Position Type: Full-time hourly – 32 hours per week over 4 days

Compensation: $25–$28 per hour (DOE), equivalent to approximately $42k–$47k annually based on a 32-hour workweek

Location: Queens, NYC (in-person production and fulfillment facility)

A note on the role: We are looking for a dedicated and ambitious individual to join us in this full-time position to grow within our team. We are excited to invest in someone eager to grow with us long-term.

Are You the Rising Leader Who Can Drive Our Production and Fulfillment Engine?

At Senbird Tea, our connection to thousands of customers begins with the care and precision of our production and fulfillment processes. We are not just looking for someone to operate equipment or pack orders; we are searching for an operational cornerstone—a rising leader who thrives in the details of creating and delivering exceptional products while stepping up to guide the team toward excellence.

This hands-on role involves actively participating in the entire product lifecycle, from raw tea processing upon arrival from Japan, through production on machinery, to packing and shipping out the door. You’re the type of person who finds deep satisfaction in executing tasks with precision, refining details, and contributing to better systems—especially while working alongside and supporting your team. Where others see a bottleneck, you see a chance to improve efficiency and help lead solutions. You don't just follow a process; you take pride in elevating it through direct involvement, reliability, and emerging leadership.

About Senbird

Senbird Tea is an Asian American family-owned Japanese tea company dedicated to bringing you the finest teas from family farms in Japan. Rooted in wellness, sustainability, and quality, our curated collection of teas, premium gift sets, and handcrafted teaware has been recognized by Forbes, Food & Wine, BuzzFeed, and Sustainable Jungle. With over 15,000+ five-star reviews on Amazon, we take pride in delivering an exceptional tea experience that nurtures a healthy mind, body, and spirit. Join us in celebrating the rich traditions of Japanese tea—one cup at a time.

Who We’re Looking For

We are seeking a rising leader who embodies our values of collaboration, care, and efficiency. You'll know you're the right person for this role if:

1. You lead by doing, staying hands-on while providing guidance and oversight to help the team achieve shared goals.
2. You are relentlessly proactive—you don’t wait to be told what to do and are always thinking one step ahead to keep operations running smoothly.
3. You thrive on bringing order to chaos and love turning manual tasks into streamlined, repeatable systems through both execution and monitoring.
4. You communicate with clarity and purpose, ensuring that everyone from the production and fulfillment team to leadership stays aligned and informed.
5. You view challenges as opportunities for growth and find genuine fulfillment in seeing a tangible, high-quality product in a customer's hands because of your direct effort and team oversight.

What You’ll Do

As an Operations Specialist, you will:

1. Provide hands-on oversight of daily production tasks while actively participating in operating machinery for tea blending, filling tins, labeling, and packaging with high accuracy and consistency, jumping in as needed to ensure daily quotas are met. (Full training on all processes and equipment will be provided as needed.)
2. Follow, maintain, and contribute to documenting/updating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to support consistency and effective training.
3. Monitor inventory levels for raw materials, packaging supplies, and finished products to help prevent shortages, overstock, and out-of-stock situations on key items.
4. Oversee and participate in fulfillment operations, including packing and shipping D2C and B2B orders on time, ensuring team efficiency and stepping in to maintain flow.
5. Train, mentor, and support seasonal interns and junior team members on production machinery, fulfillment processes, and best practices, while monitoring performance to help meet quotas.
6. Coordinate with the team to align production and fulfillment activities with demand and receive incoming shipments.
7. Collaborate cross-functionally and contribute updates during weekly team meetings.
8. Maintain organization, cleanliness, and safety of the production and fulfillment space to ensure efficiency and compliance with quality standards.

Your qualifications

1. 3+ years of experience in production, manufacturing operations, e-commerce fulfillment, warehouse management, or related fields.
2. Hands-on experience with production machinery and processes in a manufacturing or food/beverage environment.
3. Experience providing guidance or oversight to team members, including training, mentoring, and helping achieve production targets/quotas.
4. Ability to improve processes, optimize workflows for efficiency, and assist with inventory management to avoid stockouts.
5. Clear and effective communicator who works well across teams.
6. Familiarity with platforms such as Shopify, ShipStation, or similar systems is a plus.
7. Comfortable with hands-on tasks; able to lift and carry packages up to 50 lbs.
8. A passion for tea and an appreciation for Japanese culture are highly valued.

Additional Details

1. Schedule: 4 days per week, 32 hours total (e.g., 10am-6pm or similar flexible hours; occasional adjustments during peak seasons may apply).
2. Our interview process typically includes 2-3 steps, including a brief assessment, all designed to ensure we're the right fit for you and you're the right fit for us. We look forward to connecting with you!

What We Offer

1. 4-Day Work Week (32 hours over 4 days): We love our 4-day schedule because it drives focused productivity during the week and gives everyone a more open, relaxed weekend to recharge. Weekend work happens only when truly necessary, supporting real work-life balance for the team.
2. Paid Time Off & Sick Leave: So you can rest, recharge, or handle life when needed.
3. Health Insurance: Access to health insurance coverage (available upon request and eligibility) to help you stay well and secure.
4. Monthly Tea Allowance & Generous Employee Discount: A monthly allowance to enjoy our teas at home (becoming a true product expert) plus a significant discount on all teas and teaware.
5. Team Events & Connection: Regular team gatherings to celebrate wins, build relationships, and keep our small crew feeling supported.
6. Career Development & Growth: Direct mentorship from the founders, hands-on learning, and a clear path to grow into bigger responsibilities as Senbird scales.
7. Direct Impact in a Small Team: A real voice in decisions and the chance to see your work shape customer experiences and sales.

Team, Culture, Values

Senbird has been based in Queens, NYC, since our start in 2018. We’re looking for creative, capable, and collaborative team members to join us and keep up our momentum.

We're a small, hands-on team of self-starters who care about doing things well and supporting one another. We appreciate people who are dependable, proactive, and willing to jump in where needed. It helps to be organized, communicative, and open to learning as we grow together. Most of all, we aim to keep things sustainable—for the business and ourselves—so we can all enjoy a healthy, balanced life.

Senbird Tea is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.