Supply and Operations Lead - Retail

We are looking for an entrepreneurial Supply and Operations Lead to focus on the sustainable growth of our retail supply chain and support improvements to our planning systems, processes and tools to be ready for future growth.

Changing the world of pet food for good
We’re Tails.com, a dog food subscription company with a big difference. We create truly tailored food for each and every dog we serve. We start by asking people a few simple questions about their dog. Then we use that information to create their dog’s unique Tails.com recipe – so their dog gets exactly the nutrition they need, in the taste they love, delivered to their door every month. It’s clever stuff.

We’ve got bold plans. Having created an entirely new category in pet food, we’re now scaling fast in the UK and Europe – backed by Purina, one of the world’s largest pet food companies. You’ll join a bunch of smart people working towards the same goals – and a bunch of smart-ish dogs, all working on their own thing.

Together, we’ll change the world of pet food for good.

Retail Operations at Tails.com
Retail is a relatively new channel for us at Tails.com. From 2022 we expanded our proposition into retail to provide something different to customers. The retail team looks after everything from the great marketing campaigns we do in stores to working with existing/potential new exciting retailers.

We have some ambitious plans for retail at Tails.com. We are looking for people who have the right attitude and desire to get stuck in and shape the ambitious plans we have going forward.

Sound like a team you want to join? Here’s how you’ll make a difference:

The role
This is a key role for the team as we start our retail expansion. You will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of our retail supply chain. You manage our third party logistics provider (3PL), working collaboratively with them to create solutions for our customers, and holding them to account, making sure they perform to our high expectations.

You will manage suppliers, making sure innovation is delivered on time and ongoing service, quality and cost are managed and we always hit our numbers.

You will improve our ways of working, supporting the supply team to evolve key processes such as sales and operations planning (S&OP). You have a great can-do attitude to get stuck in and work with a wide range of internal and external partners to put the foundations in place for our growth plan over the coming years.

You will be responsible for:

• Customer supply planning including promotional demand and inventory management (fulfillment and availability on shelf, 3PL performance, NPD launches)
• Lead operational forecasting, ensuring an accessible and accurate forecast is visible for all value chain stakeholders for retail, DTC and other channels
• 3PL management, performance monitoring and review, and contract negotiations and relationship management alongside our procurement team
• Supplier management, performance monitoring and review, new product launches, product renovation and discontinuations
• Financial forecasting for cost of goods and services, making sure we hit our budgets through cost review and control
• Identify and coordinate continuous improvement opportunities within planning systems, processes and tools
• Build retail supply capability to support growth in retail range and partners
• Act as the face of our Supply Chain to key customers—resolving queries, addressing operational service challenges, and driving improved service levels
• Beyond your day-to-day role, take the lead on exciting projects, including new product launches, system enhancements, and sales events, driving innovation and success across the board

The skills you’ll bring:

• Experience of Supply and Operations within an FMCG environment
• Internal and external relationship building
• Demonstrated ability to achieve KPIs and efficiency improvements
• Willingness to get stuck in and work outside of the individual job title
• Adaptable and flexible in handling different work situations, tasks, and team roles, with the ability to anticipate and adjust to changes
• Good at planning, communicating, and presenting, with the ability to work on your own, interact well with all levels of management, and pay close attention to detail when finding solutions
• A track record in supplier relationship and performance management - high trust, long-term mindset
• Strong skills in Excel, data analysis, and the ability to quickly learn new reporting tools
• Commercial acumen - experience in managing budgets and building business cases for investment
• You know how to tailor communication for different audiences, ensuring clarity and alignment when interacting with both customers and internal teams

Bonus skills an incredible candidate would bring:

• E-commerce or pet category business experience
• Experience working on cross-functional projects involving software, customer experience and physical operations
• Contract management or procurement experience

What's in it for you?

• Competitive salary, reviewed annually
• Annual bonus, based on company performance
• Flexible core hours, giving you true work-life balance
• Hybrid role to ensure this role works for you
• 25 days of holiday (excluding bank holidays) which increases over time to a max of 27 days
• 9/10 day working week to enhance your well-being without a reduction in pay and leave allowance
• Optional 5 days unpaid leave and 1 paid volunteer day each year
• When you need a change of scenery, you can work from abroad 2 weeks every 6 months
• Health insurance for you, paid by Tails.com
• Extended maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption pay. 6 months at 70% pay
• Flexible paid care leave to support immediate dependants, people close to you and pets
• 50% discount on all Tails.com products
• Discounted gym membership

What’s next?
If this sounds like it matches your experience and what you’d love to do, we can’t wait to hear from you! If you’re unsure whether you fit our criteria exactly, please get in touch anyway. And because we believe that diverse teams perform better, we’d especially love to hear from you if you’re from an under-represented demographic.

Here’s a taster of how our recruitment process works:

1. Once you have applied your CV will be reviewed by the Hiring Manager
2. If selected, you will then have a call with the Talent Acquisition to learn more about your skills and experience (30 mins)
3. If selected, you will have a call with the Head of Retail to delve deeper into your experience and the chance for you to ask questions
4. If successful, you will be invited to present a task back to a panel of interviewers alongside some further time for questions for both sides (90 mins)

Our Commitment
We’re proud to be an active equal-opportunity employer. We want to give everyone a fair chance to join us in changing the world of pet food for good. We do this by conducting a structured recruitment process for all candidates, as well as actively promoting our roles to communities that are under-represented at Tails.com.

During your interview process you’ll meet some of our team with varying levels of responsibility and experience. We want to give every candidate a fair interview process and if you need any reasonable adjustments made, please let us know.