AVP- Operations Excellence

Theobroma Foods; Mumbai; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Theobroma Foods is seeking a senior operations leader to set and embed high standards across all outlets, blending guest experience, process design, people enablement, and data-driven decision-making.

You will drive store standards, digital enablement, cost efficiency, demand forecasting, and a strong governance framework, building scalable systems as Theobroma Foods expands into new cities and formats.

Qualifications

• Graduate in any discipline (required). MBA or equivalent post-graduate qualification preferred.
• 5+ years of progressive operations experience, with at least 5 years in a multi-unit leadership role in F&B or QSR.
• Proven track record of designing and implementing operational standards at scale ideally across 300+ outlets.
• Experience owning and improving mystery audit/quality audit programmes.
• Hands-on experience with operational technology digital checklists, contact centre tools, demand planning systems, or equivalent.
• Prior P&L accountability or exposure to cost efficiency and operational budgeting.

Responsibilities

• Set and enforce hygiene & maintenance standards; build an internal audit cadence.
• Lead visual merchandising and in-store communication standards with marketing.
• Oversee outlet redesign and infrastructure upgrades with projects/design teams.
• Drive digital checklists, automation, and dynamic discounts in the enablement roadmap.
• Build dashboards with IT/analytics for real-time operational health at store, cluster, national levels.
• Lead energy savings and equipment efficiency initiatives to reduce costs.

Skills

Operations leadership

Quality audits

Digital enablement

Cost optimization

Forecasting

Education

MBA or equivalent

Graduate in any discipline

Job description

About the role:

The incumbent is responsible for setting, embedding, and continuously improving the operational standards that define the Theobroma guest experience across every outlet, every day. This role sits at the intersection of guest experience, process design, people enablement, and data driven decision-making. The incumbent will be the company's internal benchmark-setter defining what 'great' looks like operationally and building the systems to make 'great' the norm, not the exception.

Key responsibilities

A. Store Standards & Upkeep

• Set and enforce hygiene & maintenance standards; build an internal audit cadence that identifies gaps before they impact guest experience.
• Lead visual merchandising and in-store communication standards in partnership with the marketing team.
• Oversee outlet redesign and infrastructure upgrade projects in collaboration with the projects and design team.

B. Digital Enablement & Process Automation

• Drive contact centre automation, digital checklists, and dynamic discounting initiatives as part of the digital enablement roadmap.
• Identify and implement technology solutions that reduce manual effort at the store level and improve real-time visibility for operations management.
• Partner with the it and analytics teams to build operational dashboards that enable data-driven decision-making at store, cluster, and national levels.

C. Cost Efficiency & Outlet Maintenance

• Lead cost efficiency initiatives across energy savings and equipment efficiency identifying opportunities to reduce the operational cost base without compromising guest experience.
• Build a proactive outlet maintenance programme that minimises downtime, reduces reactive repair spend, and extends asset life.
• Own the qhse (quality, health, safety & environment) framework including qhse audits, process audits, and inventory audits.

D. Demand Forecasting & Supply Readiness

• Work with the supply chain and production teams to build a demand forecasting capability that reduces wastage and ensures product availability.
• Develop and maintain the frozen model a standardised operating framework that can be replicated efficiently as the company scales into new cities and formats.

E. People, Training & Capability Building

• Define operational competency standards for store teams and work with the l&d function to embed training that delivers measurable behavioural change.
• Build the n-2 and n-3 operations leadership pipeline ensuring the company always has ready successors for every critical operational role.
• Design and execute the people relook programme for store-level teams, in partnership with hr and l&d.

F. Controls, Governance & Reporting

• Strengthen the internal audit framework across qhse, process, and inventory dimensions.
• Build and own the operational metrics & dashboard providing the coo, ceo, and board with a clear, real-time view of operational health.
• Ensure all operational processes are compliant with regulatory, food safety, and brand standards.

Education & Experience

• Graduate in any discipline (required). MBA or equivalent post-graduate qualification preferred
• 1218 years of progressive operations experience, with at least 5 years in a multi-unit leadership role in F&B or QSR
• Proven track record of designing and implementing operational standards at scale ideally across 300+ outlets.
• Experience owning and improving mystery audit/quality audit programmes.
• Hands-on experience with operational technology digital checklists, contact centre tools, demand planning systems, or equivalent.
• Prior P&L accountability or exposure to cost efficiency and operational budgeting.
• Certifications in Food Safety (FSSAI), Q&HSE, or Lean / Six Sigma are a strong advantage.

Values

• Guest Centricity
• Collaboration
• Ownership
• Excellence
• Entrepreneurship .