Senior Operations Manager, Partner Network & Automation

Job description

**About Gelato** Gelato has created the world's largest global network for on-demand production of custom products, from t-shirts and mugs to books and wall art. We empower a new generation of ecommerce entrepreneurs to share their creativity worldwide while embracing local, sustainable production. By producing locally and perfectly matching supply with demand, we eliminate waste and reduce carbon emissions. At Gelato, we don't own production facilities, we build the software that connects them. With over 250 production partners in 32 countries, our network can deliver custom products to five billion people in just 72 hours. It's smarter, faster, and greener. With [GelatoConnect](http://www.gelato.com/connect), our SaaS platform, we're driving innovation in print production. GelatoConnect simplifies operations for print producers by automating procurement, workflows, and logistics into one seamless system. By boosting efficiency and cutting costs, it helps businesses scale to meet market demands. With GelatoConnect, we're reshaping the print industry to be more efficient, sustainable, and profitable. **What You Will Be Doing** As Senior Operations Manager, you will own the performance and development of Gelato's production partner network across Europe. This is a data-driven role for someone who likes to understand how complex systems work, identify where performance can improve, and build scalable solutions through data, automation, and technology. You will work across partner selection, onboarding, performance, capacity, quality, speed, and selection, using GelatoConnect as the backbone for how the network operates and scales. You will work closely with Product, Engineering, Commercial, Procurement, and Supply Chain teams to turn operational insight into better systems, tools, and decisions. - Use production, quality, availability, and delivery data to identify performance gaps, patterns, root causes, and opportunities across the network - Build dashboards, workflows, frameworks, and operating mechanisms that make network performance visible, actionable, and scalable - Identify manual or repetitive processes and improve, automate, or eliminate them using modern automation and AI tools - Use data to determine where Gelato needs additional capacity, capabilities, speed, or product selection, and help identify the right production partners - Bring new partners onto GelatoConnect and continuously improve the onboarding process to make it faster and more reliable - Own ongoing partner performance across availability, speed, quality, and selection, focusing on scalable improvements rather than repeated manual intervention - Assess the supplier ecosystem and support decisions around procurement, material cost, availability, and inventory efficiency - Partner with Product and Engineering to identify where tooling, integrations, automation, or product changes can remove operational friction - Translate network insight into clear recommendations and decisions across cost, service, quality, and growth. **Who You Are** - **Highly analytical:** You are comfortable working directly with data, dashboards, and operational metrics, and can translate analysis into clear business decisions - **A systems thinker:** When you see a recurring problem, your instinct is to understand the root cause and improve the system behind it - **Automation-minded:** You actively look for ways to reduce manual work and improve speed, accuracy, and scalability through AI and automation - **A structured problem solver:** You bring clarity to complex, multi-variable problems and are comfortable making decisions with imperfect information - **Commercially aware:** You understand trade-offs across cost, quality, speed, availability, customer experience, and growth - **High ownership:** You take responsibility for outcomes end to end and move quickly from analysis to action - **Comfortable externally:** You can work directly with production partners and suppliers, challenge constructively, and influence without direct authority - **Curious and adaptable:** You learn new tools, technologies, industries, and business models quickly You have 5+ years of experience in operations, strategy, business operations, consulting, marketplace operations, supply chain, technology-enabled operations, or another complex operating environment. Experience in supply chain, manufacturing, logistics, marketplaces, retail, or ecommerce is useful, but not essential. What matters most is your ability to use data, technology, automation, and structured problem solving to improve complex systems. **Location and Travel** This role is based in Madrid, with a minimum of 3 days a week in the office. We expect around 25% travel, primarily domestic but potentially across Europe, to spend time with partners and the network. **What it's like to work at Gelato** We are a customer-obsessed team with the ambition to change the world by connecting technology to the printing industry and making it much more sustainable. Everyone who joins our team must feel genuinely intrigued and motivated by our mission. We expect a lot. We are a driven team with big goals, so we seek individuals who are genuinely passionate about their work and possess an entrepreneurial spirit. Our culture is unique and we live by our values, so it's worth learning more about our culture and how we work before presenting your application. At Gelato, we pride ourselves on our global presence with 11 offices worldwide, fostering a dynamic and diverse work environment. Rooted in a culture that values collaboration, creativity, and camaraderie, we actively cultivate a company culture that thrives on shared experiences. We encourage team members to embrace this culture by working from our inspiring office spaces at least **three days a week**, allowing for meaningful connections and collective growth. Lastly, we ask that you please upload your **CV in English**, regardless of which country you are applying from. **Candidate Information** As part of our commitment to a transparent recruitment process, please be aware that following acceptance of an offer of employment with Gelato, you will be asked to complete a background check conducted by a third-party provider.