Archipelago Companies (OluKai, Kaenon, melin, and Roark) Sr. Manager, Customer Experience

Who We Are:

Archipelago Companies, a portfolio of highly successful consumer lifestyle brands, is seeking a talented and passionate individual with an entrepreneurial mindset to join our team. Our brands, including OluKai, Kaenon, Melin, Roark, and Tradewind Services are leaders in their respective markets, offering high-quality products and authentic marketing stories direct to consumers. At Archipelago Companies, we pride ourselves on our commitment to integrity, and we strive to create a culture of excellence in everything we do. If you are a driven and innovative individual with a passion for consumer brands, we invite you to apply for our open position and become a part of our dynamic and growing team.

About the Role:

We are seeking a strategic, execution-oriented leader to transform our Customer Experience function into a high-impact, insight-driven, and revenue-conscious organization. This role goes beyond traditional support. You will own the end-to-end post-purchase experience, transforming Customer Experience into a key driver of customer retention, brand loyalty, and operational excellence. You will lead a high-performing team, build scalable systems, and establish CX as a critical voice in shaping product, operations, and marketing decisions.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and scale a team of 20 agents and team leads across in-house and outsourced environments
• Build a high-performance culture grounded in accountability, empathy, and continuous improvement
• Recruit, hire, and onboard talent to support growth and scale
• Design career paths, training programs, and leadership development for the CX team
• Manage staffing, scheduling, and capacity planning to ensure optimal coverage across all channels (email, chat, phone, social)

Voice of the Customer (VoC) & Insights

• Build and own a structured Voice of Customer program (feedback collection, tagging, reporting)
• Translate customer insights into actionable recommendations across Product, Marketing, and Operations
• Establish feedback loops that influence roadmap prioritization and business decisions

Customer Experience Strategy & Growth

• Define and execute a forward-looking CX strategy aligned with brand, growth, and retention goals
• Position CX as a driver of customer lifetime value (LTV), retention, and repeat purchase behavior
• Partner with Growth/CRM teams to identify opportunities for upsell, cross-sell, and save strategies within customer interactions
• Champion a customer-first culture across the organization

Operations, QA & Performance Management

• Own CX performance metrics including CSAT, NPS, FRT, Resolution Time, Contact Rate, and Cost per Contact, with a focus on continuous improvement and efficiency at scale
• Establish and manage quality assurance (QA) frameworks to ensure consistent service delivery
• Develop scalable SOPs, escalation workflows, and operational playbooks
• Lead capacity planning, staffing models, and workforce management across channels

Self-Service & Automation

• Own and scale self-service strategy (Help Center, FAQs, AI/chatbots)
• Drive contact deflection initiatives through proactive communication and automation
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency while enhancing customer satisfaction

Technology & Innovation

• Oversee the CX technology stack (e.g., Gorgias, Aircall, AI tools)
• Partner with Tech and Operations to build integrations, reporting dashboards, and automation capabilities
• Continuously evaluate and implement tools that improve team productivity and customer experience

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Act as the primary CX partner to Product, Operations, Marketing, and Fulfillment teams
• Surface systemic issues impacting customers and drive cross-functional resolution
• Influence company-wide decisions through customer insights and data

Vendor & Budget Management

• Own relationships with BPO and outsourced support partners
• Manage the CX budget including headcount planning, vendor contracts, and tooling investments
• Optimize cost structure while maintaining high-quality service

Escalations & Crisis Management

• Lead high-impact customer escalations and sensitive situations
• Develop and execute playbooks for critical events (e.g., delays, recalls, service disruptions)
• Ensure clear, proactive communication during customer-impacting incidents

Requirements & Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 7 years of customer service experience, with at least 2–3 years in a management or leadership role
• Proven experience in a DTC e-commerce or retail environment
• Demonstrated success improving CX KPIs and operational performance
• Experience managing multi-channel support operations (email, live chat, phone, social)
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into action
• Excellent communication, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration skills

Preferred

• Experience managing outsourced/BPO teams at scale
• Familiarity with platforms such as Shopify, Full Circle, OMS tools, and logistics workflows
• Experience with CX platforms such as Gorgias, Zendesk, Kustomer and AI-driven tools
• Background in building or scaling CX functions in high-growth environments

What Success Looks Like in Year One:

• CSAT maintained above 4.75 /5 with a clear improvement roadmap for continuous improvement
• Reduce contact rate by 10%
• Improve first response and resolution times while maintaining quality standards
• Launch and operationalize a Voice of Customer program influencing cross-functional decisions
• Build scalable onboarding, training, and QA programs
• Establish strong cross-functional partnerships that drive measurable improvements in product, fulfillment, and customer satisfaction

Location & Office Structure: This is an in-office hybrid position, mandatory 4 days per week in office in Irvine, CA with the option to work from home 1 day per week. On call as needed and subject to change without notice as per company guidelines.  

Compensation: The salary range for this position is $111,000 to $140,000 plus opportunity for annual bonus; salary is based on the experience that you bring to the position.

Benefits and Perks:

• Complimentary chef prepared breakfast and lunch provided Monday - Thursday
• Generous product gift program and all brand discounts
• Growth opportunities within the Archipelago family of brands: OluKai, Kaenon, Melin, Roark
• Company bonus program
• 5 year and 10 year Milestone Anniversary travel gifts
• Medical, Dental, Vision insurance in accordance with plan guidelines
• Company paid life insurance in accordance with plan guidelines
• 401k with employer match in accordance with plan guidelines
• 15 Days of PTO accrued annually, plus one additional day of PTO every year on your anniversary, and 3 Floating Holidays per year
• Paid beach and giveback days, bi-annual team building events and other in-person celebrations
• Work with talented and great people who share a love of the ocean lifestyle

Archipelago Companies values a diverse, inclusive, and entrepreneurial workforce and culture, and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. If you are unable to submit your application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at hr@arch-cos.com. Archipelago will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities to the extent required by applicable law.