Supply Chain & Operations Associate

Welcome to Apothékary™, where Nature is Medicine™. We harness the intelligence of nature by creating clean, effective herbal remedies that target the root cause of health imbalances like helping to ease stress, support the gut, strengthen immunity, boost energy, and sharpen mental focus. Our herbal formulas feature traditional herbs from several medicinal modalities including Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Japanese Kampo, and Western herbalism. We believe in getting to the root cause of health issues and herbs can be a great place to start your journey and promote wellness for the long-term. 

We were founded in early 2019 by Shizu Okusa, a serial entrepreneur in the wellness industry and named E&Y’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2021. After leaving an intense finance career, she became inspired to live a more balanced lifestyle and revisit her Japanese roots and passion for herbal medicine. Shizu set out to help others regain their holistic health using traditions she grew up with and ones she learned along the way.

Why work with us?

1. You will get the chance to be an early team member at a fast-growth health & wellness startup disrupting the intersection of food and medicine – preventative healthcare rooted in herbal medicine
2. We are growing fast (100x growth in two years, over $12M in capital raised, and quadrupled the size of the team in the last 9 months)
3. We’re a tight-knit, passionate team, where you'll learn a ton and have ownership over your responsibilities.
4. Work with a seasoned second-time founder and executive team

The role:

Apothékary is looking for a highly detail-oriented and self-starter Supply Chain & Operations Associate to join our team. This role is crucial in ensuring smooth day-to-day operations of our supply chain, inventory management, and distribution processes. This candidate will support the coordination and execution of transportation & logistics activities, ensuring a seamless flow of raw materials and finished goods from suppliers and co-manufacturers to retailers and customers. The role requires meticulous attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and the ability to work with various teams internally and externally to ensure smooth operations in a rapidly growing organization. This role reports directly to the Supply Chain Planning Manager.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the most safe, efficient, and cost-effective coordination of all raw materials and finished goods between our suppliers, co-manufacturers, retailers & fulfillment center
• Partnering with the Supply Chain Planning Manager, strategically plan production requirements working directly with co-manufacturers in an effort to optimize targeted finished goods inventory levels
• Monitor inventory levels of finished goods and coordinate with the Fulfillment Team to ensure accurate and adequate inventory levels are maintained
• Coordinate with the Quality Specialist and Regulatory Manager to ensure adherence to regulatory standard and dietary supplements requirements
• Work with Finance and Accounting to ensure accuracy of all PO’s and invoices and maintain various tacking documents
• Works closely with our freight partners to schedule pick-ups & deliveries based on receiving availability, while preparing and compiling all necessary documentation
• Issues loading instructions to the carriers and suppliers and troubleshoot all shipment related issues, with suppliers, carriers, and internal teams
• Issue RFQs to multiple Forwarders and Carriers, organize and review all proposed rates and provide recommendations to Supply Chain Planning Manager
• Effectively negotiates with carriers to maintain competitive pricing for all shipments of goods across our supply chain
• Act as the primary point of contact with international and domestic retail partners, foreign subsidiaries, distributors, suppliers, brokers, and carriers to ensure compliance with all applicable import and export regulations
• Work closely and build a relationship with the Customs brokers and carriers to coordinator timely and compliant flow of shipments
• Maintains all record keeping of shipping documents, including packing slips, BOLS & invoices
• Works alongside our fulfillment team & co-manufacturers to reconcile inbound shipments, escalating & resolving any discrepancies with suppliers in a timely manner
• Comply with the packing and handling guidelines for all shipments in conjunction with product safety and security requirements
• Regularly reviews average shipping costs with our logistics partnerships, reporting data to upper management to track progress against KPIs
• Maintains strong working relationships with stakeholders from internal team members to external partners such as co-manufacturers, suppliers & freight carriers
• Proactive communication and status updates to internal team on transit timelines and shipment status
• Participate in continuous process improvements related to inbound / outbound shipments and periodic process reviews, identify gaps, and implement necessary corrective actions
• All other duties as assigned

Time and Location: 

This is a full-time and fully remote role. This role will work closely with our Fulfillment Team and their hours are primarily 7:00am - 3:00pm EST. Flexibility will be allowed between these hours however a candidate on the East Coast is preferred in order to support the Fulfillment Team.

This position is available to start immediately. Note that job responsibilities may change based on the company’s evolving needs.  

Requirements

Ideal candidate: 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Logistics
• 3+ years experience working in supply chain/logistics. Experience working with a start-up/growth company preferred
• Experience in Shopify and Shipstation is a plus
• Strong understanding of supply chain processes and procedures including manufacturing planning, demand and replenishment
• Strong understanding of transportation & logistics fundamentals and processes
• Excellent organizational, planning, and project management skills with the ability to work both independently and in team settings
• Excellent communication skills with a high attention to detail and timely follow-up
• Systems savvy; able to learn and navigate different systems quickly and efficiently
• Coordinate effective communication with team members of a fully remote workforce
• Meticulously detail-oriented and organized, with excellent time management
• High proficiency in Google Workspace, MS Office, Excel, and the ability to create pivot tables, VLOOKUPs and IF statements
• Ability to manage multiple projects and work in a fast-paced environment
• Highly collaborative and enjoys working cross-functionally to execute strategies
• Natural problem solver with a positive attitude and strong time management capabilities
• Unquestionable ethics that drive leadership and behavior. 
• Passion for wellness community and herbal medicine and a vision on how to connect with consumers in ways that have never been done before

Bonus points:

• Working knowledge and understanding of global logistics, imports/exports, international & domestic freight shipments, US Customs, FDA, Hazardous goods, Duty & VAT, Incoterms, & HTS Classification
• Experience working in an ERP, TMS, and WMS systems
• Previous experience at a high-growth, fast-paced startup, ecommerce, retail, or consumer goods supply chain
• Entrepreneurial mindset  

Benefits

Compensation

• $65,000 - $70,000 annually
• Comprehensive health, dental and vision plans 
• Monthly paid Mental Health Days in addition to PTO
• Monthly Apothékary product stipend