Fractional Head of Operations

The Steam Bar is a scalp-first haircare brand redefining the ritual of textured haircare through high-performance products, considered education and a deeper conversation around what lies beneath. Founded by Judy Koloko, The Steam Bar was created to bring visibility, innovation and reverence to the overlooked practice of hair steaming, while offering a more elevated and effective approach to scalp and hair health for Black women and People of Colour. Rooted in the belief that scalp care is skincare, the brand sits at the intersection of beauty, culture, science and ritual. Since launch in 2023, The Steam Bar has built a growing presence across the UK and US, with retail partners including Selfridges and Sephora.com, alongside recognition from leading beauty and culture platforms.

As the brand continues to grow, we are looking for a highly organised, commercially minded and solutions driven Head of Operations to help build the systems, processes and infrastructure required to scale. The Head of Operations will be responsible for overseeing the daily operational performance of the business, while helping to create the structure needed for sustainable growth across the UK, US and future international markets. This role will sit at the centre of the business, working closely with the Founder, brand, marketing, finance, supply chain, fulfilment, retail and customer care teams and partners. You will ensure that the operational side of the business runs smoothly, efficiently and in line with the brand’s commercial ambitions.

You will be responsible for managing fulfilment, supply chain coordination, stock planning, customer service processes, internal systems, operational reporting, and vendor relationships. The ideal candidate will be both strategic and hands on: someone who can see the bigger picture, but is also comfortable getting into the detail and making things happen. This is a pivotal role for someone who understands the pace and complexity of a growing beauty brand and can bring confidence, efficiency, clarity and accountability.

• Oversee the daily operational running of the business across fulfilment, logistics, customer care, systems and internal processes.
• Build and improve operational processes that support growth across DTC, retail and international channels.
• Identify operational gaps, bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and lead the implementation of practical solutions.
• Create clear systems, workflows and documentation to ensure the team is aligned and accountable.
• Support the business in preparing for periods of increased demand, including retail launches, campaigns, seasonal peaks, creator activity and US growth moments.
• Work closely with the Founder, COO and senior team to translate commercial priorities into operational plans.

• Manage relationships with fulfilment, logistics, warehouse and shipping partners.
• Work with supply chain and production partners to support stock forecasting, replenishment and forward planning.
• Monitor inventory levels across key sales channels and flag risks around stock.
• Support the operational requirements of UK and US retail partners, including Sephora and other current or future stockists.
• Oversee inbound logistics, returns processes and fulfilment performance.
• Ensure the business has the operational capacity to support both existing demand and new market opportunities.

• Oversee customer service operations to ensure a premium, responsive and brand aligned customer experience.
• Develop customer care processes, templates and escalation routes that reflect The Steam Bar’s tone, values and standards.
• Monitor customer feedback, complaints, returns and recurring issues to identify product, service or operational improvements.
• Work with the brand and marketing team to ensure that customer-facing communication is clear, timely and consistent.
• Help turn customer insight into meaningful improvements across product, education, fulfilment and retention.

• Oversee the tools and systems used by the operations team, ensuring they are fit for purpose as the business grows.
• Support the implementation or improvement of platforms across ecommerce, fulfilment, customer service, stock management and reporting.
• Create simple, useful reporting dashboards to track operational performance.
• Monitor key metrics such as fulfilment times, customer service response times, stock levels, returns, costs and partner performance.
• Ensure the business has accurate and accessible data to support decision making.

• Monitor operational costs and identify opportunities for savings or improved efficiency.
• Work with finance partners to support budgeting, forecasting, cashflow visibility and cost control.
• Review fulfilment, logistics, supplier and service provider costs on a regular basis.
• Support margin protection by identifying areas where operational decisions may impact profitability.
• Contribute to wider commercial planning by providing operational insight and risk assessment.

• Support the onboarding of new team members, freelancers, agencies and operational partners.
• Create clear onboarding processes, role responsibilities and performance expectations.
• Manage vendor, supplier and partner relationships with professionalism and accountability.
• Ensure key contracts, processes and documentation are organised and up to date.
• Support compliance with relevant local and international requirements, including data protection, customer care, trading standards and retail partner requirements.
• Help create a culture of ownership, problem-solving and operational excellence across the business.

• Proven experience in an operations, supply chain, logistics, ecommerce or business management role.
• Experience within beauty, fashion, wellness, consumer goods or a fast-growing start-up environment.
• Strong understanding of DTC ecommerce operations, fulfilment and customer experience.
• Experience working with retail partners, ideally including premium beauty retailers or marketplaces.
• Confident managing suppliers, logistics partners, fulfilment providers and internal stakeholders.
• Strong commercial awareness, with the ability to understand how operational decisions affect growth, margin and customer experience.
• Highly organised, detail-oriented and able to manage multiple moving parts at once.
• Comfortable creating systems, processes and structure in a growing business.
• Strong analytical skills and confidence working with numbers, reports and operational data.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Proactive, calm under pressure and solutions-focused.
• Comfortable working in a founder-led business where priorities can move quickly.
• A genuine interest in beauty, textured haircare, scalp health and culturally-rooted brand building.
• Experience supporting UK and US ecommerce or retail operations.
• Experience with Shopify, inventory management systems, fulfilment platforms and customer service tools.
• Knowledge of Sephora, Selfridges or other premium retail operational requirements.
• Experience managing international shipping, retail compliance or cross-border logistics.
• Experience in a small but scaling brand where processes need to be created, not just maintained.
• Understanding of the textured haircare market and the specific customer expectations within this category.

The ideal candidate is a steady, commercially aware operator who can bring structure without slowing the brand down. You will be someone who enjoys building the engine behind a business: improving how things work, making teams more efficient, protecting the customer experience and ensuring the brand can grow without unnecessary operational strain. You will understand that for The Steam Bar, operations are not just functional. They directly affect how the customer experiences the brand, from the moment they place an order to the moment they open the product, use it and return to buy again. You will be excited by the opportunity to help shape the next phase of a brand that is bringing innovation, care and cultural relevance to the scalp and textured haircare space.