Fractional Head of Operations – Used Auto Parts Marketplace (Vendor & Operational Focus)
About the Role We are an established automotive used-parts marketplace working with salvage yards and parts vendors nationwide. We are seeking a hands-on Fractional Head of Operations / COO to oversee operations end-to-end, with vendor negotiation, margin protection, and execution at the core. This role is not finance or accounting. A separate fractional CFO/controller handles refunds, reconciliation, and financial reporting. This role owns vendors, freight, warranty flow, people, and operational priorities across the business. ⸻ Key Responsibilities Vendor Management, Pricing & Negotiation (Core) • Own relationships with existing salvage yard and parts vendors • Negotiate wholesale pricing and commercial terms to ensure sustainable marketplace margins • Onboard, qualify, and activate new vendors • Set and enforce vendor performance standards: • Pricing discipline • Availability accuracy • Response time • Shipping readiness • Decide which vendors to grow, renegotiate, place on probation, or remove • Maintain strong vendor relationships while protecting margin and operational integrity ⸻ Freight Oversight & Loss Prevention • Oversee freight strategy and execution, primarily vendor-managed freight • Ensure vendors follow approved freight methods, packaging standards, and documentation • Evaluate and introduce alternative freight options when beneficial • Protect the business from freight-related losses, especially for: • Returns • Warranty replacements • Mis-shipments • Freight damage • Clearly define responsibility between vendor-paid and marketplace-paid freight • Reduce margin erosion caused by double freight, poor packaging, or incorrect carrier selection ⸻ Warranty & Claims Management • Oversee warranty claims workflows across the marketplace • Determine and enforce responsibility: • Vendor-covered warranties • Marketplace-covered warranties • Ensure vendors honor warranty obligations • Balance customer satisfaction with cost control • Improve consistency, fairness, and turnaround time for warranty resolutions ⸻ Operations & Team Leadership • Manage an offshore call center handling customer service, order support, freight issues, and escalations • Oversee offshore technical and development teams (prioritization and execution — not coding) • Lead and coordinate a small onshore team based in the Midwest • Ensure alignment across: • Order fulfillment • Vendor communication • Freight coordination • Warranty and returns handling • Establish clear KPIs, accountability, and execution rhythm ⸻ Strategy, Prioritization & Scale • See the big picture and translate strategy into execution • Decide which operational and product initiatives matter most • Partner closely with the founder on priorities and tradeoffs • Identify opportunities for automation and AI-driven improvements • Bring structure without slowing the business down ⸻ Required Experience • Senior operations leadership in: • Automotive used parts • Salvage yards / auto recyclers • Wholesale or distribution marketplaces • Hands-on experience negotiating wholesale pricing with vendors • Strong understanding of: • Freight coordination in used parts • Warranty practices and claims responsibility • Experience managing distributed teams (offshore + onshore) • Deep familiarity with: • Interchange catalogs and systems • Hollander Interchange (required) • Comfortable operating in fast-moving, real-world operational environments ⸻ Strong Plus • Marketplace or multi-vendor ecommerce experience • Understanding of online customer behavior and conversion drivers • Tech-literate and comfortable working with developers • Open to leveraging AI to improve operations, vendor compliance, and cost control • Entrepreneurial, ownership-oriented mindset ⸻ Confidentiality Due to the nature of this role, a mutual NDA may be required before sharing additional operational, vendor, pricing, or technology details. ⸻ References Final candidates may be asked to provide up to three professional references related to operations leadership, vendor management, or similar roles. ⸻ To Apply Please include: 1. Your experience negotiating pricing with salvage yards or parts vendors 2. Your experience managing freight, returns, and freight-related losses 3. Your experience handling warranty claims and vendor accountability 4. Your familiarity with interchange systems and Hollander Interchange 5. An example of an operational problem you personally owned and fixed We value execution, judgment, and accountability over buzzwords. Apply tot his job