U.S. Associate Director of Operations

Wild Cosmetics

Author: Pelagic Recruiting

Company Context

Wild Cosmetics is a sustainable personal care company specializing in refillable product solutions, focused on reducing single-use plastic waste through circular design.

Wild is experiencing significant growth with the U.S. as its fastest-growing market, now anchored by a Midtown-Manhattan office. The organization and its executive / planning functions are UK-based and supported by local teams that run daily ops and engage with strategic projects.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an Associate Director of Operations to lead U.S. fulfillment operations and support the organization's regional growth. This role combines hands-on execution with strategic project management, serving as a senior leader of the U.S.-based team.

Reporting directly to the UK-based Director of Operations and leading a team of two, you will own ops and fulfillment across DTC, Amazon, and major U.S. retailers (Walmart + Target), acting as the POC of Wild's U.S. 3PL and logistics network. You will also contribute to / lead cross-functional transformational projects, including automation and product reformulation.

This role requires someone who can operate independently and proactively, own P&L accountability, drive project outcomes, and adapt to the needs of a fast-growing organization launching into its fastest-growing market.

Your Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership: Own end-to-end U.S. fulfillment across DTC, Amazon, and Retail channels, including supply chain, dispatch, and customer service

• Team Leadership: Lead and develop a team of two - Ops Manager + Ops Exec - and build a high-performance culture

• Strategic Project Management: Contribute to / lead transformational initiatives such as supply chain automation and product reformulation, ensuring projects move forward on schedule and pivot as needed

• Commercial & Partner Management: Hold P&L accountability for U.S. fulfillment; develop and run SLA reviews, QBRs, and other accountability structures with logistics partners, negotiating terms and driving margin improvement

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with the UK-based planning team and U.S. local team to align ops activities with overall strategy and direction

• Process Optimization: Analyze current workflows to identify friction points and implement efficient, scalable solutions

• Retail Operations: Support and manage retail relationships, specifically coordinating logistics and vendor compliance for mass-market partners such as Walmart and Target

What You Bring

• Operational Expertise: 7+ years of experience in operations and / or supply chain management, with a record of managing ops processes in a high-growth environment

• Analytical Proficiency: Strong data analysis and visualization capabilities; comfortable building and maintaining dashboards to track KPIs and inform actual decision-making

• Systems Competency: Proficiency with ERP systems and inventory management tools. Wild uses Fulfill.io, but experience with this specific tool is not required

• Project Management: Demonstrated ability to own and drive large-scale projects from concept through execution without requiring constant oversight

• Retail & Partner Experience: Direct experience with major retail partners and leading 3PL / logistics partner relationships is strongly preferred

• People Leadership: Experience coaching and developing a small and growing team, with the ability to set clear accountability and development plans

• Working Style: Proactive, inquisitive mindset; comfort with high levels of independence and problem-solving; ability to bridge communications between regional teams and the UK headquarters

Logistics

• Location: Midtown Manhattan (three days in-office; Wednesdays and Fridays remote)

• Travel: Occasional travel to Atlanta (not likely to exceed once per month)

• Hours: 9-6 ET with flexibility (e.g., to accommodate UK hours / during busy seasons)

Compensation and Benefits

• Pay: flexible based on skills, experience, and qualifications

• Bonus: Eligible

• Long-Term Incentives: Eligible

• PTO: Extra days aligned with Wild's Holiday Policy

• Benefits: Options to choose from health insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement savings, life and disability insurance, parental and sick leave, paid holidays, plus additional voluntary benefits