloomberg, World Economic Forum, Bridgewater Associates, and large foodservice providers such as Sodexo, Aramark, and Restaurant Associates. We seek to grow our coffee business as well.· Grace Farms Tea & Coffee has an e-commerce business that includes direct-to-consumer website sales through sharegracefarms.com and also retails on Amazon.· Grace Farms Tea & Coffee has a small wholesale / retail business based regionally and will be launching a small assortment of SKUs into Whole Foods Market in May of 2024 regionally.· We are seeking to expand distribution regionally to start and then expand into west coast distribution within the next year and seeking help with this expansion.What You’ll Do:Work with the CEO to review the existing operational management and develop a strategic plan to increase efficiency, decrease cost, and scale production.· Collaborate with sales and marketing teams to forecast sales volumes.· Work with domestic and international packaging suppliers for the production and shipment of primary packaging elements.· Partner with contract manufacturers to coordinate forecasts, production, and logistics of product shipments.· Coordinate inbound and outbound shipping logistics of product. Inbound shipping from suppliers to our fulfillment center and other locations and outbound shipping to various channels including Amazon, wholesale and foodservice distributors, and direct-to-consumer shipments.· Work with sales channel managers to build short-term and long-term product sales forecasts to inform our own production timelines. Relay forecasts to contract manufacturers to support procurement of raw ingredients.· Be in daily communication with CEO and marketing teams on operational aspects including inventory management, production schedules, and fulfillment expectations.· Manage an existing customer service and fulfillment manager on our team and delegate responsibilities and administrative duties.· Work with accounting team on inventory management and quarterly inventory counts and reporting.· Have an understanding and familiarity with Quickbooks Online and Shopify to record sales and invoices, purchase orders, and troubleshoot customer service issues.· Manage back-end creation of new products in Quickbooks and Shopify as needed.· Eager to learn in-depth about tea and coffee, Grace Farms ethical and sustainable sourcing, and our unique give back model.· Report quarterly sales reports as needed to Fairtrade and other certifying bodies. Work with CEO on Certified B Corp™ recertification.· Likely domestic travel to meet co-manufacturers with CEO to understand business and negotiate pricing. Possible international travel to origin to meet farmers and our suppliers.· Hustle and enjoy great coffee and tea daily. You will be an important part of a small team that works closely together and wants to use business as a force for good.· Meet with team members at Grace Farms or locally. Help with events, dropping off product and whatever is needed to get the job done well.Performance Metrics:· Management of growth trajectory based on # of units produced and shipped· On-time production and delivery of product· Gross margin of products across channels, reducing costs along supply chain· Increased efficiency of time spent fulfilling purchase orders· Sustainability-focused targets including reducing carbon footprint, reduced packaging, and more.Experience You Have:· 7+ years of corporate packaged products operations experience, ideally with experience in tea and coffee. The candidate should come in with a wealth of experience of scaling the operations and logistics of a growing company.· A deep understanding of wholesale/foodservice and e-commerce fulfillment logistics. Experience working with 3PL’s and distributors.· Experience working with overseas producers and coordinating international freight shipments.· A proven track record of managing co-manufacturers, inbound shipping logistics, and costing negotiations.· Proven track record of scaling early/mid growth businesses. The ideal candidate has experience growing a CPG/foodservice business from $1M+ to $10M+.· An understanding of regional and national distribution strategies and negotiations.· Strengths include strategic thinking, execution, relationship building and communication. An ability to create COGs analysis to drive improved gross margin.· Able to clearly communicate in-person and through e-mail internally and with external partners.· Creative thinker who has a deep understanding of industry trends and new methods for improving operational efficiency.· Hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves, style – willing to dive in. Comfortable with managing and motivating team members and implementing corrective actions if necessary.· A proactive, resourceful self-starter who is also detail-oriented, analytical, multi-tasker and problem solver.· Entrepreneurial spirit - willingness to challenge the industry status quo with our highly disruptive business model.· Desire to work for a purpose-led company and Certified B Corp™ that gives back 100% of profits to ending forced labor.The Details:· Location: Fairfield County, Westchester County, or New York City Metro Area· Compensation: Base salary of $130k, short and long term incentives, 3 weeks PTO, no health benefits currently, but planned in 2025.· Hours: Typical EST business hours· Physical requirements: Ability to both sit and use computer screens. Ability to move quickly with our CEO at Grace Farms and New York City.For More Information:Visit sharegracefarms.com to learn more about our products and story.Visit gracefarms.org to learn more about Grace Farms Foundation and our place.Visit designforfreedom.org to learn more about what we support through our giving back 100% profits model.