Systems Operations Manager

Based in Portland, OR or West Bridgewater, MA

Equal Exchange is a fair trade worker cooperative and coffee roaster headquartered in West Bridgewater, MA. Founded in 1986, our mission is to create more fair trade relationships between farmers and consumers. We bypass the conventional marketing system by cutting out middlemen and buying directly from farmer cooperatives.

The primary responsibility of the Systems Operations Manager is to maintain and optimize organizational systems while working closely with cross-functional teams to ensure systems run smoothly and efficiently to meet business needs. 

Tech Stack: NetSuite, RF Smart, SPS Commerce (EDI), Excel and Google Suite

Job Description

  • Employment Status: Full-time, regular, Worker-Owner Track

  • Hours: 40–45 hours/week

  • Starting Salary: $65,000-$75,000, depending on experience

  • Benefits: Health/dental/vision insurance coverage, vacation time, holidays, sick days, and eligibility for worker ownership 

  • Reports to: Vice President 

  • Location: Portland, OR or West Bridgewater, MA

Qualifications

  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills 

  • Experience with ERP systems preferred, including data management, reporting, permissions, transactions, subsidiaries and/or integrations 

  • Experience with EDI, RF Smart, or similar operational systems preferred

  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively with cross-functional teams

  • Ability to effectively prioritize time and responsibilities 

  • Flexibility and willingness to continuously learn by experience 

  • Excellent communication and training skills 

  • Project management experience, especially around systems or operations improvements, is a plus 

  • Ability to handle complex data work and maintain high standards for accuracy

Responsibilities:

  • Administer and optimize NetSuite across subsidiaries and departments, including workflows, permissions, integrations, transaction support, reporting, and overall data integrity.

  • Provide cross-departmental systems support and technical troubleshooting for Sales, Production, Purchasing, Finance, Customer Service, and Warehouse teams. 

  • Manage new user setup, roles, permissions, and ongoing system access.

  • Monitor system updates and assess impact on business processes. 

  • Manage and optimize EDI integrations through SPS, including mapping, onboarding, fulfillment handling, and order flow accuracy. 

  • Support Warehouse Operations with RF Smart and WMS improvements, ensuring digital and physical workflows stay aligned. 

  • Lead or support cross-functional systems and operations projects. 

  • Oversee materials classification and reporting for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance in coordination with internal teams. 

  • Other projects as needed or directed by supervisor 

Personnel & Worker Ownership/Fair Trade Development 

  • Participate in staff, team, department, and educational (Exchange Time) meetings.

  • Understand our producer partners, trading policies, and the Fair Trade movement.

  • Understand and participate effectively in our worker cooperative model. 

To Apply

Please provide your resume and answers to the following questions by email to hire@equalexchange.coop: 

  1. How would this position impact Equal Exchange’s mission to help small farmers get what they want? 

  2. Give an example of a project that you had to complete from start to finish.

  3. Imagine Equal Exchange acquired a company in a different country with their own ERP/technology stack. Leadership is asking you to review the international organization’s systems and make a recommendation on how to proceed. The characteristics of the Equal Exchange system are: relatively expensive, robust invoicing/costing/operational economics, potential for multiple currencies and a highly effective WMS system. The characteristics of the international organization’s system are: it’s cheap, invoicing/costing/operational economics are solid, only operates in the one national currency and has no WMS system.