Operations Manager

Company Description Tinker Village is an early-stage Education Technology startup focused on curriculum-integrated experiential learning and skills-based education for school learners. The organization designs innovative Science and Mathematics programs that help primary and middle school students explore and understand the world through hands-on activities. Partnering with leading schools across more than 200+ cities in India, Tinker Village brings inquiry-driven, meaningful learning into everyday classrooms across multiple curricula. Recognised as the “Education Technology Startup of 2026” by the Atal Innovation Mission under NITI Aayog, the team is known for its impact and innovation in education. A diverse group of educators, designers, school-builders, and facilitators work together toward the mission of making classrooms more engaging, reflective, and future-ready.
Role Description
We are looking for a sharp, hands-on Operations Manager to own the end-to-end daily operations of our fulfilment and production floor. This is a critical, ground-up role for someone who thrives on structure, loves solving real-world process challenges, and takes genuine pride in getting things done — accurately, efficiently, and on time.
You will be the nerve centre of our production floor — planning, supervising, quality-checking, and continuously improving how we assemble and dispatch our learning products. If you are someone who can hold a team accountable while also rolling up your sleeves when needed, this role is for you.
Key Responsibilities1. Production Planning & Scheduling
Create and own daily and weekly production plans based on order volumes, programme calendars, and dispatch timelines.
Allocate manpower, workstations, and resources efficiently across shifts to meet output targets.
Monitor progress against plan throughout the day and make real-time adjustments to address delays, absenteeism, or material shortfalls.
Coordinate with the programme and fulfilment teams to anticipate demand surges and plan accordingly.
2. Team Supervision & People Management
Directly supervise and manage a floor team of 25-30 operations staff, including team leaders, assemblers, packers, quality checkers, and store helpers.
Conduct daily briefings to communicate targets, priorities, and any changes to procedures or standards.
Maintain accurate attendance records and manage shift schedules, ensuring adequate staffing at all times.
Coach, mentor, and develop floor staff — building a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement.
Enforce Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) consistently and address non-compliance promptly and constructively.
Identify training needs and work with the leadership team to upskill staff as required.
3. Quality Assurance & Error Prevention
Conduct rigorous in-line quality checks at key stages of the assembly, kitting, and packaging process.
Proactively identify and prevent common errors including incorrect packaging, missing components, mislabelling, incorrect quantities, and damaged materials.
Establish and maintain quality checkpoints and checklists for each product type or kit variant.
Investigate quality escapes or customer-reported errors; implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
Ensure all dispatched products meet the company's quality standards and are fit for use by schools and learners.
4. Process Improvement & Efficiency
Continuously monitor floor productivity metrics — units per hour, error rates, rework volumes, idle time — and use data to identify bottlenecks.
Design and implement process improvements that increase throughput, reduce errors, and eliminate waste.
Document revised workflows and update SOPs to reflect improved practices.
Drive a lean operations mindset on the floor — reducing unnecessary movement, handoffs, and redundancies.
Introduce simple productivity and quality tracking tools appropriate for the team's scale and capability.
5. Inventory & Materials Coordination
Liaise daily with the inventory and stores team to ensure all materials, components, and packaging supplies are available ahead of production runs.
Flag anticipated shortages in advance and work with the procurement team to resolve gaps without disrupting production.
Monitor material consumption against plan and actively work to minimise waste, pilferage, and surplus.
Assist in periodic stock counts and reconciliation as required.
6. Reporting & Communication
Prepare and submit daily operational reports covering: output vs. target, pending work, quality observations, material shortages, team attendance, and process improvement actions.
Maintain clear, accurate records of production data that can inform planning, capacity decisions, and stakeholder updates.
Escalate critical issues — safety, quality, or capacity — to leadership promptly and with clear context and recommendations.
Participate in weekly operations reviews and contribute to cross-functional planning discussions.
Qualifications
3–6 years of experience in operations, production, fulfilment, or warehouse management, preferably in a product, manufacturing, or kitting environment.
Demonstrated ability to supervise and develop a floor-level team of 10+ people.
Strong understanding of production planning, workflow management, and quality control principles.
Proficiency in basic reporting tools — Excel / Google Sheets; ability to maintain and analyse operational data.
Strong attention to detail with a low tolerance for errors and a high standard for quality.
Excellent time management, prioritisation, and multi-tasking ability in a fast-paced environment.
Clear and confident communicator — able to give direction to floor staff and report up to leadership effectively.
Graduate in any discipline; a degree or diploma in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or Supply Chain is an advantage.
Preferred (Nice to Have)
Prior experience in an EdTech, education, or consumer products company — particularly one involving kitting, learning material assembly, or school supply fulfilment.
Exposure to lean manufacturing, 5S, or Six Sigma methodologies — even at a basic level.
Experience building or formalising SOPs and checklists from scratch in a scaling start-up environment.
Familiarity with basic inventory management systems or ERP tools.
Experience managing seasonal demand spikes or large-scale institutional order fulfilment.
Who You Are
You are someone who finds satisfaction in a well-run floor — where every person knows their task, every kit goes out correctly, and every shift ends with targets met.
You lead from the front — your team respects you because you are present, fair, consistent, and genuinely invested in their success.
You are data-aware but action-oriented — you look at numbers to understand what is happening, then you go and fix it.
You thrive in environments where things are still being built — where your judgement, initiative, and ownership shape how things get done, not just a playbook handed to you.
You care deeply about the end purpose of the work — knowing that every kit you dispatch correctly reaches a child who is going to learn something new because of it.
What You Can Expect
A front-row seat in a growing EdTech start-up with real impact on children's learning.
A role with genuine ownership — your decisions shape how the operation runs every single day.
A collaborative, mission-driven team that values initiative, honesty, and getting things done.
Opportunity to build and scale the operations function as the company grows.
Competitive compensation commensurate with experience.

Work arrangement
No