Senior Manager – Workforce Strategy & Operations
Department: Central Operations
Reports to: Head of Central Operations
Location: Corporate Office, Gurgaon
Employment Type: Full-time
Role Overview
We are looking for a highly analytical and execution-driven Senior Manager – Workforce Strategy & Operations to lead workforce planning and optimization across our retail network. In this role, you will leverage data, predictive analytics, and technology to build scalable workforce strategies that maximize business performance, customer experience, and operational efficiency.
You will be responsible for forecasting customer demand, driving intelligent workforce planning, optimizing talent deployment, and partnering with cross-functional teams to ensure the right talent is available at the right place and at the right time. This is a high-impact role requiring strong analytical thinking, structured problem-solving, stakeholder management, and operational excellence.
Key Responsibilities
1. Predictive Analytics & Smart Workforce Planning
- Develop advanced forecasting models by analyzing historical footfall, seasonal trends, marketing calendars, and business growth plans to accurately predict store-level demand.
- Leverage machine learning and predictive analytics techniques (e.g., regression, gradient boosting) to enhance forecast accuracy and improve workforce planning decisions.
- Design and implement intelligent, AI-driven rostering frameworks that align workforce availability and skill sets with predicted customer demand, maximizing productivity and customer experience.
2. Workforce Governance & Operational Excellence
- Establish governance frameworks, KPIs, and dashboards to monitor roster adherence, workforce productivity, and operational performance across stores.
- Identify operational inefficiencies, workforce leakages, and compliance gaps through data analysis, and drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance execution.
3. Strategic Talent Mobility & Resource Optimization
- Lead the strategic deployment of Moveable Optometrists and Store Managers across clusters to optimize business outcomes and ensure seamless operations.
- Develop data-backed recommendations for permanent and temporary inter-store workforce movements to balance staffing capacity with evolving business demand.
- Optimize workforce utilization by ensuring the right talent is available at the right location and at the right time.
4. Capacity Planning & Talent Acquisition Partnership
- Partner closely with Talent Acquisition, Retail Operations, and Circle Heads to translate business forecasts and capacity requirements into proactive hiring strategies.
- Drive location-specific headcount planning to minimize understaffing and overstaffing while supporting business growth and operational efficiency.
- Continuously evaluate workforce demand and recommend hiring plans based on productivity trends, expansion plans, and business priorities.
5. Business Strategy, Insights & Stakeholder Management
- Build executive dashboards and performance reports to track workforce effectiveness, forecast accuracy, staffing productivity, and business impact.
- Present actionable insights and strategic recommendations to senior leadership, influencing workforce planning and operational decisions.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Retail Operations, HR, Talent Acquisition, Finance, and Business Leadership to deliver scalable workforce planning solutions aligned with organizational objectives.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Forecast Accuracy
- Roster Adherence across stores
- Workforce Productivity (Revenue per Labour Hour)
- Workforce Utilization
- Staffing Efficiency
- Reduction in Understaffing and Overstaffing
- Shrinkage Reduction
- TAT for Deployment of Mobile Workforce
- Workforce Planning Accuracy
- Stakeholder Satisfaction
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree from a Tier-1 institute (IIT, NIT, BITS, IIIT, DTU, NSUT, or equivalent top engineering colleges) or a premier management institution (IIM, ISB, XLRI, FMS, SPJIMR, MDI, JBIMS, etc.).
- MBA from a premier institute is preferred.
- 4–7 years of experience in Workforce Strategy, Workforce Management, Business Analytics, Operations, Consulting, Supply Chain, or Retail Strategy.
- Proven experience leading cross-functional initiatives in fast-paced, high-growth organizations.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with experience working on large datasets.
- Advanced proficiency in Excel, SQL, and Power BI/Tableau.
- Experience with workforce planning tools, forecasting models, and AI/ML-based analytics is preferred.
Preferred Background
Candidates from high-growth startups, consulting firms, retail, e-commerce, consumer technology, or operations-driven organizations are preferred.
Core Competencies
- Workforce Strategy
- Predictive Analytics
- Workforce Planning
- Capacity Planning
- Business Analytics
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- AI & Machine Learning Applications
- Operational Excellence
- Stakeholder Management
- Cross-functional Leadership
- Structured Problem Solving
- Process Improvement
- Resource Optimization
- Executive Communication
Key Stakeholders
- Head of Central Operations
- Circle Heads
- Retail Operations
- Talent Acquisition
- Human Resources
- Finance
- Business Leadership Team
