HEAD OF OPERATIONS

Location: Mumbai

Reporting to: CEO

Experience: 12+ years

Sector: Brand Solutions | Experiential | Retail | BTL | Marketing Services

ABOUT DIRECTX

DirectX is building a new kind of brand solutions business around Hyperlocal Communication.

We help brands understand where consumers are, what they are doing, what mindset they are in - and what intervention is most relevant in that moment.

We work with brands across FMCG, consumer, retail, technology, BFSI, mobility, lifestyle and other consumer-facing categories, helping them solve brand and business challenges through relevant physical consumer touchpoints.

Our work brings together strategy, consumer context, experiences, ecosystems, technology and execution across modern trade, retail, corporate & tech parks, campuses, fitness, transit, events and emerging physical touchpoints.

As DirectX scales, the opportunity is to build a repeatable operating model that enables the business to sell bigger solutions, deploy them across markets and deliver them consistently and profitably.

We are looking for a Head of Operations to build that engine.

THE ROLE

This is not a traditional execution or production role.

You will own the operating engine that converts DirectX's solutions into commercially viable, scalable and high-quality delivery.

Your mandate will span: Solution - Commercials - Partners - Deployment - Quality - Measurement.

Working closely with the CEO, Business, Strategy & Solutions, Alliances and Finance teams, you will ensure that what DirectX sells can be built, deployed, measured and scaled profitably.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

1. OPERATING MODEL & DELIVERY:

- Build the systems and governance that make DirectX delivery predictable, efficient and scalable.

- Own end-to-end delivery across projects, markets and ecosystems.

- Translate solutions into clear operating plans, timelines, owners and SLAs.

- Establish standardised processes, playbooks and quality controls.

- Create strong governance from brief through closure.

- Identify recurring delivery issues and solve them at the system level.

- The goal is not simply successful execution - it is predictable execution.

2. PROJECT ECONOMICS:

- Ensure every solution is deliverable, commercially viable and profitable.

- Validate feasibility, deployment models, costs and resource requirements before commitments are made.

- Protect approved project margins and budgets.

- Control scope creep, cost overruns and operational leakage.

- Establish visibility on project-level profitability.

- Improve productivity and cost efficiency through better processes and deployment models.

3. PARTNER & ECOSYSTEM ENGINE:

- DirectX will combine owned capabilities with specialist external partners.

- You will: Build and manage a strong national partner ecosystem.

- Establish preferred partners, commercial frameworks, SLAs and performance standards.

- Negotiate partner commercials and capacity.

- Build redundancy across critical capabilities and markets.

- Continuously improve partner quality, performance and economics.

- The objective is not the largest vendor network - but the right ecosystem that gives DirectX capability, reach and flexibility without proportionately increasing fixed costs.

4. SCALE DIRECTX ECOSYSTEMS:

- Operationalise repeatable ecosystems across: Modern Trade & Retail | Corporate & Tech Parks | Campuses | Fitness | Transit & Mobility | Smart Vending | Experiential | Technology-led Touchpoints.

- For priority ecosystems, build repeatable: Deployment Models | Partner Architecture | Cost Structures | SOPs | Quality Standards | Measurement.

- Move DirectX from: "Find a vendor and execute." to: "Build an ecosystem that can be activated repeatedly across brands, touchpoints and markets."

5. ENABLE GROWTH:

- Operations starts before the sale.

- Work with Business and Strategy & Solutions to: Assess feasibility and execution risk.

- Build deployment, cost and resource models.

- Define realistic timelines and capacity requirements.

- Support major pitches with operational credibility.

- Ensure what DirectX sells can be delivered profitably and at scale.

6. BUILD THE TEAM:

- Build a lean, high-performance operations organisation.

- Define ownership across projects, markets and ecosystems.

- Build second-line leadership and succession capability.

- Establish KPIs, operating reviews and accountability.

- Balance internal capability with the right external partner network.

- Create a culture of ownership, problem-solving and continuous improvement.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for an operator who has built and managed complex, multi-market businesses, not simply managed individual projects.

You should have:

- 12+ years of experience across experiential, BTL, retail activation, shopper marketing, events, brand solutions, integrated marketing or marketing operations.

- Experience managing multi-city or national execution.

- Strong understanding of partner ecosystems, procurement, costing and project economics.

- Strong commercial judgement and negotiation skills.

- Experience building processes, operating models and governance.

- The ability to balance speed, quality, cost and scalability.

- A systems-oriented mindset - solving recurring problems through better models rather than repeated firefighting.

- The ability to work comfortably with senior clients, internal leadership teams and on-ground partners.

- The maturity to operate strategically while getting into the detail when required.

- Strong leadership capability to build teams, accountability and operating discipline.

- Relevant backgrounds: Experiential | BTL | Retail Activation | Shopper Marketing | Events | Brand Solutions | Marketing Operations | Production.

- We care less about the logo on your CV and more about the scale, complexity and outcomes you have successfully managed.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

In the first 12 months, you will:

- Build a clear and scalable DirectX operating model.

- Establish strong governance across delivery, quality, cost and project profitability.

- Build a high-performing partner ecosystem with clear commercials, SLAs and accountability.

- Convert priority ecosystems into repeatable deployment models and playbooks.

- Improve delivery predictability, productivity and operational visibility.

- Build a lean, capable operations team with clear ownership.

- Enable DirectX to take on larger and more complex opportunities without proportionately increasing fixed costs.

- THE ULTIMATE MEASURE: DirectX can sell bigger, move faster and scale with confidence - because the operating engine can keep up.

WHY DIRECTX?

DirectX is building a business at the intersection of brand strategy, consumer context, physical ecosystems, technology and real-world experiences.

This is an opportunity to build the operating backbone of that business.

You will help define: How DirectX delivers.

- What it owns.

- What it partners for.

- How its ecosystems scale.

- How efficiently the business grows.

This is for someone who wants to build the engine, not simply manage execution.

If you know how to turn complexity into a scalable, commercially disciplined operating model - and want to build it with us - let's talk.