Director of Operations

About Ruff LinersRuff Liners designs premium dog gear built for adventure, starting with the best-selling dog seat covers on Amazon. We're a fast-growing, mission-driven brand dedicated to helping dogs and their humans get outside more often. Our products combine durability, protection, and thoughtful design to make every ride and every trip better for your best friend. As we scale rapidly, including moving into retail and international markets, we need a senior operator who can build the systems and infrastructure to support that growth.About the RoleWe're looking for a Director of Operations to get deep into the details of how Ruff Liners runs today, and build what we need to run at 10x that scale tomorrow. This is not a role for someone who manages from above; you need to be genuinely hands-in-the-weeds, digging into supply chain, fulfillment, cost structures, and workflows to find inefficiencies and fix them. At the same time, this role requires real strategic range: understanding where the business is headed over the next year and building the systems and team structure now to get there. This is a senior-level position, with the opportunity to grow into an executive operating role as the business and org structure mature.Operational ExecutionGet into the details of current operations: supply chain, fulfillment, 3PL relationships, inventory management, and cost structuresIdentify and fix inefficiencies proactively; scrutinize costs and processes across the business, not just react to problems as they surfaceOwn forecasting and planning for inventory, storage, and fulfillment needs to avoid reactive fire-fightingBuild and refine SOPs and workflows across departments as we scaleStrategic Planning & Systems BuildingUnderstand where the business is headed over the next 12+ months and proactively build the operational infrastructure to support that growthAnticipate future needs (staffing, systems, vendor relationships) well ahead of when they become urgentEvaluate and improve tools and systems (project management, reporting, workflow platforms) to increase efficiency across teamsBring experience and pattern recognition from other consumer product/retail brands to help Ruff Liners avoid reinventing solutions to problems others have already solvedCross-Functional LeadershipWork closely with the founder and leadership team, taking ownership of operational decisions rather than escalating everything upwardSupport other departments (product, marketing, finance) by removing operational bottlenecks that limit their ability to move quicklyAs the team grows, help build out the operations function itself, potentially managing additional hires over timeWhat We're Looking ForSenior-level operations experience, ideally in consumer products, e-commerce, or retail brands that have scaled quicklyA genuine "in the weeds" operator; someone who wants to dig into the details, not just oversee from a distanceStrong strategic thinking; able to anticipate future needs and build for where the business is going, not just where it is todayTrack record of building systems, SOPs, and processes from scratch in a fast-growing environmentComfortable with high decision-making autonomy and ownership; this role is expected to make calls independently and be trusted to do soExperience with supply chain, fulfillment, and cost optimization at a growing consumer brandBonus: familiarity with EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) or similar operating frameworks