Operations Director

• EOS rhythm. Run weekly Level 10 meetings for operations, keep each department's Scorecard current, and use IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve) to close issues rather than carry them.

• Accountability. Hold monthly one-on-ones and quarterly conversations with direct reports, and address performance issues early, fairly, and with documentation.

• Culture. Model a culture of ownership, accuracy, and customer care across a team that spans the warehouse, the store floor, the support inbox, and the systems backlog.

• Leadership Team. Serve on the Leadership Team, bring operations' issues and data to the table, and help set company priorities beyond your own departments. A seat on the leadership team would begin ~3 months into the role.

Responsibilities: Execution

You make sure the work actually gets done, on time and accurately, and you step in when it does not.

• Processes and SOPs. Document, simplify, and enforce standard operating procedures for receiving, inventory control, fulfillment, buying, listing, and support.

• Inventory accuracy. Own the integrity of inventory data from purchase order to sale, including cycle counts, reconciliations, and shrink control.

• Release execution. Coordinate major product releases end to end: allocation, receiving, listing, break scheduling, retail launch, and customer communication.

• Vendor and partner management. Assist with relationships and terms with distributors, manufacturers, software vendors, shipping carriers, and grading companies.

• Systems delivery. Ship system improvements, integrations, and AI-driven automations that remove manual steps and give teams reliable, real-time data.

• Problem solving. Get hands-on during peaks, outages, and escalations, find the root cause, and put a fix in place so the problem does not come back.

• Reporting. Deliver weekly Scorecard results and monthly operating reports that show what happened, why, and what is changing.

Cross-functional bridges

You are the operational link between the team that sells product live and the team that counts the money. Neither reports to you, but both depend on you.

Marketing: Live Commerce

Our live breaking team sells on Whatnot and Fanatics Live from within Marketing. Your job is to make sure they always have the right product and that every sale is fulfilled cleanly.

• Forecast product demand against the break schedule and reserve inventory before shows are booked.

• Run a clear handoff for product moving to and from the stream room, with daily reconciliation of what was opened, sold, and shipped.

• Bring customer feedback and service trends back to the live team so shows keep improving.

Qualifications

The right candidate has run inventory-heavy, multi-department operations and is equally comfortable in a budget review, a warehouse aisle, and a systems roadmap.

Required

• 8+ years in retail, ecommerce, or consumer products operations, including 4+ years leading managers or multi-department teams.

• Direct ownership of purchasing, warehouse, fulfillment, and inventory control in a high-SKU environment.

• Hands-on experience with an ERP (NetSuite strongly preferred) and point-of-sale systems, and comfort making systems decisions.

• A track record of using automation and AI tools to change how teams work, not just to try them.

• Strong financial acumen: budgets, margin, cost of goods sold, open-to-buy, and inventory valuation.

• Experience building SOPs, KPIs, and accountability systems that teams actually use.

• Clear, direct written and verbal communication with staff, vendors, and leadership.

Preferred

• Knowledge of the sports card and trading card hobby: products, release cycles, grading, and market pricing.

• Experience supporting live commerce (Whatnot, Fanatics Live, or similar) or high-volume ecommerce fulfillment.

• EOS experience, ideally as a Leadership Team member or Integrator.

• Omnichannel experience across retail stores, ecommerce, and marketplaces.

• Experience scaling, opening, or relocating a warehouse or retail location.

• A bachelor's degree in operations, supply chain, business, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

Core competencies

In EOS terms, this seat needs someone who Gets it, Wants it and has the Capacity to do it. In practice, that looks like this:

• Systems thinker. You see how one buying decision ripples into the warehouse, the catalog, the break schedule, and cash flow.

• Bias for action. You fix problems rather than just flag them, and you know when good enough is good enough.

• Data-driven. You make decisions from the Scorecard and the ledger, not anecdotes.

• People developer. You delegate outcomes rather than tasks, and your leads grow under you.

• Calm under pressure. Release days, holiday peaks, and system outages bring out your best thinking.

• Customer focus. You understand that collectors trust us with cards that matter to them.

• Tech fluency. You are curious about AI, comfortable with integrations and data, and skeptical of tools that add work.

Work environment

• On-site in Columbus, Ohio, splitting time between our warehouse and the Arena District retail store.

• Some evenings and weekends around major releases, live events, card shows, and holiday peaks.

• Occasional travel to card shows, vendor meetings, and events.

Compensation and benefits

• Salary: $120,000

• Paid time off on a calendar-year basis.

• Health and retirement benefits

Midwest Cards is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.