Director of Operations

Director of Operations Location: New York City About Ultra Ultra™ is already the #1 brand of nicotine-free pouches in the world and we only launched one year ago —we’re just getting started. Our mission is to build the category-defining brand of functional pouches for people who want enhanced performance without the crash, addiction, or long-term downsides. Ultra does not just make a pouch that is somewhat “better for you” than Zyn. We make functional performance products that are actively good for you. The market shift is massive: nicotine pouch sales are up 3,000% since 2019 and projected to reach $20B by 2026. Consumers are adopting the pouch form factor at scale, and many are now seeking nicotine-free functional benefits in a pouch. Ultra is positioned to lead that wave. Backed by some of the best investors, founders and athletes in the world, including: CAVU Consumer Partners (Once Upon A Farm, Poppi, Farmer’s Dog, Oatly, Vital Proteins, Whoop, Recess) Left Lane Capital (Blank Street, Olipop, Holy) Sugar Capital (Grüns, Feastables, Lucky Energy) Athletes & Creators Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, Henrik Lundqvist, Jakob Chychrun + more Founders & Operators Chad Janis (Grüns), Harpreet Singh (Oura Ring), Jeff Raider (Harry’s), Vinay Menda (Blank Street), + more The Role As Director of Operations at ULTRA, you will take ownership of our planning processes and inventory management across the supply chain, ensuring we have the right product in the right place, at the right time in all our sales channels. You\'ll sit at the center of how our products move globally: coordinating raw goods shipments to manufacturing partners, managing inbound and outbound flows with our 3PL, and making sure finished products reach our customers on time. This is a highly analytical, detail-oriented role that will translate forecasts into actionable operational plans, helping us scale into new channels while keeping inventory healthy and service levels high. What You’ll Own Translate Demand into Supply and Inventory Plan: Own the conversion of forecast changes into production, purchasing, and inventory actions. Maintain a forward looking inventory view that reflects lead times, minimum order quantities, production cycles, and service targets. Make tradeoffs explicit and tie recommendations to inventory and cash impact. Own PO Recommendations and Improve Planning Model Evaluate, expedite, defer, increase, and cancel PO decisions based on demand shifts and inventory position. Serve as the owner of the company inventory planning model. Maintain model integrity, structure, transparency, and scenario capability. Ensure the model remains the operating source of truth for inventory and supply decisions. Run fast, structured analyses outside of the core model when required. Evaluate upside and downside demand shifts, promotional impact, capacity constraints, and strategic initiatives. Deliver clear outputs that translate directly into inventory and purchase order actions Align inventory plans with financial forecasts and cash targets. Provide clean inputs that connect operational planning to revenue, margin, and working capital outcomes Shipment Coordination & Logistics Execution Manage the full shipment schedule for raw goods moving globally to co-manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and other partners. Coordinate all inbound and outbound flows through our 3PL, ensuring inventory arrives on time, in full, and in good condition. Oversee freight for DTC & Amazon fulfillment. Maintain 100% visibility and accountability across all open shipments 3PL Relationship Serve as the primary operational point of contact for our 3PL partner, managing day-to-day performance, escalations, and continuous improvement. Hold the 3PL accountable to SOPs; proactively surface issues before they impact the business. Identify and lead cost optimization opportunities within logistics and fulfillment, from carrier rate negotiation to process efficiency. Maintain and improve 3PL systems integrations. Why You’re a Fit Planning Experience: 4-6 years of experience in supply planning, distribution, or operations planning roles with direct ownership of supply side decisions. Demand to Supply Translation: Demonstrated experience converting demand forecasts into production, purchasing, and inventory actions grounded in lead times, capacity constraints, and minimum order quantities. Hands on experience coordinating freight, managing 3PL relationships, and overseeing complex shipment schedules. Advanced Modeling Capability: Advanced proficiency in Excel and Google Sheets with the ability to build, audit, and operate complex financial and operational models. Ownership Mindset: Experience owning or materially improving a planning model that serves as a core operating tool for inventory and supply decisions. Problem-Solving Ability: Skilled at diagnosing issues quickly and developing practical solutions. Communication Skills: Able to present data and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. Why ULTRA Build the backbone of a category-defining brand: Supply chain will be a competitive advantage at ULTRA—not a cost center. Retail is coming fast: 2026-27 expansion makes this role central to the company’s success. Real ownership: You’ll have authority, resources, and trust to design the system the right way. High-impact, high-trust environment : Your decisions will directly affect growth, margin, and customer experience every day. Benefits and Perks: Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, HSA access, a 401(k), a Bathhouse membership for recovery and reset, and unlimited PTO. Equal Employer Opportunity Ultra is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We believe in and are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or parental status, disability, veteran status, or other class protected by applicable law. We comply with all applicable employment laws, including the NYC Fair Chance Act, and provide reasonable accommodations for disabilities and sincerely held religious beliefs. #J-18808-Ljbffr ultra, Inc.