Location: Durham, NC (In-Office)
Department: Operations
Reports To: SVP Operations
Applying
To apply directly to this role, please email jess@mycarpe.com a non-ChatGPT paragraph explaining why you believe you would be the best fit for this role and attach your resume as a PDF. Applying via email is the only way to be considered.
About Carpe
Carpe is the fastest-growing deodorant brand in the United States. Our team is composed of ~25 incredibly smart people working together in person in downtown Durham, NC. Our office is open, collaborative, and high energy.
We build products that solve real problems for millions of people who struggle with excessive sweating. Our growth over the past several years has been rapid, and we are continuing to expand across retail, ecommerce, and new product categories.
As the company scales, building a strong, reliable, and scalable manufacturing foundation is critical to our long-term success.
The Role
We are seeking a high-ownership manufacturing leader with a strong chemical engineering or process engineering background who thrives in complex, fast-growing environments and enjoys building systems that support scale.
This role exists to build and lead Carpe’s contract manufacturing and process engineering capability as the company rapidly expands production across multiple product categories and retail partners.
While this role carries meaningful strategic responsibility, it is also deeply operational and hands-on. You will work directly with contract manufacturers to strengthen processes, improve manufacturing performance, and ensure Carpe products are produced consistently and reliably at scale.
This is a build-and-own role, not a delegation role. You will engage directly with the technical teams at contract manufacturing partners, travel up to 50% as needed, and work hands-on to improve processes, troubleshoot manufacturing challenges, and scale production.
You will partner closely with Product Development, Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain to translate product innovation into robust, scalable manufacturing processes.
Success in this role requires the ability to operate at multiple levels simultaneously—driving long-term manufacturing strategy while also working directly with manufacturing partners to solve technical challenges and strengthen operational performance.
What You’ll Do
Contract Manufacturing Leadership
● Own and manage Carpe’s network of contract manufacturing partners
● Build strong working relationships with technical teams at manufacturing partners
● Improve operational performance across quality, delivery, and cost
● Lead onboarding and qualification of new manufacturing partners as capacity expands
● Ensure manufacturing partners are prepared to support both current production and future growth
● Serve as the primary operational leader responsible for manufacturing performance across the network
Process Engineering & Manufacturing Science
● Build and lead Carpe’s internal manufacturing process engineering capability
● Work directly with contract manufacturing teams to document and refine production processes
● Identify and define critical process parameters that drive product consistency and performance
● Lead process characterization work, including DOE design and execution
● Improve process robustness and repeatability across manufacturing partners
● Troubleshoot complex manufacturing challenges and support manufacturing teams in solving production issues
● Drive continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing operations
Technology Transfer & Product Scale-Up
● Lead the technical transfer of new products from development into commercial manufacturing
● Work directly with contract manufacturers to scale formulations and processes successfully
● Partner closely with Product Development to translate product specifications into scalable manufacturing processes
● Oversee pilot trials, validation runs, and commercialization readiness for new product launches
● Ensure new products are successfully and reliably launched across manufacturing partners
Manufacturing Performance & Continuous Improvement
● Establish operational metrics and performance tracking across contract manufacturing partners
● Improve manufacturing efficiency, yield, and process reliability
● Lead root cause investigations and corrective actions related to manufacturing issues
● Implement stronger process control and operational discipline across manufacturing partners
● Develop scalable manufacturing frameworks that support continued company growth
Cross-Functional Collaboration
● Partner closely with Product Development to ensure manufacturing processes support product performance requirements
● Collaborate with Quality and Regulatory to ensure manufacturing processes meet compliance and quality standards
● Work with supply chain and planning teams to support production scheduling and inventory needs
● Provide manufacturing insight during product development and innovation planning
Who You Are
● Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline
● 10–15+ years of experience in manufacturing, process engineering, or operations leadership within consumer packaged goods, personal care, or related industries
● Experience managing contract manufacturing networks and external production partners
● Strong technical background in manufacturing processes and scale-up
● Experience working with highly structured emulsions or shear-sensitive formulations
● Demonstrated ability to build systems, processes, and infrastructure in growing organizations
● Comfortable operating in fast-moving environments where both strategy and hands-on execution are required
● Willing and able to travel a lot (and last minute)
● Strong engineering instincts and problem-solving ability
● Ability to work directly with manufacturing partners to improve processes and solve technical challenges
Bonus If You Have
● Experience with emulsions, OTC personal care, or topical formulation manufacturing
● Background in manufacturing engineering or process engineering leadership roles
● Experience scaling products across multiple contract manufacturing sites
● Experience building manufacturing infrastructure in high-growth CPG environments
What You’ll Get
● Direct collaboration with senior leadership as we scale the business
● Opportunity to build and own Carpe’s manufacturing infrastructure during a major growth phase
● Competitive compensation based on experience and level
● Health, vision, and dental coverage
● Flexible PTO
● A front-row seat to the growth of one of the most disruptive brands in body care
Applying
To apply directly to this role, please email jess@mycarpe.com a non-ChatGPT paragraph explaining why you believe you would be the best fit for this role and attach your resume as a PDF. Applying via email is the only way to be considered.