Westbury Sportswear - Assistant Vice President - Operations & Warehouse Transformation

Position Title: Assistant Vice President (AVP) - Operations & Warehouse Transformation Location: Bangalore (with travel to warehouse/distribution locations, and periodic HO/board reporting) Experience: 10 - 15 Years Industry: E-commerce / Lifestyle / Fashion / Retail Function: Supply Chain, Warehousing, Logistics, Operations, Automation & Strategy Reports To: CEO / Group Leadership, with direct exposure to Board-level reporting About the Role: We are seeking a senior operations leader to own and scale supply chain, warehousing, and fulfillment operations across Westbury Sportswear's growing e-commerce portfolio. This is no longer a single-business, execution-only mandate - the organization needs a leader who can operate across multiple brands and businesses simultaneously, represent operations at the leadership and Board level, and build the automation and warehousing roadmap for a company that is still early in its e-commerce journey and may set up its own owned warehouse in the future. The ideal candidate combines hands-on operational rigor with the strategic maturity to influence senior stakeholders, justify investments, and build scalable, technology-led infrastructure from the ground up. Leadership, Stakeholder & Board Engagement (New Expectation): This is now a core differentiator for the role, beyond single-business operational delivery. - Operate as a cross-business operations leader - not limited to a single brand or vertical - overseeing warehousing and fulfillment across multiple business lines as the company scales. - Represent Operations in leadership and Board-level forums; prepare business cases, ROI analyses, and investment proposals for warehouse automation, expansion, and technology adoption. - Build the confidence and credibility to convince Board members and senior stakeholders on capital-intensive decisions (owned warehouse, automation, technology platforms) with clear data, risk analysis, and timelines. - Act as the primary escalation and decision-making authority for operations, reducing dependency on the Head of Operations for day-to-day and strategic calls. - Build strong cross-functional influence with Finance, Merchandising, Marketing, and Category teams to align operations strategy with business growth plans. - Mentor and develop a second line of leadership (shift supervisors, control tower leads, warehouse managers) to reduce single-point dependency. Automation & Technology Leadership (New Expectation): Given Westbury is early in its e-commerce and warehousing maturity, this role is expected to build the automation roadmap, not just operate within an existing one. - Define and drive the automation strategy for warehousing operations - material handling equipment, WMS-led automation, conveyor/sortation systems, and robotics where relevant to scale. - Evaluate and recommend automation and technology investments with clear cost-benefit and payback analysis for leadership and Board approval. - Lead WMS and allied technology selection, implementation, and integration, ensuring the platform can scale from manual/brownfield operations to a semi-automated or fully automated model. - Build a phased technology and automation roadmap (12 - 36 months) aligned with projected order volumes, SKU complexity, and business growth. - Stay current on industry best practices in automation, robotics, and warehouse technology relevant to fashion/lifestyle e-commerce fulfillment. End-to-End Warehouse Building & Future Owned-Warehouse Readiness (New Expectation): Westbury currently operates through 3PL/managed warehousing; this role is expected to build the capability and readiness for the company to potentially set up and operate its own warehouse in the future. - Lead end-to-end warehouse building - from site selection and layout design to WMS setup, hiring, training, and go-live - with the ability to replicate this across multiple locations. - Build a long-term warehousing strategy that evaluates 3PL-managed vs. owned/leased warehouse models, with a clear point of view on when and how Westbury should transition to owned infrastructure. - Develop the operational, technology, and people playbooks required to stand up an owned warehouse from scratch, should the business decide to move in that direction. - Own vendor, equipment, and infrastructure partner relationships required for both 3PL and potential owned-facility setups. - Build scalable SOPs, training frameworks, and governance structures designed to work across managed and owned warehouse models alike. Core Operational Responsibilities: - Oversee end-to-end warehouse operations including receiving, inventory management, picking, packing, quality checks, and dispatch across multiple nodes. - Manage on-ground teams and shift supervisors; build high-performing warehouse and logistics teams through coaching, mentoring, and performance management. - Drive operational efficiency, cost optimization, and KPI improvements in fulfillment speed, accuracy, inventory health, and labor productivity. - Coordinate with 3PL partners on inbound, outbound, and last-mile delivery; manage SLAs and resolve operational bottlenecks. - Manage warehouse control tower operations; monitor daily order flow, inventory levels, and proactively flag risks to leadership before escalation is required. - Ensure WMS optimization, data accuracy, and integration with marketplace and fulfillment systems. - Implement and enforce compliance, safety, and best practices across all warehouse operations. - Collaborate with Brand, Merchandising, and Marketplace teams for demand planning, SKU management, and fulfillment strategy. - Generate operational reports, variance analysis, and continuous improvement recommendations for both operational and leadership audiences. Warehouse Setup & Ramp-Up Experience (Critical): This remains a key requirement. We are actively scaling our distribution footprint and require someone who has hands-on experience setting up and launching new warehouse operations from the ground up. - Proven track record of establishing new warehouse facilities end-to-end: site selection, layout design, process flow mapping, and operational setup. - Experience in WMS implementation and integration during warehouse launch phases. - Hands-on involvement in hiring, training, and ramping up warehouse teams (supervisors, operators, quality checkers) during facility launch. - Ability to build warehouse SOPs, training manuals, and operational playbooks from scratch. - Experience with process optimization and KPI target-setting during the ramp-up phase (timeline to achieve 80%+ efficiency). - Coordination with vendors, 3PLs, equipment suppliers, and infrastructure providers during facility setup. - Experience in phased facility launches, capacity scaling, and transition from brownfield/manual to greenfield/automated operations. - Minimum 2 - 3 warehouses successfully set up and operationalized is preferred. Key Requirements: - 10 - 15 years of progressive experience in supply chain, warehousing, logistics, and/or operations, including at least 3 - 4 years in a senior leadership capacity managing multiple stakeholders or businesses. - Demonstrated experience presenting to, influencing, or reporting into leadership/Board-level forums, including business cases and investment proposals. - Hands-on experience managing warehouse operations, inventory systems, and fulfillment processes at scale, across more than one business unit or brand where possible. - Proven experience driving warehouse automation and technology adoption, not just operating within existing systems. - Proven team leadership experience in warehouse, control tower, or logistics teams, with experience building second-line leadership. - Strong operational acumen with focus on KPIs, efficiency metrics, cost control, and continuous improvement methodologies (Six Sigma, Lean preferred). - Experien