Operations Manager job description template (India, 2026)

What does a Operations Manager do?

The Operations Manager is usually the first person in a company whose job is the system rather than the task: designing how orders, deliveries, services or production flow; setting the SLAs and the checks; hiring and running the operations team; managing the warehouse, transporters, vendors or field staff; and owning the operating cost line. The founder stops firefighting when this person is good.

The posting has to say what operation this is — fulfilment, manufacturing, logistics, a service network, a clinic chain — its scale in orders or units per day, the team size, the vendor landscape, and the cost or SLA the person will own. Operations Managers from one kind of operation do not automatically transfer to another, and the best candidates self-select on those facts.

Operations Manager responsibilities

Written as work the person does, not qualities they have. A responsibility a candidate can picture is one they can decide about.

• Own the end-to-end operating process for [orders / deliveries / services / production]: design it, document it, set the SLAs and checks, and improve it with data.
• Run the operations team — executives, coordinators, warehouse or field staff — with clear roles, daily rhythms, training and performance management.
• Manage vendors, transporters, contractors and facilities: selection, contracts, service levels, cost and performance reviews.
• Own the operating metrics and report them weekly: SLA adherence, error and return rates, cost per order or unit, productivity, and the reasons behind variances.
• Own the operating cost budget and drive efficiency without degrading service — routing, staffing, packaging, vendor terms.
• Handle escalations and major exceptions personally — a large customer failure, a vendor collapse, a compliance issue — and fix the cause.
• Ensure statutory and safety compliance in the operation: labour, contract staff, warehouse or factory rules, e-way bills and documentation.
• Plan capacity for growth and seasonality — festive peaks, launches, new locations — and execute the plan.

Operations Manager requirements and qualifications

Keep the required list to what you would actually reject a candidate for. Everything else goes under nice to have — a long required list mostly filters out the people you wanted.

• Graduate; an engineering or management degree is common. 5 to 10 years in operations with at least 2 years managing a team and owning a process end to end in a comparable operation.
• A record of measurable improvement — SLA, cost, error rate, throughput — that you can describe with numbers.
• Experience managing vendors, transporters or contractors and negotiating service and cost.
• Strong analytical skills: Excel or Sheets fluently, and comfort with an ERP, WMS or order-management system.
• Hands-on: willing to be on the floor, at the warehouse or with the vendor when the operation needs it.
• Clear communication with the founder, the team and vendors in English and Hindi; the regional language for local workforces.

Nice to have

• Experience in our specific operation and scale, or in the step change we are about to make.
• Experience setting up a new location, warehouse or process from scratch.
• Familiarity with labour compliance for contract or shift workforces.

Salary, CTC and terms for a Operations Manager in India

State a CTC range. Postings without one get fewer and worse-matched applications, and the range is the first thing an Indian candidate looks for. Say how the CTC is made up — fixed, variable, and any statutory components — so the in-hand figure is not a surprise at offer stage.

• State the CTC range with the split into fixed and variable, and what the variable is tied to — usually a mix of SLA, cost and team objectives. State any ESOP if the company is funded.
• State the scope explicitly — operation type, daily volume, team size, locations, cost budget — since it defines the seniority of the role.
• State the reporting line and the degree of autonomy over vendors, hiring and process changes.
• Notice period at this level is commonly 60 to 90 days; plan the joining date around peak season.

Operations Manager job description template

Replace every [placeholder]. Cut anything that is not true of your company — a generic paragraph is worse than no paragraph.

Operations Manager — [Company name], [City]

Employment type: Full-time | Location: [City] / [On-site, hybrid or remote] | CTC: [range] per annum | Experience: [years]

About the role
The Operations Manager is usually the first person in a company whose job is the system rather than the task: designing how orders, deliveries, services or production flow; setting the SLAs and the checks; hiring and running the operations team; managing the warehouse, transporters, vendors or field staff; and owning the operating cost line. The founder stops firefighting when this person is good.
The posting has to say what operation this is — fulfilment, manufacturing, logistics, a service network, a clinic chain — its scale in orders or units per day, the team size, the vendor landscape, and the cost or SLA the person will own. Operations Managers from one kind of operation do not automatically transfer to another, and the best candidates self-select on those facts.

What you will do
- Own the end-to-end operating process for [orders / deliveries / services / production]: design it, document it, set the SLAs and checks, and improve it with data.
- Run the operations team — executives, coordinators, warehouse or field staff — with clear roles, daily rhythms, training and performance management.
- Manage vendors, transporters, contractors and facilities: selection, contracts, service levels, cost and performance reviews.
- Own the operating metrics and report them weekly: SLA adherence, error and return rates, cost per order or unit, productivity, and the reasons behind variances.
- Own the operating cost budget and drive efficiency without degrading service — routing, staffing, packaging, vendor terms.
- Handle escalations and major exceptions personally — a large customer failure, a vendor collapse, a compliance issue — and fix the cause.
- Ensure statutory and safety compliance in the operation: labour, contract staff, warehouse or factory rules, e-way bills and documentation.
- Plan capacity for growth and seasonality — festive peaks, launches, new locations — and execute the plan.

What we are looking for
- Graduate; an engineering or management degree is common. 5 to 10 years in operations with at least 2 years managing a team and owning a process end to end in a comparable operation.
- A record of measurable improvement — SLA, cost, error rate, throughput — that you can describe with numbers.
- Experience managing vendors, transporters or contractors and negotiating service and cost.
- Strong analytical skills: Excel or Sheets fluently, and comfort with an ERP, WMS or order-management system.
- Hands-on: willing to be on the floor, at the warehouse or with the vendor when the operation needs it.
- Clear communication with the founder, the team and vendors in English and Hindi; the regional language for local workforces.

Nice to have
- Experience in our specific operation and scale, or in the step change we are about to make.
- Experience setting up a new location, warehouse or process from scratch.
- Familiarity with labour compliance for contract or shift workforces.

Compensation and terms
- State the CTC range with the split into fixed and variable, and what the variable is tied to — usually a mix of SLA, cost and team objectives. State any ESOP if the company is funded.
- State the scope explicitly — operation type, daily volume, team size, locations, cost budget — since it defines the seniority of the role.
- State the reporting line and the degree of autonomy over vendors, hiring and process changes.
- Notice period at this level is commonly 60 to 90 days; plan the joining date around peak season.

How to apply
Apply with your resume through this page. We reply to every application, and shortlisted candidates hear from us within [number] working days.

Screening questions for Operations Manager applicants

Five questions is the ceiling on ofper, and it is the right ceiling: a form that asks more than that costs applications. Use them for the things that decide a shortlist, not for anything the resume already says.

Questions, answered straight