Vice President of Operations

Vice President of Operations | Scottsdale, AZ

Vangst is one of the nation's leading workforce solutions companies for the cannabis industry, specializing in connecting top talent with the companies building this industry's future. We are running this confidential, retained search on behalf of a client — a self-funded, profitable, founder-led cannabis technology company. Our client's products are on shelves across multiple states today, with international expansion on the horizon. We partner closely with our clients to identify the leaders who will shape their next phase of growth.

We are searching for a Vice President of Operations to lead one of our client's most important functions — full end-to-end ownership of how the company makes, moves, and delivers its products. This is not a maintenance role. This is a seat with genuine operational authority, executive visibility, and a clear path to further leadership as the company scales.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

• Production and manufacturing, both in-house and through co-manufacturing partners — planning, quality, throughput, and unit economics
• Supply chain and procurement, including materials and hardware supplied to licensing partners
• Warehousing, logistics, and distribution across multiple states, direct and through third-party partners
• Co-manufacturing and licensing partner management — service levels, quality standards, and brand protection
• Multi-state and international expansion, including build-versus-partner decisions for new markets
• Compliance-integrated operations, in close partnership with the Legal function
• Full operating budget ownership and financial performance
• Building and developing the operations organization as it scales from a small team into a multi-market operation

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

The most important thing we screen for is judgment across both operating models: have you run in-house manufacturing and managed third-party partners, and do you know when to use each? That combination is what moves a candidate to the top of our list.

Core requirements:

• 10+ years of progressive operations leadership, including multi-site and multi-state responsibility
• Direct experience across both in-house manufacturing and third-party models — co-manufacturing, co-packing, or licensing
• Deep command of supply chain, procurement, warehousing, logistics, and distribution as an integrated system
• Experience in a highly regulated industry — cannabis strongly preferred, or comparable rigor from pharmaceutical, food and beverage, CPG, or medical device

Additional qualities that strengthen a candidacy:

• Genuine executive presence paired with a roll-up-your-sleeves operator's instinct
• Experience standing up new markets or geographies; international expansion experience is a plus
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA, Lean, or Six Sigma credentials a plus

About Vangst

Founded in 2016, Vangst is the cannabis industry's leading hiring platform, connecting top cannabis companies with exceptional talent across cultivation, manufacturing, retail, operations, executive leadership, and technology. From temporary staffing to direct hire recruitment, Vangst has helped facilitate thousands of cannabis hires nationwide and remains a trusted workforce partner for many of the industry's most recognized operators.

Vangst is an equal opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with applicable law, including the California Fair Chance Act and the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.