Overview:
Sprout is a global IT hardware retirement provider for hyperscaler and enterprise clients. We leverage a nationwide footprint (and international partner network) combined with proprietary software to enable efficient end-to-end IT asset disposition with a focus on data-bearing devices from the client to the cloud. The company is headquartered in Charlotte, NC with additional operations near Sacramento, Dallas, and Boston. Sprout provides software and services to clients in the form of our IT Asset Disposition, Certified Destruction, and Responsible Recycling solutions.
Since our founding as an electronic waste startup from a Duke University dorm room in 2014, we have been expanding at an average rate of >50% each year. By adhering to our 3 values (One Sprout, Deliver Excellence, and Integrity Matters), we are proud of our culture to move at #SproutSpeed seeking to become the emerging leader in our industry.
The Operations Manager owns end-to-end daily execution across all processing, receiving, and shipping areas of an assigned facility or value stream. Where the Supervisor is accountable for a shift or department and the Facility Manager is accountable for the site as a business, the Operations Manager is accountable for the connective tissue between them — cross-departmental flow, plan attainment, labor deployment, and the disciplined execution of standard work.
This role converts the site plan into daily and weekly execution: staffing to demand, balancing lines, clearing constraints, holding standard work, and escalating what cannot be resolved at the floor level. The Operations Manager develops Senior Supervisors and Supervisors into the next layer of site leadership and serves as the Facility Manager’s designee in their absence.
All activity is performed within Sprout’s QEHSMS and in conformance with R2v3, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 27001, and OSHA requirements, with continuous improvement driven through Lean, 5S, and Kaizen.
Responsibilities:
Daily Execution & Flow
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Own daily plan attainment across all assigned areas — receiving, processing, test/diagnostics, e-commerce prep, shipping — against throughput, quality, and SLA commitments.
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Balance labor daily against demand and backlog; reallocate headcount across departments to protect the constraint and prevent aged inventory.
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Run the daily management system — tier meetings, production boards, Andon response, and shift handoff — ensuring issues are surfaced and closed within 24 hours or escalated with an owner and date.
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Drive speed to finished goods, reducing dwell time between stations and moving product to saleable or final disposition status inside SLA.
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Coordinate cross-functionally with Customer Success, Logistics, E-Commerce, Test Engineering, and Compliance to remove blockers before they impact commitments.
Performance Management & Reporting
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Manage to facility KPIs including PPH, labor as a percent of revenue, inventory accuracy, inventory aging, SLA close rate, and rework/NCR rate.
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Use sERP and Power BI as the source of truth for performance discussion — no verbal-only status; variance to plan must be quantified, root-caused, and assigned.
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Prepare and present weekly performance reviews to the Facility Manager, including corrective action status and constraint analysis.
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Manage controllable cost lines — overtime, temporary labor, consumables, and supplies — within the site budget set by the Facility Manager.
Process Compliance & Standard Work
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Enforce SOP and Work Instruction adherence at every station; verify operators are executing the current released revision and not improvised methods.
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Approve or escalate deviations and holds per SOP; ensure no deviation is executed without documented Supervisor-or-above approval.
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Protect chain of custody for all data-bearing devices from receipt through final disposition, including serialization, lot integrity, and reconciliation accuracy in sERP.
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Support document control by identifying SOP/WI gaps and drift observed on the floor and routing them to the QMS Coordinator and Compliance for formal revision.
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Maintain audit readiness at all times — records, training documentation, and process evidence current for R2v3, ISO, and customer audits without a pre-audit scramble.
Safety, Security & Quality
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Enforce a zero-tolerance safety standard, including PPE compliance, LOTO, material handling, and hazardous material controls per ISO 45001 and OSHA.
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Lead incident response and investigation for safety events, security breaches, and quality escapes; own corrective and preventive action to closure.
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Conduct routine Gemba walks and layered process audits, documenting findings and verifying corrective actions hold over time.
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Ensure security controls are observed — controlled access to secure areas, device accountability, and prevention of unauthorized data-bearing device movement.
People Leadership & Development
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Lead, coach, and develop Senior Supervisors and Supervisors, setting clear expectations and holding a consistent performance standard across shifts and departments.
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Own the site training and certification matrix in partnership with the QMS Coordinator — every operator qualified for every task performed, with records to prove it.
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Manage staffing, scheduling, and succession for the assigned area, including cross-training depth to eliminate single points of failure.
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Administer performance management — coaching, corrective action, and recognition — in partnership with Human Resources.
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Drive retention, with direct accountability for voluntary turnover in the assigned area.
Continuous Improvement
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Lead Kaizen events and 5S sustainment within the assigned area, delivering quantified, verified savings rather than activity counts.
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Partner with the Industrial Engineer on line balancing, layout changes, takt and standard time development, and pilot execution.
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Own the local improvement pipeline — idea capture from operators through implementation and benefit validation.
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Support facility transformation projects led by the Facility Manager, owning floor-level execution and change management.
Qualifications:
Experience
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Minimum 3 years of leadership experience in operations, manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, or ITAD, including at least 1 year leading other supervisors or leads.
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Demonstrated ownership of daily production plan attainment in a multi-department or multi-shift environment.
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Hands-on experience implementing Lean, 5S, and Kaizen with quantified results.
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Experience operating within a certified management system (ISO 9001/14001/45001, R2v3, or equivalent) and participating in third-party audits.
Knowledge & Skills
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Working knowledge of ITAD processes — receiving, audit, data sanitization, testing, refurbishment, harvesting, and recycling.
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Understanding of chain-of-custody, serialization, and data security requirements (R2v3, NIST/IEEE media sanitization standards, ISO 27001).
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Proficiency with ERP and reporting tools; able to build, read, and act on operational reporting (sERP and Power BI).
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Strong Excel skills; comfortable with pivot tables, lookups, and basic data analysis.
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Analytical problem solving — able to move from a variance to a root cause to a countermeasure without being prompted.
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Clear written and verbal communication across operators, peers, and site leadership.
Education & Certification
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High School Diploma or GED required; bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain, or a related field preferred.
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Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher strongly preferred.
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IT-related certification(s) as applicable (CompTIA A+, ACMT, CCT) a plus.
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OSHA 30 and forklift/PIT certification preferred or obtained within 90 days of hire.
Physical Requirements
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Ability to lift objects weighing up to 50 pounds.
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Ability to stand and walk the floor for the majority of an 8-hour shift.
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Ability to work in a non-climate-controlled warehouse environment.
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Willingness to work overtime, including off-shift and weekends, as operational demand requires.
EEO — Equal Employment Opportunity
The Company is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, gender, ethnicity, religion, national origin, ancestry, nationality, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law (except where an attribute is a bona fide occupational qualification).
