Operations Manager at Topo Designs in Denver, CO

About Topo Designs

Topo Designs makes bags, apparel and accessories built for people who move between mountains and cities. Founded in Fort Collins and headquartered in Denver, we sell through our own stores and site, specialty and key-account wholesale, distributors, Amazon and corporate channels. Getting product to every one of those customers accurately and at the right cost is what this role is for.

The role

We're looking for a highly efficient Operations Manager to own logistics and fulfillment from the moment goods land at our 3PL through delivery to the customer. You'll run our 3PL partnership, carrier programs and NetSuite operating workflows, and you'll lead how operations uses AI and automation to do more with a lean team. This role reports to the VP of Finance & Business Operations and works closely with Product, Sales, Ecommerce, Retail and Accounting. You'll manage our Operations Coordinator, who reports to you.

What you'll do

3PL and fulfillment

• Own the day-to-day relationship with our 3PL, holding them to SLAs for on-time shipment, order accuracy, receiving turnaround and cost per order.
• Plan capacity and staffing with the 3PL ahead of peak periods, launches and promotions.
• Serve as the escalation point for fulfillment issues, retailer chargebacks and carrier disputes, and drive root-cause fixes.
• Own receiving, transfers between locations and stores, and returns receiving.
• Write and maintain SOPs for how inventory flows across DTC, wholesale, Amazon, retail and corporate channels.

Logistics and supply chain

• Own outbound transportation across parcel, LTL and freight; negotiate carrier rates and manage carrier programs.
• Coordinate with Product on inbound shipments from overseas factories: Product owns factories, forwarders and customs decisions; you own the handoff into the 3PL, ASN accuracy and receiving readiness.
• Manage retailer routing guides and compliance (EDI ship notices, labeling and key-account requirements) to prevent chargebacks.
• Support inventory accuracy, allocation and replenishment so the right stock is in the right channel.

NetSuite and systems

• Manage and improve NetSuite workflows for inventory, transfers and fulfillment.
• Keep data in sync across NetSuite, Shopify, ShipHero and the 3PL, including Celigo integration monitoring.
• Build saved searches, dashboards and reports that operations and finance use to run the business.

AI and automation

• Find manual, repetitive operations work and replace it with Claude skills, automations or AI-assisted workflows (for example: order exception triage, chargeback research, 3PL invoice checks, KPI reporting).
• Use Claude, our company AI platform, daily for analysis, SOP writing, vendor communication and data cleanup.
• Partner with the VP of Finance & Business Operations on the operations automation roadmap, and manage our Operations Coordinator: set priorities, review their automation build and maintenance work, and support their development.
• Set simple guardrails for AI use: human review on anything that moves money, inventory or customer commitments.

Reporting and improvement

• Track and report weekly KPIs: on-time ship rate, order accuracy, cost per order, chargeback dollars, receiving cycle time, return rate and inventory accuracy.
• Own operations vendor spend (3PL, freight, packaging, ops software) against budget, and review 3PL and carrier invoices for accuracy.
• Lead process improvements that cut cost and cycle time.
• Evaluate our operations tech stack and, where a change makes sense, recommend it and lead the project from selection through rollout.

What we're looking for

Required

• 4–6 years in logistics, supply chain or operations management for a consumer products, apparel or ecommerce brand
• 1-2 years prior supervisory experience
• Direct 3PL management: SLAs, peak planning, issue resolution and contract or rate negotiation.
• Strong working knowledge of parcel and LTL carrier programs, freight terms and multi-channel shipping cost drivers.
• Wholesale logistics experience: EDI ship notices, retailer routing guides and chargeback reduction.
• Hands-on NetSuite experience in inventory, fulfillment and reporting.
• Demonstrated use of AI or automation to remove manual work, with an example you can walk us through.
• Data-driven and efficient: you build the KPI, find the root cause and fix the process.
• A self-starter who takes on challenges without waiting to be asked.
• Eager to explore workflow opportunities and bring forward clear proposals for improvement.
• Willing to lead a potential change to our operations tech stack, from evaluation through rollout.

Preferred

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, logistics, business or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Experience at a multi-channel brand in the 10M-50M revenue range; outdoor or apparel a plus.
• Experience building with Claude or similar AI tools.
• Familiarity with Shopify, ShipHero, Celigo, Parabola or similar integration and workflow tools.
• Experience with Amazon Seller or Vendor Central operations.
• Lean, 5S or other continuous improvement training.
• NetSuite administrator experience or certification.
• Experience managing or coaching a direct report.

Compensation and benefits

• Salary: $90,000 – $120,000 / year, based on experience
• Hybrid schedule based in Denver, CO
• Health, dental and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Flexible time off and paid holidays
• Employee discount on Topo Designs products

How to apply

Apply online with your resume. Must include a cover letter that describes (1) a 3PL or carrier problem you fixed and (2) one workflow you automated or improved with AI. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Topo Designs is an equal opportunity employer.