Director of Logistics and Customer Service

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

Icelandic Provisions is a food start up with lines of dairy and plant based Skyr, made the traditional Icelandic way. With a solid consumer and business base to build on, we are looking for smart, motivated, and passionate individuals to join our growing team to help build the future of IP. We believe in putting best-in-class products in the market and take pride in being a provisions company. We are a growing start-up, so it is essential that candidates looking to join IP are comfortable working in a dynamic, ever-changing work environment. 

Here are some additional interesting facts about our company:

• Icelandic Provisions (IP) mission statement is: STRENGTHENING BODIES AND MINDS THROUGH PURE PROVISIONS CREATED WITH ICELANDIC OPTIMISM AND PURPOSE
• IP has been among the fastest growing yogurt brands in the category since launching in 2016.
• Distribution has grown from 600 to over 10,000 stores in only four years. Retailers include Whole Foods, Wegmans, Safeway, Kroger, Target, HEB, Meijer, Publix, Ahold and Sprouts.
• As of Fall 2020, the portfolio has 22 SKUs with new and exciting launches to come in 2021 and beyond.
• Popular news/media outlet “Consumer Reports” reviewed all major yogurts in the category and concluded that IP was the #1 best tasting and healthiest.
• In July 2019, IP launched a new whole milk range that has already garnered two different World Dairy Innovation Awards, numerous top picks from key offline and online news media and shout outs by celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker (unpaid). And in 2020 IP launched an extension of that line called Fruit & Nuts.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

We are looking for a Director of Logistics and Customer Service to join our team. This position will lead our warehousing and transportation as well as our customer service function and help craft a strategy that will allow Icelandic Provisions to offer superior customer service through its supply chain network while actively working on improving our On Time In Full, reducing carbon emissions and lowering costs to serve. 

This position will be a key part of our overall Supply Chain Leadership team.

KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• This role will lead the development of Icelandic Provision’s logistics and physical transportation strategy, process architecture and performance metrics to maximize business value; drive optimal network efficiency and deliver sustainable competitive advantage by ensuring our brand portfolio is in stock at the right location
• You will lead an integrated logistics management function that will direct and organize distribution, transportation, warehousing, and logistics policies for Icelandic Provision’s products from the point of manufacture through the delivery at our customers facilities. 
• This role will have financial management responsibility for our network of warehouses and transportation spend
• You will lead Icelandic Provision’s Customer service team, helping to ensure best in class support to our customers, both internal and external
• You will partner with our commercial functions to provide key support for customer analysis
• You will partner with Finance to develop forward looking inventory analytics including identifying aging risk, DOH analysis, inventory working capital analysis, and other financial metrics
• You will help automate our processes, including expanding our EDI platform, integrating AI into our work flows and automating month end processes

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

• 7+ years of progressive logistics and customer service experience in the CPG space
• Solid work experience with a wide variety of systems, including ERP, TMS, AI, EDI, WMS
• Experience in leading a team of professionals in the customer service / inventory management and transportation / warehousing areas
• Experience working with chilled product, including managing products with very short shelf lives
• Experience working with senior management on strategy development
• Experience creating and owning the logistics budget, including all freight, and warehousing spend

ORGANIZATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

The ideal candidate for any role within Icelandic Provisions needs to align to the values by exemplifying WÁOO (pronounced WOW!) in the way that they lead. We will naturally be assessing for the “wáoo” factor (i.e., did they “wáoo” you and will they “wáoo” others?) Here’s how we describe it: Welcoming, Ámbitious, Optimistic, On with the butter!

• WELCOMING - Food is one of the greatest connectors we have as humans. In the English language the word “companion,” in Spanish the word “companero,” in Italian the word “compagno,” and in French the word “copain” all come from the Latin meaning “with whom one eats bread.” We love this because we are a provisions company, and we value and embrace how food brings us together. So, it’s only natural that we are looking for talent that is hospitable, welcoming everyone and treating & accepting everyone as this is a core part of the culture at IP.
• AMBITIOUS - We have big dreams. We are eager, brave, passionate and love to punch above our weight. We compete in one of the most competitive categories in the consumer-packaged goods retail landscape and we are a small and mighty team. We are seeking individuals who are smart, entrepreneurial believers who are energized by charging toward a common goal to join our team. 
• OPTIMISTIC - We are a glass half full company. Iceland is regarded as one of the happiest countries on earth despite being dark for much of the year. We are looking for individuals who are focused on the upside and shy away from negativity and know how to persevere no matter what the circumstances are.  
• ON WITH THE BUTTER! - Put simply we do not like to dilly-dally. We connect dots, move, and then move on. There is an Icelandic phrase that is used to encourage people to get on with it called “áfram með smjörið” which literally translates as “get on with the butter.” We are seeking individuals who know how to make informed decisions and then quickly action them. 

YOU’RE AN IDEAL CANDIDATE IF...

• You think working in a fast paced, ever changing, entrepreneurial environment is exciting
• You believe there is always a better way. You ask lots of questions, actively seek the opinions of others and love working collaboratively
• You are a “Swiss Army Knife” of talents and are comfortable with the often fluid, changing environment of a startup and want to make a positive and lasting impact
• The unknown, the ill-defined or the uncharted motivates you
• You are looking for a work environment without a lot of hierarchy, you like empowerment and have a “roll up your sleeves” mentality
• You have strong analytical skills balanced with a great sense of logic and pragmatism when it comes to problem solving
• You are self-aware, you pay attention to organizational dynamics, and you are comfortable pacing how you influence and drive organizational change
• You are both a doer and an optimist

WHAT ICELANDIC PROVISIONS OFFER:

• Exciting work environment in a small team and a great deal of autonomy
• Flexibility to work remotely or in our New York City offices
• Competitive benefits package including health, dental, vision insurance and 401k matching
• Flexible paid time off allowing to manage your time as it works for you
• Delicious Skyr available (for free) in the office