Y Combinator

Director of Operations Strategy

Y Combinator$120K — $150K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Business Services
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years in operations strategy, marketplace operations, supply chain, or analytics roles
  • Experience in inventory strategy development and forecasting models
  • Proficient in capital allocation and risk management in partnership with Finance
  • Track record of launching or expanding product categories or marketplaces
  • Strong analytical skills for translating data into strategy
  • Proven experience managing inventory health metrics
  • Excellent communication skills for presenting insights to senior leadership
  • Hands-on strategic leader with team scaling experience

Responsibilities

  • Own overall inventory strategy across categories and price tiers
  • Partner with Finance to set inventory budgets and risk parameters
  • Build and maintain forecasting models to inform buying strategy
  • Monitor inventory health and recommend corrective actions
  • Lead strategic evaluation for new categories and vertical expansion
  • Develop fast, disciplined decision frameworks for tradeoffs
  • Define liquidation and de-risking strategies in collaboration with Finance and Operations
  • Serve as a connector across Inventory, Finance, Product, and Operations
  • Partner with Finance for budgeting and translating strategy into cost assumptions
  • Provide executive-level reporting on inventory performance and strategic opportunities
  • Mentor team members and help design scaling processes

Benefits

  • Dynamic environment focused on growth and innovation
  • Opportunities to create valued customer products
  • Comprehensive health insurance with dependent coverage
  • Competitive salary with career advancement opportunities
  • Fully remote work flexibility
  • 401(k) plan with 4% employer match
  • $100 monthly stipend for product testing
  • Access to wellness programs for overall well-being
Full Job Description
Job Summary

We're seeking a Director of Operations Strategy to lead inventory strategy, category expansion, and operational planning across the business. This role sits at the center of Finance, Product, and Operations, ensuring the company invests in the right inventory, manages risk effectively, and expands into new categories with discipline and speed.

The ideal candidate is highly analytical, strategic, and comfortable translating data and market signals into clear buying, capital, and operational decisions.

What You'll Do

  • Own the overall inventory strategy across Courtyard's categories, balancing liquidity, velocity, margin, and customer experience while guiding buying decisions across categories and price tiers.
  • Partner with Finance and executive leadership to set inventory budgets, category-level buying targets, and risk parameters tied to capital allocation and marketplace demand.
  • Build and maintain forecasting models that inform buying strategy, inventory exposure, and redemption behavior, continuously refining them using marketplace data and post-buy performance.
  • Monitor inventory health across aging, redemption exposure, liquidity, and price-band coverage, surfacing risks and recommending corrective actions.
  • Lead the strategic evaluation and prioritization of new categories and vertical expansion opportunities, including pilots, feasibility assessments, and scaling plans.
  • Develop decision frameworks that enable fast, disciplined tradeoffs across buying strategy, inventory exposure, and capital risk.
  • Define and oversee liquidation and de-risking strategies, partnering with Finance and Operations to ensure efficient execution and incorporating insights into future buying strategy.
  • Serve as a central connector across Inventory, Finance, Product, Operations, and GTM to align planning, supply strategy, and marketplace initiatives.
  • Partner with Finance on Operations budgeting and financial planning, translating category and inventory strategy into cost assumptions, forecasts, and investment priorities.
  • Provide executive-level reporting and insights on inventory performance, category growth, capital exposure, and strategic opportunities.
  • Mentor and support team members while helping design the structure, processes, and tooling needed to scale the inventory strategy function over time.

What We're Looking For

  • 8+ years of experience in operations strategy, marketplace operations, supply chain, or analytics roles.
  • Experience developing inventory strategy, forecasting models, and data-driven decision frameworks.
  • Proven ability to partner with Finance on capital allocation, budgeting, and risk management.
  • Experience launching or expanding product categories, marketplaces, or new business lines.
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into clear strategic recommendations.
  • Track record of leading cross-functional initiatives across Product, Operations, and Finance.
  • Experience managing inventory health metrics (liquidity, velocity, aging, margin).
  • Strong communication skills with experience presenting insights to senior leadership.
  • Comfortable operating as a hands-on strategic leader while helping scale the team.


What You'll Get In Return

  • A dynamic and engaging environment focused on fostering real growth and innovation
  • Opportunities to create amazing products that our customers truly love and value
  • Comprehensive health insurance packages with dependent coverage
  • Competitive salary with ample opportunities for career advancement and development
  • Enjoy the flexibility of a fully remote work environment
  • 401(k) plan with a 4% employer match to help you plan for the future
  • $100 monthly dogfooding stipend to support trying out our products firsthand
  • Access to employee wellness programs designed to support your overall well-being

About Y Combinator

Y Combinator is a venture capital firm that provides seed funding, mentorship, and resources to early-stage startups. The company was founded in 2005 by Paul Graham, Jessica Livingston, Trevor Blackwell, and Robert Morris, and has since funded over 2,000 startups, including Airbnb, Dropbox, and Stripe. Y Combinator's mission is to help startups succeed by providing them with the tools and resources they need to grow and scale their businesses.
Learn more about Y Combinator
Size
200 employees
Industry

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