Head of Operations ( Ecommerce/Retail)

Role:

1. Strategy & Business Leadership

• Translate company growth goals into executable operational roadmaps with clear milestones and accountability.
• Own P&L levers within operations — forecast, allocate, and protect the operational budget to drive profitability.
• Define and drive monthly, quarterly, and annual operational targets across all functions.
• Partner with the CEO on company values, mission, and long-term planning.

2. Process Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Design, document, and enforce SOPs across all operational verticals — ensuring consistency, quality, and scalability.
• Identify bottlenecks across production, logistics, customer service, and quality control; implement data-driven fixes.
• Build a culture of continuous improvement — measure, analyse, and iterate on key processes regularly.
• Leverage technology and automation tools to reduce manual dependency and increase process efficiency.

3. Warehouse, Logistics & Supply Chain

• Oversee all warehousing operations — inbound receiving, storage layout optimisation, inventory accuracy, and outbound fulfilment.
• Drive end-to-end supply chain efficiency: from supplier coordination and procurement planning to last-mile delivery.
• Negotiate and manage contracts with suppliers, 3PL partners, freight carriers, and vendors to achieve cost and SLA targets.
• Implement inventory management systems to reduce shrinkage, wastage, and stockouts while improving working capital cycles.
• Build contingency plans for supply chain disruptions, seasonal demand spikes, and product launch surges.

4. E-Commerce Operations

• Own the operational backbone of the D2C and marketplace business — order management, fulfilment TAT, returns processing, and customer experience SLAs.
• Collaborate with the e-commerce and marketing teams to operationalize product launches, campaigns, and peak sales events.
• Ensure systems integration between Unicommerce and e-commerce platforms for seamless, real-time order visibility.
• Drive down return rates and fulfilment errors through process controls and team training.

5. Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure full adherence to statutory, regulatory, and company policy requirements across all operational activities.
• Proactively identify operational risks and build mitigation frameworks — covering vendor dependencies, legal obligations, and business continuity.
• Implement audit-ready documentation, quality checks, and governance structures.

6. Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing operations team across warehouse, logistics, supply chain, and e-commerce functions.
• Set clear KPIs for each team member; drive a culture of ownership, accountability, and performance.
• Collaborate tightly with Finance, IT, HR, and Sales to ensure operational decisions support broader company objectives.
• Act as an escalation point for operational issues and a coach for resolving cross-team friction.

7. Reporting & Analytics

• Own a real-time operational dashboard tracking KPIs across fulfilment, inventory, productivity, attrition, shrinkage, and cost.
• Present weekly and monthly insights into leadership with root-cause analysis and clear action plans.
• Use data to proactively flag risks and opportunities before they become problems.

Must-Have Experience

• 5-8 years of progressive operations experience, with at least 3 years in a senior/head-level role.
• Proven track record in a high-growth startup, retail, D2C, or e-commerce business — ideally at a ₹50–200 Crore revenue scale.
• Hands-on experience owning warehouse operations, supply chain, and e-commerce fulfilment end-to-end.
• Demonstrated ability to build and implement SOPs, policies, and governance frameworks from scratch.
• Experience managing and developing teams of 15+ people across multiple functions.

Skills & Mindset

• Strong analytical thinking — comfortable with data, dashboards, and KPI-driven decision-making.
• Bias for action: you solve problems fast, build systems to prevent recurrence, and lead by example.
• High ownership mentality — you treat the business as your own and hold yourself accountable to outcomes, not effort.
• Excellent negotiation and vendor management skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management — equally effective with frontline teams and the CEO.
• Familiarity with Unicommerce is a strong advantage.