Head of Operations (United States)
Want to be a part of one of the fastest-growing companies in beverage? Little Saints makes non-alcoholic beverages that use mushrooms instead of alcohol as fuel. Our sugar free, aromatic, cocktail-inspired flavors have quickly become cult favorites among the 35 crowd that prioritizes premium experiences. Led by renegade founder Megan Klein, Little Saints leads with equal parts purpose and play, and is changing the landscape of how a successful brand looks and acts. The Opportunity We are seeking a Head of Operations to run the end-to-end supply chain: production purchasing, demand forecasting, inventory management across all locations, and fulfillment for both retail and wholesale. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will own end-to-end execution of the supply chain: purchase orders for ingredients and packaging, production POs with co-manufacturers built against a CEO-aligned forecast, inventory levels across 3PLs and Amazon, freight coordination across the network, and day-to-day 3PL communication and fulfillment. Your Responsibilities - Production Purchasing : Own purchasing for all production inputs. Ingredients, flavor and extract components, cans, bottles, labels, cartons, trays, can holders, boxes, inserts, and all other packaging. Place POs, track lead times and inbound freight, and keep production runs from being held up by a missing component. - Co-Manufacturer Management : Work with co-manufacturers to build production purchase orders against inventory position and forecast. Manage run scheduling, ingredient staging, MOQs and order increments, yield and buffer assumptions, and post- run reconciliation, with production volumes confirmed alongside the CEO. - Forecasting : Build and maintain the demand forecast across channels and SKUs, and translate it into the inventory, ingredient, and packaging quantities needed to support it. Forecasting is a collaborative exercise with the CEO and the commercial team. You will own the model, the inputs, and the recommendation, and you must be able to walk anyone through how you got to a number. - Inventory Management : Manage inventory levels at all locations including; every 3PL, Amazon, and co-manufacturer/warehouse. Transfers between 3PLs, allocation between DTC and wholesale, weeks-on-hand tracking, FIFO/LIFO rules, and management of expiration and best-by dates - Freight & Logistics : Handle freight logistics across the network. Including inbound from ingredient and packaging suppliers to co-manufacturers, outbound from co-mans to 3PLs, transfers between 3PLs, and outbound freight on wholesale and distributor orders. Book and coordinate LTL, FTL, and parcel freight with carriers and brokers, schedule pickups and delivery appointments, manage prepaid vs. collect terms, build and confirm pallet configurations, track shipments and chase exceptions, and manage claims for damaged or short freight. - Freight Cost Management : Quote and compare carrier rates, run freight and FOB analysis across warehouse locations, and make routing decisions that protect margin without missing delivery windows. - Retail & Wholesale Fulfillment : Run fulfillment end to end. Manage the wholesale PO pipeline from receipt through routing and invoicing, and hold to distributor and retailer delivery requirements including MABD windows and on-time-in-full performance. - Retail & Distributor Operations : Support and manage the operational side of retail and distributor relationships, new item setup, vendor portals and EDI, product spec with QA documentation, UPC/GS1 and barcode compliance, shelf-life and best-by requirements, labeling and routing guides, and chargeback prevention. - 3PL Management : Serve as the day-to-day point of contact for all 3PLs. Manage ASNs and receiving, unfulfilled and errored orders, SKU and BOM setup, rate and invoice review, and SLA accountability. - Systems & Reporting : Maintain the operational source of truth for inventory, POs, packaging specs, and SKU/BOM data. Build and maintain the reporting the business runs on; inventory position, weeks on hand, sell-through, and production status. - Strategic Projects : Contribute to and lead the initiatives that move the supply chain forward including new product and SKU launches, formula and packaging changes, shelf-life and QA workstreams, backup and alternate supplier qualification, EDI go-lives, warehouse and 3PL network changes, and inventory system implementation. Keep projects moving on schedule and pivot when the situation changes. - Process Optimization : Analyze current workflows to find friction points and implement efficient, scalable solutions. Much of this function runs on spreadsheets and inherited process today. Able to take a process that is manual, fragile, or living in one person's head, turn it into a documented system. What You Bring - Operational Expertise : 7 years in operations, supply chain, or production planning, with a record of running these processes in a high-growth environment producing through co- manufacturers. Food production experience is required; beverage industry experience is strongly preferred. - Purchasing Experience : Buys ingredients and packaging against a production schedule, manages supplier lead times, and holds suppliers to dates. - Forecasting Capability : Builds a demand forecast and converts it into raw material, packaging, and finished-goods requirements. - Analytical Proficiency : Strong data analysis and visualization skills, backed by the reporting that decisions actually get made from — inventory position and weeks on hand, sell- through by SKU and channel, production and inbound status, and freight cost per case. Works from sales, inventory, and channel data, not intuition. - Project Management : Owns and drives projects from concept through execution without requiring constant oversight. - Retail & Distributor Experience : Has served distributor and retail accounts directly, including new item setup and vendor compliance. Prior KeHE experience is strongly preferred; familiarity with other natural and grocery distributors, EDI/SPS, and retailer routing compliance is a plus. - Systems Competency : Shopify experience is a plus, alongside inventory or ERP tooling and 3PL warehouse management systems. Able to navigate complex systems and data quickly and pick up new ones fast. - Freight & Logistics Experience : Hands-on with LTL and FTL freight — booking and managing carriers and brokers, scheduling pickups and deliveries, prepaid vs. collect terms, pallet building, BOLs and rate quotes, and freight claims. Has moved real pallets, not just approved invoices. - 3PL Communication : Manages 3PL relationships directly and daily — running them, not just escalating to them. - Working Style : Proactive, detail-obsessed, and self-directed on execution while collaborative on decisions — chases loose ends without being asked, brings options and a recommendation rather than open questions, communicates clearly across suppliers, co-mans, warehouses, and internal stakeholders, and stays organized when several production runs and PO cycles are live at once. - Work Authorization : Must have current work authorization in the United States. Role Details - Location: Remote - East Coast or Midwest preferred - Travel: Occasional travel to production runs and 3PL locations as needed - Hours: Full-time, with flexibility during production runs and peak season Compensation and Benefits - Pay: Flexible based on skills, experience, and qualifications - Bonus: Eligible - PTO: 3 weeks holidays - Benefits: Insurance support About our Values Little Saints is a values-based company committed to serving our community with integrity and an open mind. We strongly encourage under-represented minorities to apply, and we welcome everyone to our team. It has been and will continue to be a fundamental policy of Little Saints not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, gender identity, pregnancy, marital status, partnership status, domestic violence victim status, sexual orientation, age, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, veteran or military status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, caregiver status, unemployment status or any other characteristic prohibited by federal, state and/or local laws. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, demotion, compensation, training, working conditions, transfer, job assignment, benefits, layoff, and termination.
