Customer Operations Manager

Who We Are
At Spindrift, we’re making every beverage a positive force of nature. Founded in 2010, we believe the best flavors come directly from nature. That’s why every Spindrift beverage is made the hard way—with real squeezed fruit, never from concentrate. From sourcing the best-tasting fruit globally to maintaining a carefully honed manufacturing process, we believe in doing things the hard way, the intentional way, the better albeit more challenging way, the right way – because, in the end, it's worth it. Spindrift® sparkling water is available nationwide, and Spindrift® Tea and Spindrift® SODA are available in select markets. We are also a proud member of 1% for the planet, donating to environmental causes. Spindrift is headquartered in Newton, MA.

The Role
The Customer Operations Manager is responsible for strengthening the operational capabilities of the Customer Operations function while supporting day-to-day execution of customer order management. This role serves as the department's operational expert, partnering with Coordinators to resolve complex issues, build technical and process expertise, and continuously raise the team's overall capability.

Success is measured not only by resolving today's operational challenges, but by improving how the team operates tomorrow. The Customer Operations Manager identifies opportunities to standardize processes, improve systems, enhance training, and implement scalable solutions that enable growth. Working closely with Sales, Supply Chain, Logistics, Finance, IT, Warehousing, customers, and external logistics partners, this position helps ensure exceptional service, operational excellence, and continuous improvement across the order-to-cash process.

What You’ll Own

Capability Building & Operational Support

• Serve as the department's operational subject matter expert, providing guidance and support to Customer Operations Coordinators on complex order management, inventory, logistics, ERP, EDI, customer-specific requirements, and cross-functional issue resolution.
• Act as the first point of escalation for complex order management, transportation, inventory and accounting issues, coordinating timely resolution across internal teams and external partners.
• Build the technical and operational capability of the Customer Operations team through coaching, knowledge sharing, onboarding, training, and reinforcement of best practices.
• Develop team expertise in ERP functionality, EDI transaction flows, customer portals, and operational processes to improve first-time resolution and overall execution.
• Partner with Coordinators to balance workload and provide operational support during periods of high volume, customer implementations, product launches, and other business-critical initiatives.
• Analyze operational trends, recurring issues, and performance metrics to identify capability gaps and recommend actions before customer service is impacted.

Process Improvement & Operational Excellence

• Lead cross-functional process improvement initiatives that improve customer experience, increase efficiency, reduce operational risk, and support business scalability.
• Identify opportunities to simplify workflows, eliminate manual effort, and standardize processes across the Customer Operations function.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve SOPs, training materials, playbooks, and operational documentation that build long-term team capability.
• Partner with Supply Chain, Sales, Logistics, Finance, IT, customers, and logistics partners on ERP enhancements, EDI connectivity, customer onboarding, systems implementations, and transaction troubleshooting.
• Support implementation of new customers, products, distribution partners, and customer requirements by designing scalable operational processes.
• Evaluate recurring operational issues to identify root causes and implement sustainable corrective actions rather than short-term fixes.
• Monitor operational KPIs and use data to identify improvement opportunities, prioritize initiatives, and measure the effectiveness of process changes.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging innovation, operational consistency, knowledge sharing, and adoption of new tools and technologies.

Who You Are

• 5+ years of experience in Customer Operations, Order Management, Logistics, Supply Chain Operations, or a related operational function.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, or related discipline preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise managing and troubleshooting complex order-to-cash processes within ERP and EDI systems.
• Experience working with customer portals, logistics partners, and trading partners to resolve order and shipment exceptions.
• Proven ability to lead projects and influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Experience coaching, mentoring, or developing peers in a fast-paced operational environment.
• Strong analytical, operational decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Working Conditions

• Position is based in Newton, MA in Spindrift's HQ office.
• Must work in HQ office 4 days a week.
• Minimal travel required (less than 5%).

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary: $90,000-110,000, plus annual incentive

This range reflects the expected hiring range for this role in the Greater Boston area. Final compensation will be based on experience and qualifications.

Benefits include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match

Paid holidays, vacation, sick, personal, and parental leave

• Annual allowances for product, wellness, professional development, and social justice education
• Voluntary life and disability coverage