Strategic Ops Manager (PupGum)

Who We Are

Spot & Tango is a pet health & wellness brand on a mission to make mealtime better for dogs, and life simpler for the people who love them. Our recipes are developed by leading animal nutritionists, and are made with only real, human-grade ingredients... and nothing artificial. Through UnKibble™ and our original fresh-frozen line, we’re rethinking what feeding your dog well can look like, one bowl at a time. Since our founding in 2018, we have served over 200 million meals to happy pets across the US and Canada.

We’re a team of builders, problem solvers and dog people, united by the belief that dogs deserve better. We’re looking for people who want to do the best work of their career, dig into challenges with smart people, and help shape a brand that’s redefining an entire category. This is a chance to join a high-growth e-commerce company and have an outsized impact in a fast-paced, ambitious environment. Plus, you get to think about dogs all day.

Who You Are

We’re looking for a Strategic Operations Manager for both Spot & Tango and our newest brand, PupGum. PupGum is our first-of-its-kind dog dental chew with clinically proven compounds that freshen dog breath and clean teeth. You will be responsible for ensuring that we can scale the brand efficiently, collaborating closely with stakeholders across the organization and working hands-on with partners across our supply chain.

This is a first-of-its-kind strategic operations role dedicated to PupGum and is an incredible opportunity to build a high-differentiated and fast-growing brand from the ground up. You’ll be responsible for identifying and testing new ways to scale operations for our existing portfolio and building new products that pet parents love. This role is ideal for someone with a background in consulting, finance, or high-growth environments who’s ready to roll up their sleeves and own high-impact initiatives from strategy through execution.

You’re a builder. You’re analytical and naturally curious - you’re constantly looking for ways to improve processes. You’re able to hold manufacturers and external partners accountable, and you are a stellar negotiator. You like working with data, and you feel comfortable raising questions to get to the bottom of any problem. You are extremely scrappy and willing to roll up your sleeves to get things done. You’re equally comfortable with high level strategic thinking and detail oriented operations work.

You’re highly organized and are undeterred by ambiguous problem-solving. You thrive in an independent role, taking ownership of projects and driving them forward without needing hand-holding. You are an exceptional cross-functional collaborator who can spearhead complex projects with many different stakeholders. You’re excited about the opportunity to own the operations of a fast-growing, innovative brand end-to-end.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Operations Roadmap
• Develop and execute roadmap of strategic initiatives to improve margin, support scale, and improve the product and customer experience; initiatives may span product innovation, research and development, procurement strategy, price-pack architecture, fulfillment optimization, and more. Partner with cross-functional teams to support broader initiatives for the brand, including product portfolio expansion, new channels, and geographic expansion.
• Strategic Projects
• Own ad-hoc, high-impact initiatives that fall outside core workstreams but are critical to the brand's growth — from testing new packaging formats to improve retention, to piloting new SKUs or sourcing alternative ingredients ahead of a formal R&D cycle. Move quickly from hypothesis to test: scope the opportunity, identify and vet suppliers or partners, run small-scale pilots, and build the business case to bring winning ideas to full launch. These projects require comfort with ambiguity, since the brief is often "we think this could work" rather than a fully-defined initiative.
• Vendor Management
• Manage strategic relationships with manufacturing and supply partners to support production planning, product development, and continuous improvement. Identify and execute cost-saving opportunities, lead contract negotiations, and collaborate on long-term capacity planning; travel on-site as needed.
• Customer & Consumer Insights
• Translate customer and consumer insights into actionable improvements across product quality and innovation. Analyze feedback and performance metrics such as retention, NPS, and claims data, and combine with qualitative and quantitative consumer research to inform product innovation and R&D roadmaps.

Requirements

• 2+ years of experience at a top-tier management/strategy consulting firm or investment bank; experience working in the consumer goods, food, or retail industry is a plus
• 2+ years of experience in an operating role at  a growth-stage startup (e.g., strategic operations, product manager, product innovation / development); experience with consumer and/or subscription businesses is a plus
• Exceptional analytical abilities (strong experience in Excel required, familiarity with data visualization tools like Omni or Tableau preferred)
• Bachelor's degree or higher from top-tier university; ideally majoring in business, statistics, mathematics, engineering, economics, or a related field
• Proven ability to manage multiple initiatives independently, prioritize effectively, and drive projects from concept to execution
• Exceptional work ethic and ability to independently create and drive work streams in a fast-paced, deadline-driven startup environment
• Comfortable working and communicating with employees at senior levels of the organization, including the CEO, COO, and other senior leaders
• Self-starter who is comfortable with ambiguity and able to react quickly to changing priorities
• Dog lover a plus!
• Anticipated Base Salary: $120K - $140K
• This is a hybrid position based in our Midtown Manhattan office.
• In-office presence is required on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
• Spot & Tango is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.