Operations Manager (EU)

SSENSE (pronounced [es-uhns]) is a global technology platform operating at the intersection of culture, community, and commerce. Headquartered in Montreal, it features a mix of established and emerging luxury brands across womenswear, menswear, kidswear, and Everything Else™

SSENSE has garnered critical acclaim as both an e-commerce engine and a producer of cultural content, generating an average of 100 million monthly page views. Approximately 80% of its audience is between the ages of 18 to 40. It is privately held and has achieved high double digit annual growth and profitability since its inception.

The Operations Manager will oversee all fulfillment and crossdock operations at our new 3PL Fulfillment Center in Brussels, Belgium. Reporting to the Director of Global Logistics, the ideal candidate will have experience overseeing 3PL operations and is able to develop a strategic vendor relationship while pushing the bar on performance and cost efficiency.

The ideal candidate will have experience managing both a manual, high-volume, short order-ship time, high peak to average e-commerce environment as well as operating in a fulfillment environment with significant automation. He/she will be highly analytical in identifying areas for improvement, will champion and roll out initiatives to optimize operations while acting as a mentor and a coach for junior operations and logistics team members. She/he will be highly collaborative and partner closely with key decision-makers in the Logistics, Customer Care, Merchandising, Sales, Technology, Finance and Human Resources teams to ensure SSENSE delivers a world-class fulfillment experience to its customers while setting a high standard for safety, cost efficiency and employee engagement.

Responsibilities:

• Own end-to-end accountability for 3PL crossdock and fulfillment operations with full budget, P&L and SLA ownership
• Develop tracking and improvement strategies on key performance indicators such as on-time fulfillment, labor cost productivity per hour/unit, incident and safety rates and inventory accuracy. Collaborate with the partner to strategically react to changes in business and ops performance.
• Ensure performance on all ops KPIs during planned/seasonal and unplanned events while maintaining constant visibility across stakeholders
• Manage and evolve the 3PL contract terms; including ops-commercial aspects like performance related chargebacks, forecast tolerances and capacity commitments
• Proactively detect and mitigate operational and technical risks through regular communication
• Lead the 3PL integration and related tech development agenda with both SSENSE and 3PL partner
• Spearhead the development of monthly, quarterly and annual throughput, cost and SLA forecasts with support from SSENSE Finance and 3PL planning teams
• Collaborate with 3PL partner and S&OP team on resource and workforce planning requirements to ensure alignment with overall plan and cost targets
• Manage a team of Logistics and Merchandise Coordinators and grow a high performing, customer-centric culture within this team
• Lead the continuous improvement agenda collaboratively with the 3PL partner and ensure documentation, standardization and process control
• Ensure all partner operations meet SSENSE safety and compliance standards and that cost-effective technology is used to maximize productivity
• Partner with SSENSE Sales to ensure alignment of sales target and operational capacity during regular and peak seasons;
• Work closely with SSENSE Buying and Sales teams to ensure timely and efficient product launches and promotions;
• Liaise with SSENSE Buying and 3PL on new product storage, packing and shipping guidelines; etc.
• Learn and transfer best operational practices between SSENSE and partners

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Mathematics, Operations Research or a related field; MBA an asset
• A minimum of 5 years experience in a warehouse / Fulfillment Center operations environment with visible progression in scope of responsibilities and scale of operation managed
• A minimum of 2 years experience managing 3PL operations of a large retail / e-commerce business
• Apparel and luxury e-commerce experience an asset
• Experience managing teams of 3-5 members of analysts and junior operations coordinators, preferably in a manufacturing, e-commerce, production, or distribution center environment
• Applied knowledge of Lean Six Sigma principles, 5S and continuous improvement tools a big plus
• Travel flexibility (20-30%)

Skills:

• Strong customer-centric operational skills
• 3PL vendor management, with proven ability to navigate external complex organizational structures
• High tolerance for ambiguity, self-directed and an ability to add structure to changing operations
• Strong communication skills, with an ability to influence both external cross-functional teams
• Strong business acumen and decision-making skills
• Ability to identify, prioritize and articulate high impact initiatives
• Creative out-of-the-box thinker with excellent problem-solving abilities
• Team player with solid leadership and interpersonal skills