Vice President, Business Operations & Commercialization (RTD Beverages & Protein Powders)

About Levels

Levels is a rapidly expanding sports nutrition brand in the US, specializing in high-quality protein powders with a focus on ingredient clarity, product excellence, and efficient operations. Our offerings are distributed via direct-to-consumer platforms, Amazon, Costco, Walmart, Target, and an increasing number of nationwide retailers and distributors. To support growth in both protein powders and Ready-to-Drink (RTD) protein beverages, we seek a seasoned business operator to oversee commercialization and cross-departmental coordination.

Role Overview

The Vice President of Business Operations & Commercialization plays a pivotal role in advancing products and strategic initiatives from initial concept through launch and sustained execution. Unlike conventional supply chain roles, this position collaborates across Product Development, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory, Finance, Sales, Marketing, and external manufacturing partners to establish alignment, remove barriers, and drive top company priorities. This senior role reports to the CEO and partners closely with the COO and executive leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end commercialization for RTD beverages and protein powders, including planning, timeline management, and launch-readiness coordination.
• Manage formula, ingredient, packaging, artwork, regulatory, and quality preparedness.
• Drive pilot production, scaling, trials, and manufacturing handoffs.
• Ensure synchronization of inventory, sales, marketing, and retail launch timelines.
• Proactively identify risks and facilitate timely decisions.
• Conduct launch-readiness meetings and post-launch reviews to enhance future initiatives.
• Lead senior development and commercialization of RTD beverage platform focusing on shelf-stable, high-protein products, manufacturing validation, ingredient qualification, packaging readiness, shelf-life and regulatory compliance, quality assurance, cost and margin analysis, and co-manufacturer management.
• Oversee protein powder commercialization to ensure formula and ingredient validation, manufacturing scale-up, cost and capacity planning, product lifecycle management, and co-manufacturer coordination with deep understanding of powder-specific manufacturing considerations.
• Translate company goals into clear operational plans, foster cross-functional and external partner alignment, enhance organizational processes, remove bottlenecks, and lead complex initiatives that span multiple departments.
• Collaborate with Finance on business case development, financial evaluations, forecasting, and strategic planning focused on profitability and operational efficiency.

Success Indicators

• Successful RTD beverage commercial launch meeting timeline and budget targets.
• On-time and efficient product launches with minimized surprises.
• Clear, predictable commercialization processes and timelines.
• Effective cross-functional team alignment and urgency.
• Early risk identification and decision-making before launch delays.
• Maintained alignment across retail, sales, marketing, product, and operations plans.
• Smooth execution of protein powder innovations without disrupting existing business.
• Executive transparency regarding priorities, risks, and dependencies.
• Reduction in CEO and COO workload through dependable operational leadership.

Required Experience and Qualifications

• A minimum of 12 years in progressive leadership roles within consumer packaged goods.
• Extensive hands-on experience commercializing RTD beverages and protein powders or related nutritional product categories.
• Proven track record managing product development from concept to large-scale manufacturing and retail introduction.
• Strong capability leading multifaceted, cross-departmental projects.
• Sharp financial insight and commercial savvy.
• Experience collaborating directly with executive leaders.
• Successful establishment of scalable operational processes in fast-growing companies.
• Ability to influence leadership positively without formal authority.

Preferred Expertise

• Deep specialization in shelf-stable and high-protein RTD beverage development including dairy-based and functional drinks.
• Familiarity with aseptic, retort, ESL, hot-fill, or cold-fill manufacturing systems.
• Experience with whey, casein, collagen, sports nutrition or nutritional powders, including blending, packaging, and co-manufacturer handling.
• Expertise in various sales channels such as direct-to-consumer, Amazon, Costco, Walmart, Target, grocery, club, and specialty retail, including national distributor networks.

Leadership Attributes

• Highly organized, execution-driven, and business operation focused.
• Commercially astute with financial fluency.
• Proactive, accountable, and composed in dynamic situations.
• Comfortable balancing strategic vision with tactical execution despite incomplete data.
• Effective influencer across multiple departments.
• Entrepreneurial mindset geared to fast-paced environments.
• Outcome-oriented leadership that reduces executive burden rather than adds to it.