VP of Operations / Head of Manufacturing

Overview
Sightglass is a specialty coffee leader with a reputation for quality, and we’re seeking an operations leader to evolve our manufacturing organization to support our next level of multi-channel growth. 
This role will be most rewarding to a hands-on operations expert who brings strategy and best practices from both manufacturing and specialty coffee, earns the trust of their team, and cares deeply about balancing rigorous efficiency with excellence and craft. It is a highly visible seat on the executive leadership team, reporting directly to the CEO.
 

Responsibilities

Operations and Team Leadership

• Set the operational strategy for the organization and drive alignment around shared goals.
• Lead, develop, and hold accountable a high-performing operations team across multiple locations and functions.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, craft, and accountability that reflects the Sightglass brand.
• Serve as a cross-functional partner to leadership across sales, finance, marketing, and retail, ensuring operations enables rather than constrains growth.

Roastery and Manufacturing Operations

• Own all roastery operations across the San Francisco and Los Angeles facilities, holding quality, efficiency, and consistency to the highest standard.
• Assess current production systems and processes, identify gaps and opportunities, and build the business cases and roadmaps for improvement.
• Oversee production planning, scheduling, and capacity management across both sites and co-packing partners.
• Lead safety, compliance, and food safety programs across all production environments.
• Bring manufacturing best practices and relevant industry knowledge  (equipment, processes, technology) to continuously raise the bar.

Supply Chain

• Own the full supply chain from green coffee procurement through finished goods, in close partnership with the Director of Sourcing and other team members.
• Manage and grow relationships with production partners to build strategic capacity and capabilities. 
• Develop and maintain inventory management systems that support demand planning and reduce waste.
• Ensure all sourcing and procurement practices reinforce Sightglass's quality standards and brand values while meeting financial goals.

Logistics and Distribution

• Oversee complex, multi-channel logistics operations serving five cafes, ecommerce, and wholesale customers.
• Optimize fulfillment and distribution infrastructure for cost, speed, and reliability.
• Identify and address bottlenecks, costs, and service gaps across the distribution network.

Financial and Strategic Leadership

• Own the operations P/L with a strong grasp of COGS, labor efficiency, overhead, and margin levers across all channels.
• Partner with the VP Finance and CEO on budgeting, forecasting, and long-range operational planning.
• Build clear reporting and analytics to support data-driven operational decisions.
• Contribute to company-wide strategic planning as a key member of the executive leadership team.

Qualifications

• 10 years of progressive operations leadership experience, with a demonstrated background in manufacturing or food and beverage production required.
• Hands-on roastery production leadership required; specialty coffee experience strongly preferred.
• Deep familiarity with specialty coffee best practices — green sourcing, roasting operations, quality control, and the standards expected of an industry-leading brand.
• Proven ability to assess existing operations, develop rigorous business cases for change, and execute improvements in a complex, multi-site environment.
• Demonstrated experience setting operational strategy and building organizational alignment to execute it.
• Proven ability to manage complex supply chains, including sourcing, co-packing, and multi-channel logistics.
• Very strong financial acumen, including P/L ownership, COGS management, and budgeting across multiple revenue channels (cafe, ecommerce, and wholesale) in a CPG or F&B environment.
• Experience building and leading operations teams across multiple facilities.
• High-growth or scaling company experience strongly preferred; comfort working in an environment that is building, optimizing and evolving.
• Strong relationship-building and negotiation skills with vendors and partners.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present and influence at the executive and board level.
• Working familiarity with relevant tech systems: ERP (NetSuite), roastery production software (Cropster), and logistics platforms; experience with FileMaker a plus.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Ability to travel regularly between San Francisco and Los Angeles facilities, with additional travel as needed.
• Able to grasp, lift, and carry up to 50 pounds as needed.
• Ability to stand, walk, and work on a production floor for extended periods.

Benefits

• Salary Range: $175,000 - $200,000 plus bonus potential
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for all full-time employees: 80% of base medical plan for employee.
• 401(k) plan.
• Paid time off Paid Volunteer time off
• Free coffee at any Sightglass cafe and a weekly bag of beans.
• Discounts on food, merchandise, extra bags of beans, and more.

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Sightglass is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We deliver an ever-evolving and consistently excellent coffee experience. We approach coffee holistically, establishing relationships at every step. We stay true to our welcoming and resourceful culture.
 

Salary : $175,000 - $200,000