Zolostays - Regional Operations Manager

About Zolo:

Zolo is Indias largest co-living and managed accommodation platform, reimagining the way students and working professionals live. With thriving communities across major cities and verticals like Co-living, Hostels, Student Housing, and Vacations Zolo combines comfort, community, and convenience through tech-driven hospitality.

About the Role:

As the Operations Head South, youll play a pivotal role in scaling and standardizing Loop Hostels operations across South India. Youll lead a diverse team of on-ground managers, drive operational excellence, ensure P&L discipline, and build scalable systems that deliver consistent guest experiences across multiple cities.

This is a newly created regional leadership role that offers end-to-end ownership, high visibility with national leadership, and the opportunity to shape the next phase of growth for Loop Hostels.

Key Responsibilities:

Regional Operations Leadership:

- Lead hostel operations across multiple cities in South India.

- Drive standardization and adherence to SOPs across all properties.

- Build and implement scalable systems for service quality, audits, and reporting.

People & Process Management:

- Manage a large, distributed team of city and property managers.

- Build a strong performance-driven culture through mentorship and accountability.

- Ensure staff training, engagement, and retention for a high-performing operations team.

Financial & Business Ownership:

- Drive P&L accountability for the region.

- Optimize costs while maintaining service excellence and operational efficiency.

- Track performance metrics and generate actionable insights through reports and dashboards.

Customer Experience & Quality Control:

- Ensure consistent delivery of guest experience and service quality standards.

- Regularly conduct audits, identify gaps, and implement quick corrective actions.

- Partner with central functions (Tech, CX, Maintenance, Marketing) to ensure smooth operations.

Expansion & Scale:

- Prepare properties and teams for new city launches and portfolio expansions.

- Build and replicate operational playbooks that support fast, consistent scaling.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

Experience:

- Prior exposure to retail, hospitality, fitness, or service operations preferred (e.g., Decathlon, Starbucks, CultFit, Zostel, goSTOPS, Dominos, Reliance Trends).

Education:

- Graduate in any discipline; MBA preferred but not mandatory.

Languages:

- Fluent in English, Hindi, and at least two South Indian languages.

Key Skills & Competencies:

- Strong understanding of SOPs, audits, and operational checklists.

- Proven experience managing 20-30+ locations or units.

- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and leadership skills.

- Strong Excel/Google Sheets and reporting proficiency.

- Hands-on approach with people-first management style.

- Ability to operate in fast-paced, multi-city environments.

What Makes This Role Exciting:

- Transition from a cluster/area operations role to regional leadership.

- Full P&L and regional ownership across South India.

- Work closely with COO and national leadership on strategic initiatives.

- Opportunity to build scalable systems for one of Indias fastest-growing hostel brands.