HealthyBaby - Chief Operating Officer

Are you ready to join Connecticut Innovation’s vibrant community of innovators? Connecticut Innovations (“CI”) is Connecticut’s strategic venture capital arm, and we are passionate about serving our portfolio of 220+ companies across various industries, with strengths in life sciences, technology, and climate tech.

Come join HealthyBaby— the safest, organic essentials for your baby & the planet !!

About HealthyBaby

HealthyBaby is a pioneering platform for maternal health and babycare for today's families. Their suite of babycare essentials includes the first EWG Verified Safe diapers, diaper pants, microbiome friendly skincare and a comprehensive prenatal vitamin regimen designed in partnership with the Neurological Health Foundation. The certified B corporation is dedicated to putting health first while proactively supporting parents to make the most of their child's developmental years.

The brand’s suite of babycare essentials includes the first EWG Verified Safe and the first

certified microbiome friendly Diapers, diaper pants, microbiome friendly skin care, and a

comprehensive prenatal vitamin regimen designed in partnership with the Neurological Health

Foundation. HealthyBaby’s diapers are made without over 3900+ chemicals and materials

linked to health harm commonly used in diaper manufacturing. Parents can have full peace of

mind knowing the products they receive are not only the safest choice for their baby but also for

the environment.

HealthyBaby is founded by celebrated entrepreneur Shazi Visram. Shazi has been a

torchbearer for maternal and infant health since 2003, when she launched her first company,

Happy Baby, from her kitchen. HappyBaby became the leading organic baby food brand in the

U.S and was acquired by Danone in 2013.

HealthyBaby is the evolution of Shazi’s mission to protect and enrich the full potential of every

child. Parents can subscribe to diapers and bundle essentials online or find them at Target or

Amazon.

Role Overview

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will be a strategic partner and the operational backbone of

HealthyBaby — responsible for building and scaling a top-notch operations platform that

delivers uncompromising product quality, reliability, and efficiency in service of our mission: to

give every baby the healthiest possible start.

This role owns end-to-end operations, including supply and demand planning, inventory

management, manufacturing partnerships, sourcing, quality, and operational readiness within

our baby and maternal health categories. The COO will bring deep operational expertise and

hands-on understanding of manufacturing processes, materials, and trade-offs — paired with a

strong appreciation for how operational decisions directly impact product performance, brand

trust, and consumer outcomes. This leader will also be open to leveraging emerging

technologies, including AI-enabled tools, to improve forecasting accuracy, operational efficiency,

quality oversight, and speed to market.

The ideal candidate is a true operator: someone who understands how products are actually

made, how supply chains really work, and how to collaborate deeply with Product Development

and Marketing to ensure that HealthyBaby’s products are not only scalable and profitable, but

exceptional in quality, safety, and integrity. This is a hands-on executive role in a growing

company: the COO must balance strategic foresight with tactical execution, operating in the

details while shaping long-term growth.

Location: New York Metro Area (Hybrid) or Remote (US based, working east coast hours)

Reports To: President

End to End Operations Leadership

• Own all aspects of operations, including supply planning, demand forecasting, manufacturing, sourcing, logistics, and fulfillment.
• Design and lead an integrated demand and supply planning process across DTC, omni-channel retail, and marketplace channels.
• Ensure consistent, reliable product availability while minimizing inventory risk and waste.
• Establish operational rhythms, KPIs, and dashboards to track performance, risks, and opportunities.

Manufacturing and Supplier Partnerships

• Lead and manage strategic relationships with manufacturers, co-packers, and key

suppliers.

• Bring deep understanding of manufacturing processes, materials, quality controls, and cost drivers — with particular strength or understanding in at least one of the following baby categories: Diapers & wipes / personal care / feminine care / Beauty / skincare
• Evaluate and select manufacturing partners based on quality, capability, scalability, compliance, and values alignment.
• Partner closely with manufacturers to drive continuous improvement, innovation, and cost efficiency without compromising quality or safety

Product Development & Commercialization Partnership

• Work hand-in-hand with Product Development and Innovation to ensure products are designed for manufacturability, scalability, and quality from the outset.
• Provide operational input into materials selection, formulation, sourcing, process design.
• Lead the operational readiness for new product launches — from pilot runs through full commercialization.
• Serve as a critical thought partner in evaluating trade-offs between performance, materials, cost, and scalability.

Operational Intelligence & Systems

• Evaluate and implement AI-enabled tools to improve demand forecasting, supply planning, inventory management, and scenario modeling.
• Leverage data and automation to identify inefficiencies, reduce waste, and improve margin over time.
• Partner with Finance, Product, and external technology resources to modernize operational decision-making.
• Use data-driven insights to inform manufacturing, sourcing, and capacity planning decisions.
• Build the operational infrastructure required to support growth — including tools, systems, and processes.

Inventory Management & Working Capital Ownership

• Own end-to-end inventory strategy and execution across DTC, omni-channel retail, and marketplace channels.
• Balance service levels with cash efficiency, freshness, and quality.
• Define and manage inventory targets, including weeks of supply, safety stock, and reorder points by SKU and channel.
• Lead cross-functional inventory reviews to align forecasting, production, and demand signals.
• Partner with Finance to manage working capital, inventory turns, and obsolescence risk.
• Implement tools and dashboards (including AI-enabled forecasting) to improve inventory accuracy and decision-making.

Quality, Compliance & Safety

• Ensure all products meet or exceed quality, safety, regulatory, and compliance standards
• across categories and markets.
• Build and maintain robust quality assurance and quality control processes.
• Act as a steward of HealthyBaby’s commitment to health-first, science-led, and
• transparency-driven products.

Team and Cross-Functional Leadership

• Lead, and develop a high-performing operations team as the company scales.
• Partner deeply with Marketing and Brand to ensure operational decisions support brand promises and consumer trust.
• Translate marketing and growth plans into operational realities — aligning production, inventory, and logistics accordingly.
• Act as a collaborative, solutions-oriented leader across teams, breaking down silos between operations, product, and marketing.

What We're Looking For

• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, supply chain, or manufacturing, ideally within baby, personal care, feminine care, beauty, or wellness categories.
• Deep, hands-on understanding of manufacturing processes, materials, and sourcing — not just oversight.
• Experience adopting or scaling systems, analytics, or automation in operations, supply chain, or manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated experience working closely with product development and marketing teams.
• Proven experience managing inventory complexity across multiple channels with different service-level requirements.
• Proven ability to scale operations in a growth-stage consumer business.
• Strong judgment and sensitivity to product quality, safety, and consumer trust.
• Comfortable navigating complexity, ambiguity, and trade-offs.
• Possess creativity and flexibility needed to work in a small, entrepreneurial company.
• Mission-driven leader who believes that how a product is made matters just as much as what it does.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Connecticut Innovations and its portfolio companies are an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We have strict wage minimums, generous benefits, and personal leave policies. Our goal is to provide safe, rewarding, and empowering work environments for all who interact with our company and/or portfolio companies.