E-commerce Operations Manager — Shopify, Supply Chain & Fulfillment

# E-commerce Operations Manager — Dropshipping (Full-Time, Long-Term) **Engagement Type:** Full-time, ongoing (not project-based) **Schedule:** Monday–Saturday (Sunday off) **Time Zone Coverage:** Must comfortably overlap with both U.S. (EST) and China business hours **Start Date:** Immediate **Ideal Tenure:** This is a long-term role — our average team member stays 2+ years. We're not looking for a short-term contractor. --- ## About the Role We run a growing e-commerce / dropshipping operation and are looking for an experienced **Operations Manager** to take full ownership of how the business runs day to day — and to help shape how it should run going forward. This isn't a role with a fixed checklist. You'll work **directly with the business owner**, acting as their operational right hand: surfacing problems before they become fires, recommending fixes, and driving them through to execution. If you're someone who needs a narrowly defined job description to feel comfortable, this isn't the right fit. If you're someone who sees a broken process and fixes it without being asked, this is exactly the right fit. --- ## What You'll Own **Fulfillment & Supply Chain** - End-to-end order fulfillment across dropshipping/3PL channels — monitoring order flow, shipping SLAs, delivery timelines, and exception handling - Sourcing, vetting, and managing relationships with overseas (China-based) suppliers and manufacturers — pricing negotiation, quality control, lead times, and contingency sourcing - Inventory and stock-level oversight to prevent overselling, stockouts, or fulfillment bottlenecks **Customer Experience & Post-Purchase Operations** - Managing the full returns, refunds, and chargeback/dispute process — building workflows that reduce loss and improve resolution time - Leading and developing the customer service team — setting standards, monitoring quality, and handling escalations - Building a customer experience that protects brand reputation and reduces avoidable churn **Process, Systems & Financial Oversight** - Designing, documenting, and enforcing SOPs across fulfillment, support, and supplier management - Owning and reporting on the P&L — tracking costs, margins, and profitability drivers, and flagging risks early - Identifying and implementing automation and AI-assisted tools to remove manual work and reduce errors - Overseeing the e-commerce storefront's operational health (order management, app/tool integrations, platform troubleshooting) - Integrating customer data and communication systems (CRM, automated messaging/notification workflows) to streamline the customer journey and reduce response times **Strategic Partnership with Ownership** - Acting as the primary operational point of contact for the business owner - Proactively identifying inefficiencies, risks, and growth opportunities — and presenting solutions, not just problems - Translating business goals into operational plans, SOPs, and team accountability structures --- ## Success Metrics (KPIs) You'll be measured on outcomes, not hours logged. Examples of what success looks like in this role: - **Order accuracy & on-time fulfillment rate** (target: industry benchmark or better) - **Average resolution time** for returns, refunds, and chargeback disputes - **Chargeback/dispute rate** as a percentage of total orders - **Customer service response & resolution SLAs** met by the team - **Supplier performance** — defect rate, lead time adherence, cost stability - **Gross margin / profitability trends** tracked against the P&L - **Process improvements implemented** — number of SOPs created/updated and measurable impact (time saved, error reduction, cost reduction) - **Customer satisfaction / CSAT or review sentiment** trends --- ## Requirements - **5+ years** of experience in e-commerce operations management, ideally within a dropshipping or DTC environment - Proven, hands-on experience managing **fulfillment operations** through dropshipping or 3PL fulfillment channels *(experience with platforms such as CJ Dropshipping, ZenDrop, AutoDS, or similar will be considered an added advantage)* - Strong experience handling **returns, refunds, and chargeback/dispute resolution** - Experience **sourcing and managing suppliers in China** (or similar overseas manufacturing/sourcing experience) - Demonstrated ability to **build and implement SOPs** that other teams actually follow - Experience owning or contributing directly to **P&L management and reporting** - Experience **leading a customer service team** (hiring, coaching, performance management) - Solid working knowledge of running operations on a major e-commerce platform *(e.g., Shopify or equivalent)* - Experience integrating **customer data/CRM systems** with an e-commerce storefront - Experience implementing **automated communication or workflow tools** to improve customer response time and reduce manual work *(familiarity with tools such as ManyChat, Twilio, or Make.com is a strong plus, though equivalent platforms are equally welcome)* - Comfortable using **AI-assisted tools** to improve operational efficiency and decision-making - Strong written and spoken English communication skills - Available to work **Monday–Saturday**, with working-hour overlap across **U.S. EST and China time zones** ## What Will Set You Apart - Experience scaling a dropshipping or e-commerce operation through a growth phase (not just maintaining a stable one) - A track record of being trusted with real ownership — not just executing instructions - Comfort working with ambiguity and shifting priorities in an early/lean team structure - Direct, proactive communication style — you flag problems and bring solutions, not just updates ## Who Will Thrive Here - You take **ownership and accountability** without needing to be micromanaged - You're **flexible** — you don't wait for a job description to tell you what to fix - You're **confident** enough to push back, recommend a different approach, and defend your reasoning with data - You think like an **operator-owner**, not a task executor - You're looking for a **long-term home**, not a short-term gig --- ## To Apply, Please Include: 1. A summary of your e-commerce/dropshipping operations experience (channels, scale, team size managed) 2. A specific example of an SOP, process fix, or automation you built — and the measurable impact it had 3. Your experience with chargeback/dispute resolution and approximate dispute rate you managed down to 4. Your working hours availability relative to **U.S. EST** and **China** time zones 5. Confirmation of availability for **Monday–Saturday**, full-time, long-term engagement ```