Strategic Ops Manager (PupGum)

Socket.dev; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Spot & Tango is seeking a Strategic Operations Manager to scale our PupGum and core pet brands from our Midtown Manhattan base. You will own the operations roadmap, partner with cross-functional teams, and drive supplier relationships while delivering measurable improvements in margin and customer experience.

You will work in a hybrid model with in-office presence required in Midtown Manhattan. The role calls for analytical rigor, strong negotiation, and independent ownership of complex

Qualifications

• Experience from top-tier management/strategy consulting or investment banking is required.
• Operating role in a growth-stage startup with consumer or subscription focus is a plus.
• Strong analytical abilities and data-driven decision making expected.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a strategic operations roadmap to improve margin and scale.
• Lead high-impact strategic projects across packaging, sourcing, and product development.
• Manage vendor relationships and negotiate contracts for long-term capacity planning.
• Translate customer insights into product improvements and R&D roadmaps.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

Excel

Omni

Tableau

Job description

Who We Are

Spot & Tango is an innovative pet health & wellness brand that delivers personalized meal plans on a subscription basis. Our recipes are developed by leading animal nutritionists and are made with only real, human-grade ingredients... and nothing artificial! We have lofty goals (to make every dog in the country healthier, and every pet parent happier!) and we are looking for the right people to help us get there. This is an exciting opportunity to join a VC-backed, high-growth, e-commerce startup and have an outsized impact in an extremely fast-paced 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.

Qualifications:

• 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 lovers are a plus!

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.