Founding Operations Officer

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: 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 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: 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...

1. Are energized by building something from scratch in a high-stakes environment
2. Have a track record of achieving "impossible" targets through resourcefulness and grit
3. Love getting into the details while maintaining strategic perspective
4. View failure as data and iterate rapidly without ego
5. Are comfortable with ambiguity and can create structure from chaos
6. Are naturally collaborative and can influence without authority
7. Have strong business judgment and make high-quality decisions with incomplete information
8. Are passionate about technology's potential to transform traditional industries
9. Want equity upside and are willing to work hard to earn it
10. Are driven by impact and building something meaningful