Vice President, Operations (Portland)

About Ridwell

Ridwell is a service that inspires people to create a future without waste. Today, we make it easy to reuse and recycle more by identifying recyclable and reusable items that the city doesn't collect, picking them up from our customers' doorsteps, and matching them with local partners that can use them sustainably. Our future plans go much further and include making zero waste a reality for millions.

We are a social purpose corp, meaning sustainability is not just a company value - it's fundamental to the purpose and interests of our company. Our mission is to empower communities to waste less, and every success our team celebrates means more waste saved from the landfill, less clutter in our customer’s homes, and more valuable donations in the hands of local non-profits.

We’re funded and growing quickly and are excited to add to our team. We offer a strong benefits package, a flexible work and vacation schedule, and a team invested in the personal growth of its employees. This is a unique opportunity to get in at the beginning and help build something special!

About The Role

You are an exceptional operations leader and would step in as a member of the executive team. You will be tasked with helping us achieve our mission at a massive scale and building upon the incredible role we play in our members’ lives who often use as a verb and refer to Ridwell this way: “I LOVE...LOVE...LOVE Ridwell. I so appreciate having a service that supports my desire to make environmentally positive choices. Ridwell finds real ways to reuse/recycle common household items...and I get to clean my home at the same time.” You will be responsible for our operations strategy, optimization, and execution by leading both centralized and decentralized operations teams. Everything from transportation, to warehouses, to supply chain, to driver success all roll up to you as they combine to make possible a new type of service that makes our communities and environment stronger and more resilient.

This position has a salary range of $150,000 - $200,000/year. This range is a good-faith estimate for this position. The final salary offer will be determined after reviewing relevant factors, which include a candidate's qualifications and experience, where appropriate. Compensation includes both salary and equity options. At this time, we can only hire US-based candidates.

Our Values

• We Take Our Success Personally. We all have a stake in the success of Ridwell. You are empowered to make an impact.
• We Are Stronger Together. Every person is critical to our success. We need diverse perspectives to execute on creative solutions. By fostering collaboration and connection at every level, we can be phenomenal
• Purpose Drives Our Actions. Knowing why we are doing something enables us to focus on what is truly important
• We Never Settle. We are relentlessly pursuing the exceptional and challenging the status quo–always making our service, experience, and company better
• Our Member is our Hero. Our members are at the core of our company. Only by empowering them can we accomplish our vision

Core Responsibilities

• Oversee all operating functions of the Ridwell service in markets where we operate, including transportation and warehouse. Travel to markets as needed.
• Desire to operate at all levels of the business to create an operations organizational structure that can thrive while experiencing growth and while experimenting and learning
• Leverage data to set priorities and test hypotheses while seeking continuous improvement in operating performance
• Execute an operations strategy that supports the scalability and growing complexity of the business while ensuring smooth, consistent operations
• Effectively manage managers with different skill sets to successfully lead on-the-ground teams
• Advocate for technology projects that enable our operations to scale while becoming more efficient over time
• Manage our supply chain ensuring that we have material on hand to keep up with rapid membership growth
• Identify and advocate for top performers within the company who are ready, able, and excited to take on greater responsibility
• Communicate guidelines, purpose and vision to team members while still allowing for local autonomy and decision making
• Direct centralized functions like fleet support so they are providing great service to stakeholders while doing so in a cost effective manner
• Maintain a sustainable fleet strategy and oversee the ongoing execution of it through consistent testing and iteration
• Act as an internal role model in modeling company values and bringing out the best in others

Measures of Success

• Each market demonstrates strong financial performance with consistent revenue growth, predictable unit economics, and clear paths to profitability
• A track record of process improvements that utilize training / goal-setting, as well as investments in technology where appropriate
• Consistently exceed operational success metrics, including completed pickups, stops per hour, and warehouse efficiency
• A strong team culture in each market where employees at all levels take pride in working at Ridwell and understand their role in our success

We're open to a variety of backgrounds and experiences, but here are the general skills and experience we’re looking for:

• Ownership of large portions of a company P&L
• Team leadership as demonstrated by hiring and developing general manager-like roles in multiple geographies at the same time
• Experience and domain expertise in one or more of the following areas: marketplaces, transportation services, warehouse and fulfillment
• A perspective on why some operating functions are best centralized while others are managed in the field

Benefits at Ridwell

• Flexible vacation and sick leave policy
• Paid parental leave
• We are committed to creating a supportive environment for our employees. We offer the following benefits:
• Comprehensive healthcare benefits including vision and dental
• 401(k) plan

Individuals seeking employment at Ridwell are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

COVID-19 update for Ridwell employees

All Ridwell employees must be fully vaccinated except as necessary to accommodate disability or religious belief, candidates will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination (e.g., a copy of a vaccine card or other similar official document confirming vaccination status) prior to their first day of employment.

How we are protecting employees from COVID-19

At Ridwell, employee health and safety is our top priority. We have implemented processes and precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For more information, please contact our HR department at [email protected].