Operations Manager – Founder/Entrepreneurial Experience

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for an Operations Manager - Founder/Entrepreneurial Experience based in India.

This is a high-impact Operations leadership role within a fast-growing, remote-first business where ownership and initiative are highly valued. You will lead a team of Operations Associates and take full ownership of a critical area of the supply chain and customer delivery process. The role combines people leadership, commercial judgment, operational problem-solving, vendor and customer management, and performance optimization. You will have significant autonomy to build processes, improve efficiency, manage costs, and help the operation scale sustainably. Success will be measured through clear team and business metrics, while you will also play an active role in developing your team and solving complex operational challenges. This opportunity is particularly suited to an entrepreneurial operator who is comfortable creating structure where there is no established playbook.

Accountabilities:

• Own a Core Operations Area: Take full ownership of a defined part of the supply chain, including operational projects, cross-functional requests, headcount planning, process improvements, and initiatives designed to strengthen the team and prepare it for future growth.
• Lead and Develop the Team: Manage a team of approximately 3-7 Operations Associates, creating a culture of ownership, accountability, continuous improvement, and high-quality execution. Conduct regular one-on-ones, provide coaching and feedback, support career development, and address performance challenges effectively.
• Drive Operational Performance: Establish, monitor, and improve team metrics that measure productivity, quality, responsiveness, and overall operational performance. Ensure goals are clearly understood and consistently achieved while identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and customer outcomes.
• Manage Customers and Vendors: Own communications with vendors, customers, and other operational stakeholders, ensuring requests are handled efficiently and relationships are managed professionally.
• Resolve Escalations and Operational Issues: Take ownership of escalations from the team and proactively solve logistical and operational problems. Remain calm under pressure and make practical decisions in situations where information or established processes may be limited.
• Improve Costs and Processes: Identify opportunities to reduce operational costs, improve margins, streamline workflows, and increase overall efficiency. Build and refine processes that enable the operation to scale without compromising quality.
• Partner Across Functions: Collaborate with other functions on projects, operational requests, resource planning, and business priorities, ensuring that the Operations team remains aligned with broader organizational goals.

Requirements:

• Entrepreneurial Experience: Experience founding, co-founding, or independently running a real, revenue-generating business. You should have personally experienced the responsibility of building and operating a business serving paying customers.
• End-to-End Business Ownership: Demonstrated ownership of business operations, customers, vendors, costs, delivery, and financial outcomes rather than responsibility limited to a single function.
• People Management: Experience directly managing employees, ideally at least 3-5 people or more. You should have personally handled hiring, onboarding, coaching, performance management, and difficult people-related decisions.
• Operational Building Experience: Proven ability to build processes from scratch in a fast-moving, resource-constrained environment where there may be limited structure or established playbooks.
• Commercial Judgment: Strong business acumen and the confidence to form an independent point of view, make practical decisions, and balance customer outcomes, operational efficiency, and financial considerations.
• Relevant Experience: Approximately 5-12 years of total professional experience, including meaningful people-management responsibility. Experience in e-commerce, D2C, apparel, fashion, merchandise, printing, supply chain, logistics, manufacturing, fulfillment, consumer products, vendor or marketplace operations, B2B operations, customer service, or technology-enabled operations is particularly relevant.
• Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities, with a data-driven approach to identifying issues, measuring performance, and improving operations.
• Leadership and Communication: Excellent communication skills and the ability to motivate teams, manage stakeholders, communicate clearly, and provide structured direction in a dynamic environment.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset: High ownership, accountability, initiative, adaptability, and comfort with ambiguity. You should be willing to stay hands-on, challenge existing approaches, and solve problems without waiting for detailed instructions.
• Working Hours: Fluency in English and willingness to work night-shift hours from 6:30 PM to 3:30 AM IST, Monday through Friday.
• Business-Building Experience: Freelancing, solo consulting, passive co-founder positions, short-term side projects, or family-business involvement without clear ownership are not considered equivalent to independently building and operating a business.

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation: Annual salary between USD 15,000 and USD 24,000.
• Health Insurance: Access to health insurance coverage.
• Mental Health Support: Mental health benefits designed to support overall employee well-being.
• Learning Opportunities: Opportunities to develop professionally and expand your operational and leadership capabilities.
• Remote Work: Fully remote working arrangement.
• High Autonomy: Significant ownership and independence in shaping processes, improving operations, and influencing business outcomes.
• Career Growth: Opportunity to grow into broader Operations leadership responsibilities as the organization continues to scale.
• Collaborative Culture: Work within a fast-paced environment that values entrepreneurial thinking, practical problem-solving, ownership, and continuous improvement.