Manager, Inbound Operations

Manager, Inbound Operations

The Manager, Inbound Operations will own Brooklinen's First Mile strategy, with responsibility for the financial, operational, and people aspects of global inbound logistics. This role oversees end-to-end inbound freight — including vendor partnerships, customs compliance, and budget ownership — ensuring the efficient, compliant, and scalable flow of goods into Brooklinen's supply chain. The ideal candidate combines analytical rigor with strong leadership skills, driving cost savings, process innovation, and team development to position the business for continued growth.

What You'll Do

Strategic Leadership & Process Ownership

• Lead day-to-day inbound logistics operations with a focus on efficiency, scalability, and compliance.
• Develop and refine inbound strategy to balance cost, speed, and service.
• Champion process improvements that streamline workflows and reduce costs.

Data-Driven Decision Making

• Own data accuracy and reporting across logistics systems and tools including NetSuite.
• Deliver actionable insights and KPIs to inform business decisions.
• Proactively identify trends, issues, and solutions to improve performance.

Vendor and Stakeholder Management

• Build and manage relationships with global freight forwarders (air, ocean, and OTR), brokers, and logistics partners.
• Run RFPs and QBRs to ensure accountability, service quality, and cost competitiveness.
• Partner cross-functionally to align inbound performance with business needs.

Customs Compliance & Operational Excellence

• Oversee customs compliance and tariff assessments to reduce risk and optimize costs.
• Partner with 3PLs to drive accuracy, speed, and clear communication.
• Maintain inbound forecasts and proactively address potential constraints.

People Management & Associate Development

• Manage, coach, and develop junior associates.
• Set clear goals and KPIs, ensuring accountability and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and foster career growth aligned with Brooklinen's competency framework.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Planning, Sourcing, and Product Development to align logistics with supply chain strategy.
• Act as subject matter expert on inbound processes and systems.
• Support integration of inbound operations across new channels.

Financial & Cost Ownership

• Own and manage inbound freight budget, forecasting, and reporting.
• Monitor spend vs. budget, communicate drivers, and implement corrective actions.
• Provide insights during quarterly and annual P&L reviews.

Industry & Market Intelligence

• Stay current on logistics trends to anticipate risk and maintain best-in-class operations.
• Support strategic supply chain initiatives from Operations leadership.

What You'll Bring

• 3–5 years of progressive experience in supply chain, global logistics, or operations, ideally within high-growth consumer products or mid-market organizations.
• At least 1 year of management experience with proven people leadership and associate development.
• Hands-on experience managing inbound freight, including budget ownership, variance tracking, and cost reporting.
• Strong vendor management skills, with experience running RFPs, leading QBRs, and enforcing SLAs.
• Ability to manage complex projects, align cross-functional teams, and influence stakeholders across Finance, Planning, and Product Development.
• Knowledge of customs compliance, HTS classification, and duty/tariff schedules.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to deliver insights to senior leadership.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a track record of building scalable, efficient processes.

What Success Looks Like

• Inbound freight consistently meets cost, speed, and service targets.
• Vendor relationships are strong, accountable, and drive measurable performance improvements.
• Customs compliance processes are streamlined with no major risk exposures.
• The team is high-performing, engaged, and developing in line with Brooklinen's competencies.
• Forecasts, budgets, and KPIs are accurate, transparent, and trusted across the business.
• Cross-functional teams view inbound operations as a reliable and strategic partner.
• Continuous improvements deliver measurable savings and efficiency gains year over year.

Compensation & Benefits

At Brooklinen, we're committed to providing a competitive total compensation package—grounded in market data that considers our size, stage, industry, and location. For this role, the salary range is between $85K and $90K.

Beyond base salary, we offer a comprehensive set of benefits designed to support the well-being, growth, and balance of our team.

• Health Benefits: We contribute generously toward our employees' medical, dental and vision premiums.
• Fertility Support: We provide financial support for every fertility and family-building journey.
• Retirement Savings: A 401K plan with a 4% company match helps you build for the future.
• Commuter Benefits: Pre-tax commuter benefits help cover the costs of getting to and from the office.
• Product Discount and Allowance: Enjoy a 40% discount on Brooklinen products and a 25% discount for friends & family, plus a bi-annual product allowance.
• Wellness Support: Free memberships to One Medical and Talkspace provide health and mental wellness support.
• We also offer a flexible wellness & lifestyle $1,000 reimbursement through Joon.
• Parental Leave: All new parents receive 14 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
• Year-Long Summer Fridays: We wrap up at 3 pm every Friday, all year long.
• Vacation: Start with 20 days of vacation per year (pro-rated by start date). After five years with us, you'll enjoy 25 days of vacation annually.
• Sabbatical: At your five-year anniversary, take a fully paid, one-month sabbatical.
• Hybrid Schedule: We require all HQ team members to work in the office for two days each week during our core days (Tuesday to Thursday), with Tuesday being mandatory company-wide. Our office is open and inviting—come in as often as you like!
• Remote Work Weeks: Enjoy additional flexibility with remote weeks, including Thanksgiving week, the last week of December, and up to four additional remote weeks per year, with manager approval.
• Equity: Our HQ team receives competitive equity grants, and we'd be happy to share more details about valuing this part of compensation during the interview process.

Why join us?

At our core, we're a team that values authenticity, passion, and genuine connection. We've cultivated a culture where friendly, welcoming, and driven people thrive together—fueling an environment that's collaborative and refreshingly low-ego. We're strong believers that the people you work with can make or break a job, so we go to great lengths to protect this amazing culture.

We believe in balancing hard work with personal well-being. Here, recharging isn't just encouraged; it's essential. Our workday kicks off at 10 am, we're serious about taking vacations, and we wrap up by 3 pm on "Summer Fridays" all year long. Hanging out with teammates is just as important as unplugging to get a great night's sleep.

Growth is in our DNA. As our company expands, we're committed to creating exciting opportunities for our talented team members to grow, collaborate, and make a meaningful impact.

Hybrid work? Absolutely. We're proud of our flexible HQ schedule—which is two days each week during our core days (Tuesday to Thursday), with Tuesday being mandatory company-wide—to support work-life balance.

But don't just take our word for it! Our commitment to our team has earned us recognition from LinkedIn Top Startups, Inc.'s Best Workplaces, and Forbes Best Startup Employers in America in recent years. We're just getting started, and we