Part-Time Operations Manager (Remote)

Part-time - 25 hours per week; fully remote; salary £45k FTE

Reports to: Sophie (CEO)

Direct reports: Myanmar Country Director, Warehouse Manager and Customer & Business Support Executive

About Kalinko

Kalinko is a B Corp-certified homeware brand bringing beautifully handmade pieces from Myanmar to homes, hotels and interior-design projects around the world. Founded in 2016, we work closely with skilled artisan communities to create distinctive, enduring products and support sustainable livelihoods.

We are a small, ambitious and values-led business, with teams in the UK and Yangon and a growing international trade customer base.

Purpose of the role

The Operations Manager is responsible for keeping Kalinko’s operations running smoothly, with particular ownership of people leadership, cash management, stock and demand planning, and coordination between our teams and supply partners.

Line-managing three experienced function leads, the Operations Manager will help each person run their area successfully while ensuring that priorities, information and decisions flow effectively across the business.

This is a part-time leadership role for someone who combines strong operational and financial judgement with exceptional emotional intelligence. Working across different cultures, locations and working styles, they will build trust, create clear accountability and help people raise and resolve problems early.

The role is designed to be performed effectively in 25 hours per week. It requires purposeful, regular leadership rather than daily supervision, together with the autonomy and judgement to make good decisions within limited hours.

Key accountabilities

People & Team Leadership

• Line-manage the Myanmar Country Director, Warehouse Manager, and Customer & Business Support Executive, setting clear objectives, holding them accountable, running regular one-to-ones and reviews, and supporting each person’s development.
• Build trusted relationships across the UK and Myanmar, adapting communication and management style to different people and cultural contexts.
• Create an environment where people feel safe raising problems, acknowledging mistakes, and asking for help early, while maintaining clear expectations and accountability.
• Lead recruitment and performance management within operations, with permanent appointments, pay decisions and formal disciplinary matters agreed with Sophie.
• Approve holiday and hours for direct reports and maintain oversight of warehouse overtime and resourcing ahead of payroll submission.

Cash Management & Payments

• Using tools and guidance from our accountants, manage weekly cash planning and payment runs across our UK and Myanmar entities, keeping Sophie in the loop on anything that needs her input.
• Own the scheduling and accuracy of supplier and UK accounts payable payments, support the Myanmar Country Director with visibility and prioritisation of Myanmar payments, and prepare clean records for the bookkeeper and accountant.

Stock, demand and supply planning

• Own the stock and demand plan, ensuring that production and purchasing are commissioned far enough ahead to keep core and continuity lines appropriately provisioned.
• Maintain clear visibility of stock, production and goods in transit across the UK, Myanmar and any other supply locations.
• Monitor stock performance, identify slow-moving and out-of-stock lines, and review these with the team quarterly to protect availability and release working capital.
• Coordinate shipment timing and freight requirements with the relevant function leads, suppliers and shipping partners.
• Support the development of supply relationships beyond Myanmar where required, including coordinating production, quality, freight and logistics with suppliers in countries such as Indonesia.

 Myanmar Coordination

• Coordinate production schedules, supplier capacity, stock requirements and quality issues with the Myanmar Country Director.
• Identify problems early, work with the Myanmar Country Director to resolve them, and escalate significant strategic, people or supplier matters to Sophie.

 Warehouse oversight

• Hold the Warehouse Manager accountable for the safe, accurate and efficient operation of the warehouse, including stock accuracy, quality control and dispatch.
• Support the Warehouse Manager in managing and developing the warehouse team effectively.
• Act as the escalation point for warehouse issues that the Warehouse Manager cannot resolve alone.
• Act as the key liaison between the warehouse and Myanmar on quality-control issues, reviewing QC reports and coordinating appropriate corrective action plans to resolve concerns and prevent recurrence.
• Support continuous improvement in the warehouse while ensuring that day-to-day ownership remains with the Warehouse Manager.

Customer service and trade administration oversight

• Hold the Customer & Business Support Executive accountable for customer service, trade-order administration, product setup and general business administration.
• Ensure that agreed customer-service standards and administrative processes are consistently met.
• Act as the escalation point and collaborator for non-standard trade orders, unusual shipping requirements, international trade quotes and matters falling outside the Customer & Business Support Executive’s agreed remit.

 Processes, systems, reporting and AI

• Take responsibility for ensuring Kalinko’s operational dashboards are accurate, current, and useful, with relevant team members, systems, and external finance providers maintaining routine data inputs.
• Interpret dashboard and operational data to inform decisions, establish priorities and flag risks.
• Lead process mapping and documentation, including SOPs, the box bible, and the records and evidence needed for B Corp reporting and recertification, to support a consistent, resilient and scalable operation with appropriate cover during absence.
• Keep product and logo guidelines current, and ensure the UK, Myanmar, and other supply partners consistently follow them.
• Identify and implement practical opportunities to use AI and automation to reduce repetitive work and improve accuracy.
• Review the operational systems within the role’s remit, including inventory management, Xero and payment tools, and flag when they are no longer fit for purpose.

Requirements of the role

Experience and technical capability

• Significant operations experience, ideally in e-commerce, retail, wholesale, or another product-based business (not a prerequisite), with the confidence and judgement to take meaningful ownership of cash and stock decisions in a part-time role.
• Strong financial literacy, with experience of cash management and accounts payable across multiple entities or currencies.
• Experience coordinating overseas production, suppliers, freight or logistics partners.
• Confidence using inventory, order-management and accounting systems such as Shopify and Xero, or the ability to learn new systems quickly.
• Proven experience of line-managing people with different responsibilities, working styles and levels of confidence, ideally within an international or remote team.
• A practical understanding of how AI and automation can reduce operational administration.

 How this role needs to be done

• Able to work autonomously, prioritise confidently and exercise sound, well-judged decision-making within a part-time schedule, including what to decide independently and what to bring to Sophie.
• Exceptional emotional intelligence and cultural sensitivity, adapting communication and management style warmly and effectively across different people, roles and countries.
• Able to combine empathy and patience with honest feedback, clear expectations and consistent accountability, and to handle difficult conversations directly and constructively while preserving trust and dignity.
• Confident in giving each report clear ownership while remaining close enough to identify problems early.
• Trusted with cash and sensitive information, and discreet, accurate and dependable under pressure.
• Committed to treating colleagues, suppliers, artisans and partners with respect; maintaining high ethical standards; and embodying our values – Care Deeply, Build Trust, Think Bigger and Stay Grounded – in how decisions are made, relationships are managed, and problems are resolved.

What good looks like

• The three function leads are clear about their objectives, well supported and take ownership of their functions, with the UK and Myanmar teams communicating openly and raising problems early.
• Cash positions and payment schedules across the UK and Myanmar are accurate and clearly visible.
• Stock is planned far enough ahead to protect core and continuity lines and release working capital tied up in slow stock, with production and freight effectively coordinated and clear visibility of stock and goods in transit across all supply locations.
• Customers get a consistently warm, professional, timely service, and trade orders progress smoothly.
• Warehouse and admin standards are consistently met, and problems are identified and resolved early.
• Dashboards and operational data are accurate and actively used to inform decisions, and documented processes, AI, and automation measurably reduce repetitive work and make the operation more resilient.

Location, hours and handover

This is a permanent, fully remote, part-time role of 25 hours per week. Working days can be flexible but must allow for regular contact with the UK and Myanmar teams.

The successful candidate must be able to travel to Kalinko’s warehouse in Wales, LD7, as often as required to carry out the role effectively. There will also be an opportunity to travel with Sophie to Myanmar to understand better the context in which we work, but this would be completely optional.

The outgoing Operations Manager will provide a structured handover during October 2026, including additional paid handover time where required to transfer cash-management processes and key relationships properly. If you’re interested, please email sophie.garnier@kalinko.com.