Retail Operations Manager/Sr. Manager

Create makes the best creatine on earth, and we think everyone should be taking it. Founded three years ago in a NYC apartment kitchen, we've grown from two founders obsessed with a chalky tub of monohydrate into a team singularly focused on turning creatine into an everyday staple of a healthier life. We do one thing — creatine — and we obsess over every detail of it: quality, taste, format, and the entire customer experience. We're growing fast across digital and retail, and we're looking for people who want to build something focused, well-crafted, and genuinely useful.

The Role

We're hiring a Retail Operations Manager to be the owner of operational truth for our retail business. This person translates retail opportunities, distribution, and commitments into operational execution — so what we promise a buyer is exactly what we ship. Sitting between our Retail and Operations teams, you'll give both something they need as we scale: visibility and proactivity.

This role is for someone with:

- Deep experience running retail operations for a CPG brand across national retailers
- Fluency in the retail order-to-cash flow: EDI, ASNs, routing guides, OTIF, and compliance
- A knack for spotting problems in POs, inventory, or freight before a buyer does — and bringing the fix
- Comfort translating sales plans into forecasts that inventory planners can actually use
- A sharp eye for chargebacks and deductions, and the persistence to recover what's ours
- Clear, proactive communication with Sales, Operations, Finance, and 3PL partners
- A track record of thriving in a fast-moving, build-the-process-as-you-go environment

What You'll Do

Purchase Order Management

- Own the retail PO process end to end, from intake through EDI, 3PL release, ASN, and delivery
- Track every open and in-transit PO and confirm we're hitting retailer OTIF and fill-rate targets
- Flag at-risk orders early and drive root-cause fixes when we miss

New Retailer Onboarding

- Run a standard onboarding checklist for every new retailer: EDI, routing guide, labeling, case and pallet specs, vendor portals, and freight terms
- Keep Create compliant at setup and on an ongoing basis as retailer requirements evolve

New Product Setup

- Align SKU assortment and door counts by retailer with the Retail team
- Ensure item data matches across retailer portals, our ERP, and our 3PLs, delivered on the product setup timeline

Distribution & Logistics

- Stay in the weeds on retail shipments with our Distribution & Logistics lead
- Ensure inventory is ready before pickup, our 3PL performs to its SLAs, and freight cost is known before product ships

Chargebacks & Deductions

- Be Finance's go-to partner on chargeback and deduction nuances
- Find the root cause, lead disputes inside each retailer's window, and track recovery

Risk Mitigation

- Stay fully up to speed on supply: weeks of supply, inbound shipments, lead times, and testing holds
- Work with Retail to adjust plans before a buyer ever sees a problem

Where You'll Partner (Not Own)

- Supplier PO placement and negotiations, freight booking, the supply plan, the P&L, and selling stay with their teams — you make sure each of them has what they need from retail

Forecasting

- Facilitate retailer × SKU forecasts, translating sales inputs into a usable version for inventory planning
- Serve as the Sales team's go-to for forecast inputs and hand off a clean forecast to Supply Planning each cycle

Requirements

- 5-8 years in sales operations, retail operations, or retail fulfillment, ideally at a CPG brand
- Hands-on experience with national retailers such as Target, Walmart, Kroger, Costco, GNC, or Vitamin Shoppe, Sprouts, including their vendor portals and compliance programs
- Strong working knowledge of EDI (850, 855, 856, 810), ASNs, routing guides, and retailer labeling requirements
- Experience managing 3PL partners and holding them to SLAs
- A track record of improving OTIF and fill rate and recovering chargebacks and deductions
- Advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills — you build the tracker when one doesn't exist
- ERP experience (NetSuite, Fulfil, or similar)
- Experience with Stord, SPS Commerce, or retailer platforms like Walmart Retail Link or Target Partners Online is a plus
- Genuine passion for health, wellness, and performance categories is a plus

Benefits

- Health, Dental and Vision benefits fully covered by the company
- 401k Participation
- Competitive compensation including salary, bonus, and equity