Smart Fridge Launch Manager

Role Description

If you're looking for a role where you manage at a distance and review decks, this is not it. If you want to own a program that will grow from $5M to $10M+ ARR this year, and leave it more structured than you found it, keep reading.

CookUnity's Smart Fridge program is scaling from ~$5M to $10M+ ARR in H2 2026: a standalone business within CookUnity with its own unit economics, client verticals, and operational complexity. That means 80-100 new unit deployments across office, factory, and real estate accounts, a full product upgrade rollout across the existing fleet, and building the infrastructure that makes all of it repeatable.

This is a player-coach position and for a project management expert. You'll lead the full launch function end-to-end and still get into the field when it matters. The systems you build here will eventually let you step back, but right now, you need to build them while running.

What You Own

• Operational Readiness
  • Translate sales commitments into executable launch plans with confirmed timelines and sequencing
  • Conduct site assessments and confirm readiness before any equipment moves
  • Manage equipment procurement, inventory staging, and 3PL logistics across every active market
  • Build and maintain a reliable network of installation and maintenance vendors in every metro we operate in
  • Configure systems, integrations, and device setup ahead of go-live
  • Ensure warehouse and storage capacity scales ahead of deployment volume, not behind it
  • Own the master launch calendar across all active and pipeline locations
  • Track launch performance: on-time rate, cost vs. budget, escalation rate per launch
• Launch & Engagement
  • Own the onsite launch experience from day one
  • Drive user onboarding and build adoption within the first 30 days
  • Monitor early engagement signals and intervene before a location goes cold
  • Execute re-engagement activations when penetration rates dip
  • Maintain the field feedback loop that surfaces menu, ops, and product insights back into the business
  • Map the customer journey by vertical (office, factory, real estate) and ensure the launch model is calibrated accordingly
  • Own and continuously improve the national launch playbook; it should be a living document, not a one-time deliverable
• Product Upgrade Rollout
  • Coordinate with Tech on hardware/software deployment, testing protocols, and fleet-wide rollout sequencing
  • 100% of active units upgraded and operationalized by end of September 2026, with zero disruption to active locations
  • Own the physical installation and ops integration across the fleet, including updated SOPs for drivers and hub staff
• Cross-Functional Accountability
  • Enforce launch sequencing discipline and manage timeline expectations before commitments are made externally
  • Drive 3PL readiness and new market infrastructure ahead of launch commitments
  • Active driver on system configuration, integration testing, and launch-blocking issues, not a passive stakeholder
  • Align on capex tracking, PO approval flow, and cost visibility across the launch portfolio

Qualifications

• 6-10 years in operations, field services, retail expansion, or consumer-facing launch functions
• Genuinely hands-on; comfortable doing the work yourself, not just directing others
• Proven track record managing concurrent hardware or physical infrastructure rollouts across multiple sites
• Experience scaling operational functions into repeatable, autonomous engines
• Strong financial fluency: budget ownership, cost-per-unit tracking, capex management
• Comfortable in ambiguity; bias toward action over analysis paralysis
• Sharp cross-functional instincts; able to drive alignment across Sales, Tech, Logistics, and Finance without formal authority
• Willingness to travel for launch oversight, market builds, and field audits
• Experience building operational playbooks from scratch, not just executing existing ones
• Background in food, hospitality, retail, or workplace experience preferred

Preferred Requirements

• Fluent in Spanish (preferred but not mandatory)

Benefits

• Health Insurance coverage
• 401k Plan
• Eligible for a bi-annual performance bonus
• ⛱ PTO
• ️ 5-year Sabbatical: After 5 years with CookUnity, you get a 4-week paid sabbatical
• Paid Family leave
• Compassionate Leave: 3-5 days each time the need arises
• A generous amount of CookUnity credits to enjoy our amazing meals, added to your account, monthly
• ‍♀️ Wellness perks: access to fitness subsidies to build a healthy lifestyle
• ‍ Personalized Spanish coach
• Awesome opportunity to join a company that is looking to change how we eat and how chefs work!

Compensation

All final pay rates will be determined by candidates experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.

Pay Range for this position: $90,000 — $105,000 USD

If you’re interested in this role, please submit your application, and if we think you might be a fit, we'll get in touch with you.

Thank you for your time!

Equal Opportunity Employer

CookUnity is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are dedicated to creating a community of inclusion and an environment free from discrimination or harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or physical or mental disability.

Recruitment Safety Note

We’ve recently seen an increase in recruitment scams across the industry, and we want to make sure you (and your data) stay safe while applying to CookUnity.

Here are a few tips to help you protect yourself and know what to expect from us:

• Apply only through our official channels.
• All open roles are listed on our official careers page: careers.cookunity.com
• Our recruiters are real people — and easy to verify.
• We only communicate through official CookUnity channels.
• We’ll never ask for payment or personal financial details.