Head of Operations (Founding Team)Surepath Systems • Chennai, Republic Of India, IN

Head of Operations (Founding Team)

Surepath Systems • Chennai, Republic Of India, IN

13 hours ago

Job description

Founding Operations Officer - Surepath Systems

About Surepath Systems

Surepath Systems is an ambitious food delivery startup launching in Chennai, pioneering a hyperlocal approach to food delivery with plans to expand into groceries and logistics. As a board-backed venture in its early stages, we're building our first product from the ground up with a vision to create a profitable, scalable platform that serves local communities with exceptional speed and reliability.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an exceptional Founding Operations Officer who will be the driving force behind transforming our board's vision into operational reality. This is not just an operations roleit's a founding leadership position where you'll build systems, processes, and teams from scratch while laying the foundation for a multi-vertical logistics platform in one of India's most dynamic markets.

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary : 15 - 18 Lakhs per annum
Performance Bonus : Up to 30-40% of base salary tied to clearly defined milestones
Location : Chennai (Strictly on-site)
Reporting : Direct reporting to Executive Directors / Board

Your Mission : First 12 Months

Phase 1 (Months 1-6) : Hyperlocal Launch in a prime area in Chennai

Your primary objective is to successfully launch Surepath's food delivery platform in a prime area (like Adyar / AnnaNagar), Chennai with these targets :

Restaurant Partners : Onboard 50-75 restaurants (mix of popular chains and local favorites

Delivery Fleet : Build and manage 25-35 delivery partners

Order Volume : Achieve 500-700 orders per week by month 6

Average Delivery Time : Maintain sub-30 minute delivery window for 80%+ orders

Customer Retention : 25-30% repeat customer rate

Average Order Value : 400-450 per order

Customer Rating : Maintain 4.0+ platform rating

Phase 2 (Months 7-12) : Scale & Optimize

Expand to 2-3 additional Chennai neighborhoods

Build operational team to 10-15 members

Establish unit economics : contribution margin positive at order level

Develop playbooks for market expansion

Begin groundwork for grocery vertical

What You'll Do

Strategic Execution & P&L Ownership

Own end-to-end P&L responsibility, driving path to profitability with clear unit economics ]

Develop and execute go-to-market strategy for hyperlocal food delivery launch

Design and implement operational KPIs : order preparation time, delivery efficiency, customer satisfaction, partner retention, contribution margin

Build scalable processes that work at 100 to 10,000 orders / day per hyperlocal market.

Operations Excellence & Process Design

Architect core operational processes : restaurant onboarding, order management, delivery logistics, quality control, customer support

Implement real-time monitoring systems and dashboards for operational metrics

Design delivery zone mapping, route optimization, and demand forecasting models

Establish quality standards, SLAs, and compliance frameworks (food safety, delivery protocols)

Partnership & Ecosystem Building

Source, negotiate, and onboard restaurant partners with attractive value propositions

Build and manage delivery partner network (direct hire and gig model)

Establish vendor relationships : payment processors, cloud kitchens, packaging suppliers

Create mutually beneficial commercial terms that drive platform adoption

Team Building & Leadership

Recruit, train, and lead operations team from 0 to 15+ members in Year 1

Build high-performance culture centered on customer obsession, speed, and continuous learning

Design organizational structure for customer service, operations coordination, and partner management

Mentor and develop team members;

create clear growth paths

Technology & Digital Transformation

Build a strong technology team for initial setup and on going demand of the business

Collaborate with technology partners on platform requirements and feature prioritization

Drive adoption of AI / ML for demand prediction, dynamic pricing, and route optimization

Implement data-driven decision-making frameworks across operations

Leverage automation for order management, dispatch, and customer communications

Fail Fast, Learn Faster Mentality

Run rapid experiments to test hypotheses on customer acquisition, retention, pricing

Build feedback loops with customers, restaurants, and delivery partners

Pivot quickly based on data;

don't let perfect be the enemy of good

Document learnings to create institutional knowledge and avoid repeated mistakes

What You Bring

Non-Negotiable Requirements

10+ years of progressive experience in operations, logistics, or supply chain management

Deep food delivery or logistics industry experience (minimum 5 years)

P&L management experience with demonstrated ability to drive profitability

Startup or high-growth environment experience building 0-to-1 products

Team building experience : Built and led teams of 10+ people

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field;

MBA strongly preferred

Highly Preferred

Pedigree from leading food delivery platforms (Swiggy, Zomato, Dunzo, Shadowfax, Delhivery, or equivalent)

Experience launching hyperlocal delivery operations in Indian Tier 1 / 2 cities

Background in building marketplace or platform businesses

Track record of achieving aggressive growth targets in competitive markets

Essential Skills & Competencies

Business & Strategic Acumen

Business-Driven Mindset : Obsessive focus on unit economics, customer lifetime value, and sustainable growth metrics

Strategic Thinking : Ability to balance short-term execution with long-term vision

Market Intelligence : Deep understanding of competitive landscape and ability to identify differentiation opportunities

Financial Literacy : Expert in reading P&L statements, managing budgets, and driving cost optimization

Digital & AI Transformation

AI / ML Adoption : Understanding of how AI can optimize delivery routes, predict demand, personalize recommendations

Data Analytics : Proficiency in using data to drive decisions;

comfortable with BI tools, dashboards, KPIs

Tech Collaboration : Ability to work effectively with engineering teams;

translate business needs to technical requirements ]

Process Automation : Experience implementing automation to improve efficiency and reduce manual work

Operational Excellence

Process Design : Expert in creating SOPs, workflows, and operational playbooks

Quality Management : Six Sigma, Lean, or Kaizen methodology experience preferred ]

Logistics Optimization : Deep knowledge of last-mile delivery, route planning, fleet management

Risk Management : Proactive identification and mitigation of operational risks

Vendor Management : Strong negotiation skills and relationship management

Leadership & People

Founding Team Mentality : Hands-on, no-task-too-small attitude;

willing to do whatever it takes

Team Builder : Proven ability to recruit A-players, inspire teams, and create winning culture

Change Management : Experience leading organizations through rapid transformation

Collaboration : Bridge builder between business, technology, and external partners ]

Communication : Exceptional verbal and written communication;

able to present to board confidently

Agility & Learning

Fail Fast Philosophy : Comfortable with experimentation, iteration, and pivoting based on learnings

Learning Agility : Voracious learner who stays current on industry trends and best practices

Adaptability : Thrives in ambiguity and rapidly changing environments

Execution Speed : Bias for action;

moves fast from analysis to implementation

Customer & Market Orientation

Customer Obsession : Deep empathy for customer pain points;

relentless focus on experience

Local Market Knowledge : Understanding of Chennai market, food culture, and consumer behaviors preferred

Stakeholder Management : Ability to balance needs of customers, restaurants, delivery partners, and investors

Success Profile : You'll Thrive Here If You...

Are energized by building something from scratch in a high-stakes environment

Have a track record of achieving "impossible" targets through resourcefulness and grit

Love getting into the details while maintaining strategic perspective

View failure as data and iterate rapidly without ego

Are comfortable with ambiguity and can create structure from chaos

Are naturally collaborative and can influence without authority

Have strong business judgment and make high-quality decisions with incomplete information

Are passionate about technology's potential to transform traditional industries

Want equity upside and are willing to work hard to earn it

Are driven by impact and building something meaningful

Role : Operations - Other

Industry Type : Software Product

Department :

Customer Success , Service & Operations

Employment Type : Full Time, Permanent

Role Category : Operations

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Head Of • Chennai, Republic Of India, IN

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