Why this role matters: This role is critical to keeping the Pune hub running effectively by ensuring the right materials, vendor support, and operational coordination are in place to enable engineering, prototyping, and business execution. It is an opportunity to lead a visible team, improve how the hub operates, and influence outcomes across a complex matrixed environment.
Location: Sky One Corporate Park, Viman Nagar, Pune
Reporting to: Site / Hub Leader, Pune
Role Summary
The Manager – Business Operations & Vendor Management plays a key role in enabling efficient day-to-day operations for the Pune hub, with responsibility for indirect materials, NPDI and prototyping support, third-party vendor management, and cross-functional execution. This role leads the Pune hub team supporting buying and logistics activities; while partnering closely with functional leaders in Thane (HQ) for sourcing, procurement, and logistics, whose primary focus is the business and manufacturing plant. The position ensures timely and compliant movement of prototype parts, lab equipment, engineering samples, and other indirect materials across local, import, and export channels; manages vendors supporting temporary and contract hiring; and represents hub priorities within a matrixed operating model. Strong digital fluency is important, including the ability to use reporting tools and AI-enabled solutions to improve visibility, workflow efficiency, and operational decision-making.
Key Responsibilities
Indirect Materials & NPDI Operations
- Own end-to-end coordination of indirect material flow for the Pune hub, including prototype parts, lab equipment, engineering samples, and other NPDI-related requirements.
- Ensure timely, compliant, and cost-effective movement of materials through local, import, and export channels.
- Partner with engineering, sourcing, logistics, and suppliers to improve availability, visibility, and on-time delivery of critical materials.
- Identify and resolve operational bottlenecks that impact project execution, lab readiness, and business continuity.
Vendor Management & Contract Hiring Support
- Manage external vendors supporting temporary and contract hiring for the Pune hub, ensuring strong service levels, responsiveness, and effective coordination.
- Coordinate with procurement, HR, hiring managers, and vendor partners to support timely onboarding and fulfillment of contract resource needs.
- Monitor vendor performance, compliance, and issue resolution to maintain effective support models.
- Drive process discipline and stakeholder communication across vendor engagements to improve predictability and execution quality.
Team Leadership
- Lead, manage, and develop the buyers and logistics analyst supporting the Pune hub to ensure strong accountability and consistent execution.
- Set priorities, operating cadence, and performance expectations to deliver reliable support across buying, logistics coordination, and vendor management activities.
- Build team capability in operational coordination, stakeholder management, problem solving, and continuous improvement to support the hub’s evolving needs.
Cross-Functional Dependency Management
- Serve as the primary Pune hub focal point for coordination with HQ teams in Thane across sourcing, procurement, logistics, finance, and related functions.
- Work effectively within a matrixed structure where functional leadership sits in Thane and is primarily oriented toward the business and manufacturing plant, while ensuring Pune hub priorities are clearly represented.
- Influence decisions, navigate organizational complexity, and proactively escalate issues to secure timely support for hub operations, materials, vendor services, and timelines.
- Build strong working relationships and operating mechanisms with key stakeholders to reduce friction, improve responsiveness, and strengthen ongoing support for the hub.
Digital & AI Enablement
- Use digital tools, dashboards, and AI-enabled solutions to improve operational visibility, workflow efficiency, and decision support.
- Track material flow, vendor performance, service levels, and operational risks through data and reporting tools.
- Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, or automate recurring operational processes.
Required Experience & Skills
- 5–8 years of experience in business operations, supply chain, logistics, procurement coordination, vendor management, or related operational support functions.
- Experience leading buyers, procurement coordinators, logistics analysts, or similar operational support roles.
- Strong experience managing cross-functional dependencies across sourcing, procurement, logistics, finance, HR, and engineering or business stakeholders.
- Ability to work effectively in a matrixed environment where functional leadership sits outside the team, while ensuring local hub priorities are executed.
- Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and drive outcomes without direct authority in a matrixed environment.
- Exposure to import/export coordination, indirect material management, or operational support for NPDI, prototyping, lab, or engineering environments.
- Experience working with third-party vendors, including staffing vendors or outsourced service providers.
- Strong problem-solving, stakeholder management, escalation handling, and process improvement skills.
- Digital fluency, including experience with reporting and visualization tools such as Power BI.
- Familiarity with AI-enabled tools for reporting, workflow efficiency, and operational decision support is preferred.
What Success Looks Like
- You create a smoother, more reliable operating rhythm for the Pune hub by improving how indirect materials, prototype parts, lab equipment, and engineering samples move across local, import, and export channels.
- You build a strong, well-aligned team culture for the buyers and logistics analyst, with clear priorities, accountability, and service levels that support the hub’s growth and evolving needs.
- You help ensure Pune hub priorities are understood and advanced within a complex matrixed environment, working effectively with Thane-based functional teams to remove obstacles and improve responsiveness.
- You strengthen vendor partnerships so temporary and contract hiring support is dependable, well-coordinated, and aligned to business needs.
- You bring greater visibility and discipline to operations through dashboards, reporting, and thoughtful use of digital and AI-enabled tools where appropriate.
- You leave the hub better supported, with fewer execution gaps, stronger cross-functional coordination, and a more proactive, solutions-oriented operating environment.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Operations, Supply Chain, or a related field.
- Experience in matrixed or shared-services environments is an advantage.
- Exposure to digital transformation, workflow automation, or AI-enabled productivity tools is an advantage.
Relevant Background
- Business Operations / Supply Chain / Logistics / Shared Services / Engineering Support Operations
