Operations & Admin Associate

Ecosentials is not your average paper company. We’re a locally-based startup. We’re best known for our tree-free brands — Bim Bam Boo (www.bimbamboopaper.com) and Compo Compostables (gocompo.com). As a small-company, we’re growing fast and have big plans to grow even more in the years to come, which is where you come in! We’d like to welcome a driven, organized, numbers-loving individual to our small team immediately. The Operations and Administrative Associate will help us maintain an operational-foundation so the company can flourish, and keep business running smoothly. 

The Operations and Administration Associate will be an integral part of the Ecosential’s team, reporting to the President. You’ll help us scale a kick-ass business that helps combat deforestation, while pioneering healthier-for-you products.

A bit about us

Ecosentials sells pretty-cool, tree-free paper products (ie. bamboo tissue and sugarcane plates). As much as we love toilet paper, the reason we’re in business to pioneer healthier-for-you, sustainable products.

 

How we work today

Ecosentials works with our manufacturing partners to produce and ship our goods from our manufacturing locations in China to the US. Once the goods land at our Minnesota warehousing facility, we sell to natural products distributors who serve over 40,000 brick-and-mortar retail locations throughout the US. Though our current product portfolio is pretty small. We sell less than 20 paper-based items. In the near future, we expect to expand our offerings to better serve our partners.

 

What we want you to do

Make sure we never run out of goods

  • Inventory management — including but not limited to tracking, forecasting , importing, auditing and initiating product builds

  • You’ll work with our sales team, president and CEO directly to understand volume requirements and inventory plans for the business

  • Forecast what’s needed to meet current demand, and make predictions about inventory needed to meet new and increased demand as we grow

  • Run correspondence with our manufacturing and freight forwarding partners

  • Issue PO’s to vendors

  • Track status of imports

  • Perform quarterly inventory audits at our warehouse

 

 

Admin tasks/office management

  • COI requests

  • Retailer and distributor forms

  • Tracking all current products specs

  • Shipping product samples and/or thank you letters

  • Developing and configuring new products specs

  • UPC creation and management

  • Monitor office supplies and re-order as needed

  • Meeting notes as needed

  • Scheduling/managing team calendar

  • Calculating pricing and margins

  • Help design and submit paperwork for retailer and distributor promotional programs

  • Organizing competitor data

  • Filing

  • Assist in consumer inquiries via email

  • Assist in getting quotes from and managing vendors for operations-related projects

  • Participate in team meetings, one-on-ones and events

 

Conduct traffic

  • Project manage as needed, specifically new product launches, packaging updates and new biz

 

 

Account for all the things

  • Maintain accounts receivable/payable, vendor contact info, and other bookkeeping tasks via Quickbooks

  • Prepare 1099’s as necessary

  • Run reconciliation as needed

  • Review bill-backs from distributors and vendors for errors, and pursuing corrective action when necessary

 

Process orders

  • Receive and review PO’s

  • Confirm with customer order was received and status of inventory requested

  • Provide status updates to customers and distributors when applicable

  • Route orders through warehouse and outgoing freight partners

  • Assure timely delivery of goods

 

Who you are

You’re a numbers person

Can you make numbers tell stories? Whip up spreadsheets and formulas like a master? Know how to flirt with pivot tables? Great! Whether it’s analyzing sales data, analyzing margins or reviewing financials — your fluency in excel and Quickbooks will guide the team’s inventory forecasts, assure our vendors aren’t overcharging us and keep the ship running smoothly.

 

You’re a great communicator

Don’t mind picking up the phone to get stuff done? Cool. Your excellent writing and verbal skills will come in handy when communicating with our internal team, sales crew, logistics team and vendors. 

 

You’re a passionate self-starter, with the soul of a team-player

You’re constantly taking the initiative and looking for opportunities for improvement and efficiency. You don’t wait to be told what needs to be done - you just see a problem or opportunity and dive right in. You thrive on autonomy. And when the time comes, you know when and how to ask for help.

 

You’re a naturally curious problem solver and a fast learner

You’re quick to understand a new industry, technique or approach and have varied experience across a range of products. 

 

You’re not afraid to get your hands dirty

We’re a lean company so you’ll be expected to head up front-line responsibilities with our operations, and wear many different hats. 

 

You’re detail-loving

Do you get a special kind of satisfaction from having everything filed and organized? Are you known for double (or triple) checking things? Do you have a knack for recalling information and staying top of deadlines? Well, we sure hope so! This position will require thorough attention to details.

 

Why you should work with us

Working for a start up never boring. And if you have a great idea, we’d to everything we can do to make it happen. This is the kind of role you won’t get anywhere else: you’ll work one-on-one with a seasoned serial-entrepreneur and a brilliant marketer, and have a chance to make a real impact. We’re very flexible, allowing work from home, vacation and volunteer time. And while we don’t have a Friday drinks trolley, you will get free toilet paper. A lot of it. And nothing beats that!

 

Location, location, location

This role is based in our North Loop office. We offer in-office espresso, La Croix, coffee, peanut M&M's, off-street storage for your bike, and are a short jaunt away from the light-rail and transit stations. Also, our in-office doggo, Hayley, will brighten even the darkest of days. 

 

Salary

This depends on your experience, but just because we’re a startup doesn’t mean you’ll get paid peanuts. In other words, we pay competitively and are determined to make this one of the best jobs you’ll ever have! 

 

 

QUALIFICATIONS

- Experience in customer service

- Have a foundation for basic accounting practices

- Familiarity with Mac and Apple programs (such as Pages and Keynote) and Microsoft office suite 

- Ability to operate on a Mac and PC

- Gmail and Gsuite savvy 

- Forecasting and inventory management is a major plus

- Comprehensive understanding of Quickbooks and/or Excel

- Passion for sustainability (and fun!) is a major plus

- Enjoyment of learning and improvement through constructive feedback

- Flexible problem solver

How to apply

Please send your cover letter and resume to joinourteam@goecosentials.com

 

Thanks for your interest!