Location: Hybrid: 3 days home; 2 days - Office in Victoria, London
Start Date: Immediate
Reports to: Founder
Works With: Founder
Overview
NALO is a fast-growing premium snack brand supplying luxury hotels, bars and retail. We've built strong foundations, proven demand and a respected brand. We're now entering our next phase of growth and are looking for an experienced FMCG operator to help scale the business.
We're hiring a senior, hands-on Head of Operations to take full ownership of NALO's operational and supply chain performance, with a pathway to COO for the right person.
This role exists to remove operational dependency from the Founder.
You will fully own NALO's supply chain, production planning, unit economics and operational delivery. The Founder remains commercially and strategically involved, but you are accountable for execution, performance and outcomes.
This is a senior leadership role for someone who has already run FMCG operations end-to-end and is ready to take real ownership inside a founder-led business.
What You'll Own
Operational Leadership & Supply Chain Ownership
Take full ownership of NALO's operational function (supply chain, production, logistics, inventory, fulfilment and systems), with accountability for performance, margin and delivery.
Design and lead NALO's operating model, defining roles, decision rights, escalation paths and execution cadence to remove founder dependency and enable scale.
Partner with the Founder to define and deliver NALO's operational roadmap, translating commercial strategy into scalable supply chain capability and execution.
Drive operational excellence across the business, identifying structural improvements that increase resilience, efficiency and margin.
Act as the operational backbone of the business, bringing clarity, confidence and ownership to day-to-day decision-making.
Supply Chain, Production & Planning
Own demand planning, inventory strategy and production planning, aligning stock levels, materials, and capacity to commercial demand while protecting cashflow and minimising waste.
Manage and develop strategic partnerships across co-manufacturers, co-packers, ingredient suppliers, packaging partners and 3PLs in the UK and internationally, leading sourcing and tendering for ingredients and packaging to optimise cost, quality and reduce supply risk.
Build risk planning frameworks, safety stock strategies and capacity buffers to support launches and commercial growth.
Lead supplier negotiations, SLAs and contracts, continuously improving terms while strengthening long-term partner relationships.
Identify and deliver cost efficiencies across COGS, logistics and fulfilment, balancing margin improvement with operational resilience.
Own operational delivery of new SKUs from concept to launch, including trials, first productions, packaging readiness and supplier onboarding.
Commercial & Financial Ownership
Own unit economics, margin models and pricing, ensuring strong contribution margins across all SKUs and channels.
Partner with the Founder on commercial decision-making, providing financial insight across pricing, launches and growth strategy.
Drive gross margin improvement initiatives across sourcing, production, logistics and packaging.
Track planned vs actual production outputs, identifying variances and implementing corrective actions.
Support cashflow forecasting and working capital management, aligning inventory with commercial demand.
Maintain financial discipline across operations, reviewing supplier invoices, resolving discrepancies and supporting timely client payments.
Build margin models for new SKUs and first-to-market launches, ensuring innovation is commercially viable and operationally launch-ready.
Systems, Process & Operational Excellence
Build and maintain clear operational processes and documentation, improving how decisions are tracked, executed and followed through.
Implement practical operational systems and tools, leveraging platforms such as Notion, Airtable and AI workflows.
Establish performance metrics and reporting rhythms across operations.
Drive continuous improvement across internal workflows and external partners.
Lead sustainability initiatives, including B Corp readiness.
What we are looking for
Must-haves
5–7+ years' experience in FMCG operations or supply chain (ideally food & beverage), with proven end-to-end ownership in a high-growth or founder-led environment.
Demonstrated experience owning an operations function end-to-end, including supply chain, production, logistics, planning and outsourced partners.
Strong expertise in demand and supply planning, inventory optimisation and operational forecasting.
Proven track record managing manufacturers, suppliers and 3PLs, including negotiating contracts and driving performance.
Commercially sharp, with experience owning unit economics and improving margins through operational decision-making.
Highly analytical and data-driven, with advanced Excel skills across forecasting, margin modelling and production tracking.
Comfortable operating at both strategic and execution level, with the ability to build scalable systems while staying hands-on.
Exceptional communicator with the confidence to influence partners and stakeholders at all levels.
We're also open to exceptional candidates from top-tier strategy consulting backgrounds who bring hands-on FMCG operational experience and are excited to step into an execution-led leadership role.
Nice to haves
Experience scaling food or snack production in a growing FMCG business.
Previous experience in startup or founder-led environments.
What We'll Love About You
You're energised by building the operational backbone of a growing consumer brand and excited by the opportunity to scale something meaningful.
You bring clarity, calm and commercial discipline to complexity, and enjoy building processes and operating rhythms that scale.
You simplify rather than overcomplicate, creating practical systems that are easy to run and easy to understand.
You think analytically, care deeply about quality, and set high standards for accuracy and follow-through.
You sweat the small details while keeping a clear view of the bigger picture.
You think strategically about structure and systems, while rolling up your sleeves when execution is needed.
You're a proactive problem-solver who takes ownership, thrives in fast-paced environments and steps forward when things don't go to plan.
You communicate clearly and directly, manage external partners confidently, and know how to drive accountability.
You care deeply about quality and execution, and you raise the operational bar wherever you go.
You bring strong IQ and EQ, build trust quickly, and inspire high standards through how you show up.
Benefits
Competitive salary to be discussed based on experience
Opportunity for equity
Flexible working
Unlimited snacks
20 days holiday + Birthday off
Please note: unfortunately we're unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.