What are the responsibilities and job description for the Business Operations Manager position at Coffee and Characters?
About Coffee & Characters
Coffee and Characters is a female and minority-owned publishing startup with a team of dedicated professionals whose mission is to cultivate a passion for reading by creating and publishing diverse books for readers to enjoy. Caution: It’s spicy over here! Owner Daniela Romero has published over 15 of titles in contemporary and paranormal romance genres that are distributed worldwide in English, Spanish, French and German.
Coffee and Characters owns and operates Baddies Book Box and the Baddies Bookshop where we celebrate indie romance and help readers connect with independently published authors who deserve the spotlight, offering exclusive, special edition books and merchandise that is as bold and vibrant as our community.
We believe representation matters, and that through the stories, culture, and ideas our books hold, we have the unique ability to connect, change, and inspire readers toward a brighter tomorrow. We specialize in dark-ish contemporary romance. Learn more at and
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We are seeking a Business Operations Manager to manage the day-to-day operations of our Baddies Bookshop and Book Box subscription service. This is an established and thriving part of our business that requires significant time and attention to detail to maintain project schedules each month. The goal of this role is to free up our author CEO to write more books and to expand the business beyond current channels.
The successful candidate will be an entrepreneurial, solutions-oriented go-getter with strong people and project management experience, organizational skills, communication skills, and problem solving skills to manage day-to-day operations. You should thrive in a fast-paced, family-owned environment as we are currently expanding our customer base with the addition of a brand new warehouse/office that will allow us to serve more customers.
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced people manager with a mind for operations and a passion for books, to learn all aspects of running a successful startup. Our CEO is growth-minded as we are looking for someone who can grow with us. This role is the CEO’s right hand and will be an integral part of the team.
Core Responsibilities:
People management & talent development (20%)
- Hire, onboard, and manage a small team.
- Evaluate individual and team performance, develop talent plans, and create a strong culture of performance.
- Identify training needs as we grow and lead upskilling talent to drive results and help them grow with us.
- Cultivate a strong company culture and safe work environment for the business and our people to thrive.
- Comply with all state and federal regulations regarding HR and business ops, and assist with policy and procedures development to establish people and business operating standards.
Project & operations management (80%)
- Work directly with the CEO to understand and shape business goals for each month and quarter.
- Help source new authors and process author contracts for the Baddies Book Box.
- Receive creative direction from the CEO on book projects and oversee the team to implement the plan.
- Oversee and lead project schedules for each book/author partnership, coordinating with the author, designers, and suppliers to fulfill the partnership terms and get book boxes out to customers on time.
- Coordinate with overseas manufacturers and suppliers to ensure timely delivery of products for Baddies.
- Create systems and structures to organize the warehouse team and oversee the production and fulfillment of 4-8 book boxes for thousands of customers each month.
- When there is overstock, lead product drop campaigns on the website, planning the right time to release them etc. to maximize profit.
Requirements:
- Ability to work effectively in a family-owned start-up environment (i.e. a roll up your sleeves, no job is too big or too small attitude)
- 2 years of people management experience and a knack for talent development
- Excellent project management and organizational skills
- Strong interpersonal communication skills (written and verbal)
- Reliable transportation to report to the Spokane Valley office 4-5 days per week
- Passion or interest in book publishing, sales and marketing, entrepreneurship or related field
- Proficiency or tech-savvy ability to learn Asana for project management and tools like AirTable, Dropbox, Slack, Email, etc.
- Demonstrated experience developing and implementing operational improvements.
Benefits:
- Paid holidays and vacation package
- Paid sick time as required by law
- Medical expense reimbursement
- An exclusive dental package with a local dental provider (optional)
- Other benefits may be negotiable
TO APPLY: Please submit a cover letter and resume to book@itsmichelleromero.com letting us know why you want this job and outlining your unique experience. Please write the email subject line as follows: “YOUR NAME - Business Operations Manager.”
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Contract
Pay: $54,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year
Expected hours: 40 per week
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health savings account
- Paid time off
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Monday to Friday
- No weekends
Experience:
- Management: 2 years (Preferred)
Ability to Commute:
- Spokane Valley, WA 99216 (Required)
Ability to Relocate:
- Spokane Valley, WA 99216: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person
Salary : $54,000 - $65,000