Director of Business Operations, Babylist
Inventory Planning
$203-244k
Offers equity and bonus
More information about location
Online universal baby registry
Job no longer available
Online universal baby registry
1001+ employees
Job no longer available
$203-244k
Offers equity and bonus
More information about location
1001+ employees
Company mission
To help expecting parents get exactly what they need for the arrival of their new baby.
Role
Who you are
- If you’ve primarily worked in highly resourced environments with mature planning infrastructure, or you prefer staying at the strategy layer without owning execution and system-level details, this will be a tough fit
- 8–12+ years in inventory planning, business operations, supply chain, or technical product management within high-growth e-commerce, retail, or marketplace environments
- 4+ years leading teams, including direct management of ICs and/or managers in inventory planning, planning operations, or supply chain functions
- Deep experience owning inventory planning systems and forecasting tools—including platforms like Intuendi, EDI systems, and custom internal tools—with a track record of improving accuracy and scalability
- Strong demand forecasting and inventory planning expertise, including SKU-level forecasting, capacity planning, and scenario modeling
- Advanced analytical capability—comfortable working with large datasets, defining planning KPIs (e.g., in-stock rates, WOS, forecast accuracy), and driving decisions from data
- Experience leading cross-functional planning processes across Merchandising, Supply Chain, and Finance, with clear examples of improving alignment and execution
- Track record of building planning processes from scratch in ambiguous, fast-growing environments
- Strong change management experience, including rolling out new planning systems or workflows and driving adoption across multiple teams
- Clear and effective communicator—able to translate forecasting complexity and tradeoffs into actionable insights for senior leadership
- Experience identifying and implementing AI-driven improvements in forecasting, inventory planning, or operational workflows
What the job involves
- We are looking for a Director, Business Operations, Inventory Planning to build, scale, and elevate the operational and systems backbone that powers how Babylist plans and manages inventory
- In this role, you'll ensure our teams have the systems, processes, tools, and data they need to forecast accurately, place inventory confidently, and operate effectively at scale
- You'll partner closely with Merch Planning, Supply Chain, Merchandising, Data, Finance, Engineering, and Operations to streamline workflows, increase visibility, and support Babylist's continued growth
- In this role, you’ll lead major cross-functional initiatives while owning and evolving our inventory planning systems and tech stack
- You’ll work across tools like Intuendi, EDI, and internal forecasting systems, driving improvements in how we plan demand, manage WOS, and execute purchase orders
- You’ll also lead a team across Business Operations, Planning Ops, and Item Setup—guiding how work gets done day to day while helping the organization adopt new tools, processes, and ways of working
- This role requires someone who is comfortable in the gray—building while operating, making tradeoffs with imperfect data, and owning outcomes across a complex, evolving inventory planning ecosystem
- Own and evolve Babylist’s inventory planning systems ecosystem, ensuring tools and integrations support accurate, reliable, and scalable demand forecasting and inventory management
- Build and standardize inventory planning and forecasting processes across merchandising, supply chain, and finance—improving alignment, decision quality, and operational efficiency
- Lead the development and rollout of core planning workflows, including SKU-level forecasting, WOS management, promo planning, and purchase order accuracy
- Own planning KPIs (e.g., forecast accuracy, in-stock rates, inventory turns, WOS)—building reporting cadences that drive accountability and improve cross-functional alignment
- Oversee purchase order execution through the OMS team, ensuring inventory flow aligns to forecasted demand and minimizes stockouts and excess
- Identify and implement system and workflow improvements, including automation and integrations that increase efficiency and improve inventory utilization
- Lead cross-functional initiatives that improve how teams plan and manage inventory, increasing alignment, clarity, and trust across Planning, Supply Chain, Merchandising, and Finance
- Build, lead, and develop the Business Operations, Planning Ops, and Item Setup teams—driving strong engagement, performance, and retention
- Drive adoption of planning tools and processes through structured rollout, training, and ongoing support, ensuring consistent and effective usage across teams
- Evaluate and introduce new technologies that improve forecasting and inventory planning capabilities, ensuring clear, measurable ROI from tools and process improvements
Application process
- Babylist uses AI to record and transcribe all interviews for evaluation purposes in accordance with CCPA and GDPR. By participating in an interview, you consent to this recording and transcription
- During the interview process, we're evaluating your individual problem-solving skills, creativity, and approach to challenges. While AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Cursor are part of your daily toolkit once you join Babylist, all interviews, assessments, and take-home assignments must be completed independently
Our take
Since its 2011 launch, Babylist has grown into one of the most highly rated baby registries in the US. The difference it offers is that it allows users to include products from any store in their registries. On top of this, the company’s model also focuses heavily on creating informational content, which allows it to generate ad revenue while building customer loyalty.
Originally scaled with fairly low venture funding, Babylist claims half of new parents in the US now use its services. This, given that the baby products industry is worth close to $90 billion, shows the company's immense growth and speaks to the impact it has made in the space.
Babylist has seen strong funding in the past, which has fuelled projects such as the launch of virtual showrooms and further expanded the company's presence. The company acquired Expectful, a health and wellness tool, in 2023 with the long-term vision of combining the two companies into a larger health and wellness media property that can help people navigate all aspects of parenthood from fertility to diapers.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
67% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (1 round)
Nov 2021
$40m
SERIES C
Total funding: $40m
Company benefits
- HAPPIER WEEKENDS – We work to live, not live to work. That means we generally don’t work nights or weekends, and we offer 10 paid holidays throughout the year, in addition to your paid time off.
- PAID TIME OFF THAT WORKS FOR YOU – Life is unpredictable. Use your time off for what you need, whether that’s a vacation, family event or a day to unplug.
- PARENTAL LEAVE – We offer a flexible, 12-week paid parental leave policy.
- FLEXIBLE BENEFITS – Choose from benefits that support your working style, whether that's remote, in the office or something in between.
- HEALTH & WELLNESS – Wellness benefits include 100% paid coverage for medical, vision and dental for full-time employees.
- BABYLIST STORE DISCOUNT – All full-time employees receive a generous Babylist Store discount.
Company HQ
Emeryville, CA
Leadership
Natalie Gordon
(Founder & CEO)Former Software Engineer at Amazon. Initially founded Babylist as a side project and has since taken the company to a market leading status.
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