Head of Operations Management (m/w/d)

Location: On-site Hammond, Indiana
Bonus: To be determined; bonus structure is currently under development and will be established by the incoming CEO.
The Director of Operations serves as the CEO's key strategic and operational partner, with primary responsibility for Interlight's day-to-day operational performance and support for the CEO's long-term operational strategy. This role leads customer service, purchasing, inventory management, warehouse fulfillment, drop ship operations, marketplace operations, and administrative support functions, while contributing to company-wide strategic planning, budget management, and organizational scalability. Success in this role is measured primarily through performance against defined KPIs across service, fulfillment, inventory, and profitability.
The Director of Operations builds and leads high-performing teams and department supervisors, executes against company-wide operational KPIs established by the CEO, and helps position the company to scale profitably while sustaining exceptional customer service. This role carries expanded scope relative to the Operations Manager position, including greater budget and staffing involvement and a closer working partnership with the CEO on company strategy, with major decisions remaining subject to CEO approval. The role is expected to operate with a strong metrics-driven discipline, using KPIs as the primary tool for managing teams, evaluating performance, and reporting results to the CEO.

Meet or exceed KPI targets for customer service, order fulfillment, inventory accuracy, and profitability.

• Track, report, and drive performance against KPIs established by the CEO across all operational departments.
• Manage operational budgets and drive profitability through disciplined cost and performance management.
• Build a culture of accountability through KPIs, SOPs, and structured performance management.
• Hold department supervisors accountable to measurable performance targets and drive corrective action when metrics fall short.
• Support company-wide operational strategy and scalability planning in partnership with the CEO.
• Develop, mentor, and build bench strength among department supervisors and staff, evaluated on performance outcomes.
• Leads and manages all operational departments and department supervisors.
• Recommends operational strategy, process, systems, and staffing structure changes to the CEO.
• Plays a lead role in hiring, performance management, and compensation recommendations for operations staff and supervisors, with final hiring, termination, and compensation decisions made in conjunction with the CEO.
• Direct customer service, purchasing, inventory, warehouse fulfillment, receiving, returns, drop ship operations, and marketplace activities against defined performance targets.
• Track and report on company-wide operational KPIs and departmental performance metrics established by the CEO, reporting results and trends on a regular cadence.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and scalable order processing across all sales channels, measured against fulfillment and accuracy KPIs.
• Build, maintain, and continuously improve SOPs and operational infrastructure to support company growth and consistent KPI performance.
• Oversee customer escalations and set enterprise-wide service quality standards, tracked through service-level KPIs.
• Manage the purchasing and inventory strategy to maintain product availability while supporting working capital and inventory turnover targets.
• Recruit, train, coach, and develop team members and supervisors, and build succession plans for key operational roles, with performance tracked against role-specific metrics.
• Lead continuous improvement and cost-reduction initiatives focused on efficiency, profitability, and customer satisfaction, with results measured against KPI baselines.
• Support operational budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting in partnership with the CEO and finance function.
• Provide regular strategic and operational reporting, insights, and recommendations to the CEO, anchored in KPI performance data.
• Lead cross-functional projects and change initiatives that support the company's long-term growth strategy.

Key Performance Indicators:
This role is expected to be evaluated primarily on measurable performance rather than task completion alone. Specific KPIs and performance targets are currently under development and will be established by the incoming CEO, with expected categories spanning customer service, order fulfillment, inventory management, financial/budget performance, and team performance. The Director of Operations will be accountable for tracking, reporting, and driving results against these KPIs once finalized.

7+ years of operations, customer service, supply chain, fulfillment, or business management experience, including prior leadership over multiple functions.

• Experience managing budgets, forecasts, and contributing to P&L-level performance.
• Experience operating within KPI-driven environments and managing performance at both the individual and departmental level, with a track record of meeting or exceeding performance targets.
• Comfortable operating in a metrics-driven environment, with regular reporting on KPI performance to senior leadership.
• ERP and Microsoft Office proficiency; Microsoft Dynamics experience preferred. Distribution, wholesale, e-commerce, or industrial supply experience preferred.