We are currently searching for a Vice President, Operations for our client in the eyewear industry to be responsible for establishing a strong foundation of company operations to support the rapid and profitable growth of the brand. This individual will lead end-to-end operational strategy and execution across manufacturing, supply chain, inventory, fulfillment, logistics, customer service, and operational planning. The VP, Operations partners closely with the CEO and executive team to build a culture of accountability and operational excellence in a high-growth company. This is a commercially driven role, charged with optimizing operations with a forward-thinking and solution-oriented mindset.
This role is based in our New Orleans Headquarters 5 days a week.
Key Responsibilities:
- Identify and prioritize operational initiatives with a clear roadmap and timeline enabling achievement of 2026 goals and scalable growth into 2027+.
- Optimize and redesign an end-to-end omni-channel order lifecycle spanning DTC e-commerce, retail, and wholesale (BOPIS, ship-from-store, store-to-home, EDI, and 3PL integrations) to ensure speed, accuracy, and cost efficiency.
- Establish an agile PMO and governance model (intake, prioritization, resourcing, stage-gates, post-mortems) with clear RACI across cross-functional programs.
- Establish a single source of truth for operational performance and KPI definitions; partner with Finance/FP&A to design and optimize dashboards for leadership visibility.
- Evolve warehousing and logistics strategy (owned facilities and/or 3PL) including slotting, flow, transportation, WMS best practices, and performance SLAs.
- Recruit, coach, and develop a high-performing, lean operations organization with clear roles, metrics, and career paths that scale with the business.
- Lead change management through SOPs, training, and communication that convert strategy into adoption; model urgency, ownership, and creative problem-solving.
- Define and operationalize a best-in-class customer service model across channels with clear SLAs and VOC feedback loops.
- Manage operations budget and identify opportunities to reduce costs through vendor negotiations, supply management, and operational efficiencies.
- Strengthen operational controls across order-to-cash and procure-to-pay, including cycle counts, inventory accuracy, audit trails, access controls, backups, and vendor management.
- Establish and publish a 12–18 month operations roadmap with business cases/resourcing; track progress via weekly/monthly reviews and QBRs.
- Own performance management for operations: OTIF, fill rate, inventory accuracy, cycle count variance, order lead time, WISMO contacts per order, logistics cost per unit, NPS/CSAT, and defect rates.
- Ensure the brand ethos and core values come to life in all operational touchpoints — from vendor relationships to internal business partners — and drive a modern approach to scale.
Requirements:
- 10–15+ years of progressive leadership in operations for consumer or retail brands (preference for omni-channel DTC e-commerce with wholesale and/or retail).
- Hands-on depth in S&OP/IBP, demand & supply planning, merchandising & allocation, inventory management, warehousing/3PL, and logistics.
- Strong financial and analytical acumen (unit economics, landed cost, margin optimization, cash conversion cycle).
- Excellence in people leadership, cross-functional influence, and building lean, high-performing teams that scale with growth.
- Experience with premium/fashion brands; accessories/eyewear and international vendor management are pluses.
- Familiarity with OKRs and stage-gate governance; comfort with modern BI (e.g., Tableau/Power BI) or SQL a plus.
- Clear, concise communicator, customer-obsessed, quality-driven, and metrics-led.
- Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or relevant advanced degree preferred.