About Us/Who We Are
Lori Wall Beds sells Murphy beds to customers in the US and Canada through our online store. Our beds are made in the USA from real wood and are incredibly affordable. Co-founders (and brothers) Brenden and Kyle bought the initial iteration of the business in 2014 when it was a hobby project for the original bed designer, and for several years it was a side project for us. We now have mid-seven-figure sales, have been profitable every single year, and are focused on this business for the long term.
In some ways, you’ll be employee number two. Our co-founders and one Customer Service Rep are currently the only full-time employees of Lori Wall Beds. In that respect, you’ll have outsize exposure to, and impact on, many parts of the business. But in other ways, you’re coming in to work with an established team. We work with an array of freelancers, manufacturers, and service providers around the world, most of whom have been partners with us for several years. Our growth has exploded recently, so we are ready to invest in a full-time Production Manager position to oversee supply chain, purchasing, logistics, and product management functions to ensure our products are in-stock, on-budget, and of the highest quality
We don’t have our own manufacturing facilities. Rather, we contract with US-based furniture manufacturers to make our beds. They pack and ship the finished boxes to our 3PL fulfillment partner, who then puts them on the FedEx truck as orders come in. The Production Manager will oversee the partners who execute our production process
We are looking for fluent English speakers living anywhere in the US. Your day should generally overlap standard US working hours. While this is a remote position, you should be prepared to visit our vendors in-person as needed to maintain those relationships.
About the Role
Reports to
This position will report directly to Brenden, who oversees customer service, product development, manufacturing and operations, business process improvements related to customer-facing issues, and our financial operations, generally speaking.
Training
Brenden and Kyle will train you about our products and processes, using some written procedures already in place, along with doing some video calls together, and by just digging in and talking to our vendors. We could even do some in-person training in Houston, Texas or in your location to get started if you’d like. We are ready to start the right candidate ASAP.
Day to Day
Your main responsibility will be to execute our product development and production logistics. You’ll oversee supply chain, purchasing, logistics, and product management functions to ensure our products are in-stock, on-budget, and of the highest quality. You’ll take full responsibility for these items with little to no input or approval required from Brenden. We currently use Microsoft 365 and Teams to work and communicate with each other.
Long Term
We are running this business for the long term, and we’re looking for someone to grow with us. As you get up to speed, we want you to help develop and improve our production performance. Over time, we plan to introduce new furniture products and perhaps even new brands. As our business grows, we may need to hire additional production personnel and build out a department. The successful candidate for this role will have the flexibility to wear many hats today and grow into a specialized position or departmental leadership over time.
Who You Are
You are a person who understands what it takes to get complicated things done on time, with teamwork and attention to detail. That most likely means you’ve worked in some kind of logistics, project management, manufacturing, product management, supply chain or purchasing role. Perhaps you’ve overseen the manufacturing of physical goods. Maybe you have experience with wood and metal furniture manufacturing, inventory management, and materials sourcing. All of these elements come together in the Production Manager role.
But rather than create an extensive list of requirements, we’ve created a list of Job Outcomes, or the things you’ll need to be able to do to be successful in this job. These are formalized in a Job Scorecard. Our interview process will be focused on discovering the likelihood you’ll be able to meet these Outcomes, which is far more important than simply reviewing what your resume says you’ve done before. We’ll use the Scorecard during the interview process to rank candidates on their ability to achieve the outcomes, as well as to measure the performance of the eventual hire during our annual review process.
Below is a summary of what you’ll need to be able to do to be successful in this role.
As a successful Production Manager, you will:
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Manage purchasing and logistics. You keep inventory at the appropriate levels. You manage costs, purchase orders, and invoice payments. You negotiate discounts and credit terms with our partners. You oversee the logistics of getting our products to our third-party logistics providers. You coordinate programs to provide spare parts and rework returned merchandise to salable quality.
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Assist with product management. You propose improvements to product features, materials, hardware, finishes, packaging, etc. You handle the details of production with our manufacturers and coordinate the rollout of new products and changes. You source and evaluate prototypes and samples. You trace quality issues and resolve them. You create Standard Operating Procedures for the production process.
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Manage our supply chain. You hold partners accountable for their schedule and quality commitments. You diversify our vendor base and work with them to source raw materials, hardware, etc. You do what it takes to maintain strong partner relationships.
We are looking for fluent English speakers living anywhere in the US. Your day should generally overlap standard US working hours. While this is a remote position, you should be prepared to visit our vendors as needed to maintain those relationships. You will need to have a reliable internet connection and remote-work location conducive to deep work.
What’s in it for you?
We offer competitive pay, which will be negotiated based on your experience and qualifications. We also offer healthcare benefits, 401(k), and real paid time off, no “working vacations”. Our goal is to begin having company retreats at least annually.
In addition, you’ll get to work directly with a co-founder, and have extensive exposure to the rest of us, learning how to run an eCommerce store and manage a company. You’ll be able to work 100% remotely, with a small team that values flexibility, autonomy, and an equitable give-and-take between work and your personal life.
As employee number two, you’ll have a significant impact on our business immediately and for the long-term. We’re looking for someone who can grow and improve alongside us. If all this sounds good to you, please send in your application!