We are looking for an experienced Operations Director to lead and integrate our end-to-end operations across production, quality control, procurement, and logistics.
This is a senior leadership role requiring a strong operator who can bring structure, accountability, and efficiency across multiple functions. At its core, the role demands deep, hands-on expertise in apparel and accessory manufacturing, with a solid background in an export house environment.
You should be equally comfortable overseeing the full operational ecosystem while having the authority and credibility that comes from truly understanding production - its constraints, timelines, and quality requirements in a real manufacturing context.
The ideal candidate combines strong experience in garment and accessory production (mandatory) with a proven ability to manage cross-functional operations, including quality, procurement, and logistics. You bring a track record of building systems and teams that deliver reliably at scale.
Company Overview
I was a Sari is a Mumbai-based sustainable fashion brand that transforms pre-loved saris into contemporary accessories, garments, and lifestyle products, handcrafted by local women artisans.
The brand sits at the intersection of craftsmanship, women's empowerment, and circularity, giving skilled artisans dignified livelihoods and forgotten fabrics a second story. I was a Sari is a Certified B Corp and a Guaranteed Member of the WFTO. We prioritize ethical fashion, ensuring our process respects both the planet and its people.
As we scale, we are strengthening our operational backbone to support increasing complexity, higher volumes, and new growth opportunities.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership & Integration
- Lead and oversee end-to-end operations across production, quality control, procurement, and logistics
- Act as the central integrator, ensuring alignment, coordination, and smooth execution across all operational functions
- Build and strengthen systems, workflows, SOPs, and reporting structures to support scale and consistency
- Define and track KPIs across functions, ensuring accountability and performance visibility
- Partner closely with leadership to translate business goals into operational execution
Production & Quality Management
- Take full ownership of production across garments, bags, and accessories - from planning to final delivery
- Ensure production is reliable, efficient, and capable of meeting quality and timeline expectations
- Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and implement practical, on-ground solutions
- Establish and enforce strong quality control processes across all stages
- Work closely with production supervisors and teams to ensure discipline, clarity, and output consistency
Supply Chain, Procurement & Flow Management
- Ensure smooth flow of materials from sourcing to production to final dispatch
- Coordinate procurement and inventory planning to avoid disruptions and inefficiencies
- Oversee inbound and outbound logistics indirectly, ensuring timelines and commitments are met
- Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers, vendors, and partners
- Ensure cost awareness and operational efficiency across the value chain
Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Management
- Lead and develop a high-performing operations team across multiple functions
- Ensure clear roles, accountability, and communication across departments
- Foster a culture of ownership, problem-solving, and continuous improvement
- Strengthen coordination between production, sourcing, logistics, and commercial teams
- Improve operational visibility through data, reporting, and systems
Skills & Qualifications
Essential
- 8+ years of experience in apparel manufacturing, with strong exposure to export house environments (mandatory)
- Deep, hands-on experience in garment and accessory production (mandatory)
- Proven ability to manage and integrate multiple operational functions (production, QC, procurement, logistics)
- Strong understanding of how production realities impact planning, timelines, and delivery
- Experience building and improving operational systems, processes, and teams
- Ability to operate both strategically and hands-on, solving real operational challenges
- Strong leadership, decision-making, and problem-solving skills
- High level of ownership, accountability, and execution focus
- Proficiency in Excel and operational reporting tools
- Fluency in English and Hindi
- Mumbai-based candidates only
Preferred
- Experience in sustainable fashion, ethical manufacturing, or social enterprises
- Experience scaling operations in a growing company
What we're looking for
- A true operator who understands how things actually get made
- Someone who brings credibility through production experience, not just coordination
- A leader who can connect multiple moving parts into one functioning system
- Open to understanding and working within a sustainability-led and impact driven business model
- Calm under pressure, structured in thinking, and practical in execution
- Comfortable in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment
What's in it for you
- A high-impact leadership role shaping how the business operates and scales
- Direct exposure to founders and strategic decision-making
- Opportunity to build systems, teams, and processes from the ground up
- Meaningful work at the intersection of sustainability, fashion, and social impact
If you have built your career in apparel manufacturing, understand operations end-to-end, and are ready to take ownership of a growing system, we would like to hear from you. Please submit your resume with the application. I was a Sari is an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply.
Join us in building a more sustainable and impact-driven future for fashion.
