About Masters' Union:

Founded in 2020, Masters' Union is a new-age, industry-led university focused on business, technology, engineering, and entrepreneurship. Built around learning by doing, the institution combines academics with real-world projects, startup building, and global exposure, with the ambition of becoming one of the world's top business schools and multidisciplinary universities over the next two decades.

Today, Masters' Union has nearly 3,500 students across undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive programs, with almost half being experienced professionals. Spread across nearly 5 lakh square feet in Gurgaon and Manesar, the institution houses the PwC Center for Generative AI, a Bloomberg Lab, Gurgaon's premier maker space, AI and robotics infrastructure, advanced bioengineering workshops, and startup incubation spaces, while also expanding into areas such as bioengineering and genetic engineering.

The institution is chaired by Manoj Kohli, former CEO of Bharti Airtel and former Country Head of SoftBank India. Its leadership ecosystem includes Vivek Gambhir, Pankaj Bansal, Sanjiv Bikhchandani, Amitabh Kant, and 30+ other founders, CEOs, investors, and policymakers who contribute to teaching and institution building.

Masters' Union's flagship postgraduate program has recorded the highest average salary among MBA-equivalent programs in India, with graduates placed at firms such as Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Google, and Microsoft. The institution has also built one of the country's strongest student startup ecosystems, with 10+ students pitching on Shark Tank India and 20+ students raising external funding for their ventures, alongside several successful creators and internet entrepreneurs.

Role Overview:

We are looking for a Head of Operations - Hostels to take complete end-to-end ownership of hostel/residential operations on campus. This is an on-ground, high-accountability leadership role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, always-on environment and treats the hostel as their own house - anticipating problems before they arise and resolving issues decisively when they do.

Important note on nature of role:

Given the residential, round-the-clock nature of student living, this role requires the incumbent to be based on/near campus and available 24x7, including nights, weekends, and holidays, to manage emergencies, escalations, and operational continuity. This is non-negotiable given the nature of the responsibility.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Hostel & Facility Operations:

- Own daily operations across all hostel blocks - housekeeping, maintenance, security, laundry, mess/catering coordination, and general upkeep.

- Ensure rooms, common areas, and facilities are always guest/student-ready; conduct regular inspections and audits.

- Set up and enforce SOPs for check-in/check-out, room allocation, maintenance requests, and facility upkeep.

- Coordinate with vendors, contractors, and service providers (housekeeping agencies, pest control, plumbing, electrical, etc.) and manage vendor performance and contracts.

2. Student Experience & Grievance Management:

- Serve as the primary point of contact for all student residential concerns and escalations.

- Resolve day-to-day issues (maintenance, roommate conflicts, service gaps) quickly and empathetically.

- Build feedback mechanisms to continuously improve the student living experience.

3. Safety, Security & Compliance:

- Ensure robust security protocols across hostel premises - access control, CCTV monitoring, visitor management, night patrols.

- Be the first responder and single point of accountability for any emergency (medical, safety, disciplinary, fire, etc.), available at all hours.

- Ensure compliance with fire safety, health, hygiene, and local regulatory requirements.

- Maintain incident logs and ensure timely escalation to leadership when required.

4. Team & Vendor Management:

- Recruit, train, and manage on-ground staff - wardens, housekeeping supervisors, security personnel, mess staff.

- Build duty rosters ensuring 24x7 coverage across shifts.

- Drive accountability and service quality through regular reviews and spot checks.

- Act as the expert owner of all vendor relationships - sourcing, negotiating, onboarding, and managing vendors across housekeeping, security, mess/catering, maintenance, and facility services.

- Draft, review, and negotiate vendor contracts and SLAs; ensure terms protect service quality, cost, and compliance.

- Continuously evaluate vendor performance against SLAs and drive renegotiation or replacement where needed.

5. Finance, Budgeting & Cost Control:

- Own the hostel operations budget end-to-end - planning, tracking, and reporting costs across housekeeping, maintenance, utilities, and vendor contracts.

- Bring strong financial acumen to cost optimization, vendor negotiations, and contract structuring, without compromising on quality or safety.

- Manage procurement of supplies, furniture, and equipment for hostel upkeep, ensuring best value and proper contracting.

- Track invoices, payments, and vendor billing accuracy; reconcile spend against budget on a regular basis.

6. Process & Systems:

- Set up systems/tools for room allocation, maintenance ticketing, inventory, and inspections (technology-enabled where possible).

- Build reporting dashboards for leadership on occupancy, incidents, costs, and service levels.

- Continuously benchmark against best-in-class residential/hospitality operations.

What We're Looking For:

Experience:

- 8 - 10 years of experience in operations leadership roles within hospitality, hostels/PGs, student housing, facility management, or large-scale residential campus operations (hotels, hospitals, corporate campuses also considered).

- Prior experience managing on-ground teams and vendors at scale is essential.

- Experience setting up operations from scratch or scaling an existing operation is a strong plus.

Skills & Attributes:

- High ownership mindset - treats the campus as their own; doesn't wait to be told.

- Strong crisis management and decision-making ability under pressure.

- Excellent people management skills - able to lead, train, and hold ground staff and vendors accountable.

- Strong communication skills; comfortable interfacing with students, parents, senior leadership, and external vendors.

- Expert-level experience in vendor management, contract negotiation, and financial/budget management - this is a core, non-negotiable requirement for the role.

- Process-oriented with an eye for detail, cleanliness, and service standards.

- Comfortable with technology/tools for facility and operations management.

- Willingness and ability to be available 24x7, including living on/near campus, given the residential and emergency-response nature of the role.

Education:

- Bachelor's degree required; background in Hospitality Management, Facilities Management, or Business Administration preferred. Additional certifications in hospitality/facility operations are a plus.

Why Join Masters' Union:

- Be part of building a category-defining institution from the ground up.

- High-visibility role with direct access to founders and senior leadership.

- Significant ownership and autonomy in shaping how residential operations are run.

- Compensation negotiable and bench marked to industry standards, based on experience.