Business Operations Manager

<p><strong>About Us</strong></p><p><br></p><p><em>Location: On-site in Newburyport, MA. Candidates must be within practical commuting distance of the North Shore. This role is not remote or hybrid.</em></p><p><br></p><p>International Advisory Service (IAS) is a custom hardware manufacturer serving premium leather goods and accessory brands. We operate our own factory in Asia and a U.S. office responsible for sales, logistics, finance, and domestic fulfillment.</p><p><br></p><p>We also own and operate Buckleguy.com, a growing e-commerce business supplying brass hardware, leather, and craft materials to customers ranging from individual makers to global brands.</p><p>We are a 25-person team running a real product-based business:</p><p><br></p><ul><li>Physical inventory</li><li>100+ active vendors</li><li>Complex replenishment cycles</li><li>Warehouse operations</li><li>Meaningful margins and purchasing decisions</li></ul><p><br></p><p>This is not a large corporate structure. It’s a lean team where decisions matter and performance is visible. We are hiring a Business Operations Manager to own and improve how the business runs day-to-day.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Role Summary</strong></p><p><br></p><p>This role owns the operating system of the business.</p><p><br></p><p>You will be responsible for inventory planning, KPI visibility, operational oversight, and system improvement. Your job is to create clarity, improve performance, and reduce operational load on ownership.</p><p><br></p><p>This is a hands-on, systems-driven operations role inside a physical product company.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Core Responsibilities</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>1. Inventory Planning & Replenishment (Primary Initial Focus)</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Own bi-weekly vendor reorder process (100+ vendors)</li><li>Improve reorder points, safety stock logic, and lead time accuracy</li><li>Reduce stockouts and excess inventory</li><li>Analyze category sales, margins, and inventory health</li><li>Fully transition inventory planning off ownership’s plate</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Product-based inventory experience is mandatory.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>2. KPI & Business Reporting</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Build and run weekly KPI dashboard</li><li>Track warehouse performance (throughput, accuracy, productivity)</li><li>Track inventory performance (turns, stockouts, fill rate)</li><li>Provide visibility into category margins and sales performance</li><li>Ensure month-end reporting is timely and actionable</li></ul><p><br></p><p>We want measurable clarity — not more meetings.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>3. Warehouse & Customer Service Oversight</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Ensure warehouse KPIs are tracked and enforced</li><li>Maintain pull-to-quota standards</li><li>Measure customer service response times and quality</li><li>Deploy and operationalize systems and apps</li><li>Establish clear service standards</li></ul><p><br></p><p>You are not micromanaging. You are ensuring accountability.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>4. Systems & Process Improvement</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Improve NetSuite reporting and workflows</li><li>Optimize e-commerce and operational systems</li><li>Reduce inefficiencies and redundant apps</li><li>Document and standardize core processes</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Every change must improve performance.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>5. Operational Accountability</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Run weekly KPI meeting</li><li>Surface issues early</li><li>Contain operational fires</li><li>Enforce deadlines across departments</li><li>Recommend performance improvements when needed</li></ul><p><br></p><p>You will report directly to ownership and oversee certain departments.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Required Experience</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>5+ years in a product-based company</li><li>Hands-on inventory planning experience</li><li>ERP experience required (NetSuite strongly preferred)</li><li>Experience managing physical inventory and vendors</li><li>Experience building KPI dashboards</li><li>Comfortable in warehouse environments</li><li>Financial literacy (margin awareness, cost analysis)</li></ul><p><br></p><p>If you have only worked in services or software, this is not the role.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What Success Looks Like (3–6 Months)</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Inventory planning fully owned and improved</li><li>Weekly KPI dashboard operational</li><li>Warehouse metrics clearly tracked</li><li>Zendesk live with defined standards</li><li>Fewer operational escalations to ownership</li><li>Clear visibility into margins and operational health</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Compensation & Benefits</strong></p><ul><li>Salary range: TBD depending on experience</li><li>Performance-based bonus</li><li>60% employer-paid health coverage</li><li>401(k) with 4% match</li><li>Paid vacation and sick time</li><li>Life insurance</li><li>Profit sharing</li></ul><p><br></p><p>If you want to help run and improve a growing 25-person product business, and are ready to own performance, we’d like to hear from you.</p>

Back to blog

Common Interview Questions And Answers

1. HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR DAY?

This is what this question poses: When do you focus and start working seriously? What are the hours you work optimally? Are you a night owl? A morning bird? Remote teams can be made up of people working on different shifts and around the world, so you won't necessarily be stuck in the 9-5 schedule if it's not for you...

2. HOW DO YOU USE THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS?

When you're working on a remote team, there's no way to chat in the hallway between meetings or catch up on the latest project during an office carpool. Therefore, virtual communication will be absolutely essential to get your work done...

3. WHAT IS "WORKING REMOTE" REALLY FOR YOU?

Many people want to work remotely because of the flexibility it allows. You can work anywhere and at any time of the day...

4. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORKSPACE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK?

With this question, companies are looking to see what equipment they may need to provide you with and to verify how aware you are of what remote working could mean for you physically and logistically...

5. HOW DO YOU PROCESS INFORMATION?

Several years ago, I was working in a team to plan a big event. My supervisor made us all work as a team before the big day. One of our activities has been to find out how each of us processes information...

6. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CALENDAR AND THE PROGRAM? WHICH APPLICATIONS / SYSTEM DO YOU USE?

Or you may receive even more specific questions, such as: What's on your calendar? Do you plan blocks of time to do certain types of work? Do you have an open calendar that everyone can see?...

7. HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE FILES, LINKS, AND TABS ON YOUR COMPUTER?

Just like your schedule, how you track files and other information is very important. After all, everything is digital!...

8. HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORK?

The day I watched Marie Forleo's film separating the important from the urgent, my life changed. Not all remote jobs start fast, but most of them are...

9. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A MEETING AND PREPARE A MEETING? WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING DURING THE MEETING?

Just as communication is essential when working remotely, so is organization. Because you won't have those opportunities in the elevator or a casual conversation in the lunchroom, you should take advantage of the little time you have in a video or phone conference...

10. HOW DO YOU USE TECHNOLOGY ON A DAILY BASIS, IN YOUR WORK AND FOR YOUR PLEASURE?

This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with technology, which is very important for a remote worker because you will be working with technology over time...