India Operations & Office Manager / Team Lead
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Department: India Head Office
Reports To: Directors of Henley Retail Group
Location / Hours: Vadodara, Gujarat / UK-aligned hours

ROLE SUMMARY

Henley Retail Group is seeking an experienced India Operations & Office Manager to lead its Vadodara Head Office team supporting UK convenience-store operations and retail consultancy services. The role combines India operations management, office management and team leadership, with overall responsibility for service delivery, workplace standards, quality, productivity and communication with the UK business.

The postholder will convert Director priorities into clear work plans, ensure specialist teams work together effectively and build a professional, accountable office that can operate with progressively less day-to-day Director intervention. Specialist employees retain ownership of their technical work; this role owns the people, office, coordination and quality-management framework around them.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

- Lead the day-to-day operation of the Vadodara office and ensure reliable coverage throughout agreed UK business hours.
- Translate Director priorities into transparent daily, weekly and longer-term work plans, with named owners, deadlines and expected outcomes.
- Allocate work across HR, Operations, Finance, Compliance, Reporting, IT, Marketing and Administration according to priority, capability and capacity.
- Set and monitor service standards, response times, quality checks and escalation routes for work supporting UK stores and consultancy clients.
- Chair team meetings, workload reviews and one-to-one discussions; remove blockers and ensure clear handovers between departments.
- Manage attendance, leave planning, office coverage, probation, performance, conduct, coaching and development in partnership with HR.
- Address weak performance, repeated errors, missed deadlines or poor ownership fairly and promptly, maintaining clear records and action plans.
- Support recruitment, selection, onboarding, training, succession planning and retention as the India Head Office expands.
- Review work quality before material submissions reach UK Directors or external stakeholders and require correction where standards are not met.
- Monitor team capacity, productivity, workload balance and service risks and recommend changes to structure, resources or priorities.
- Maintain clear, professional communication between the India office, UK Directors, Store Managers, clients, suppliers and external advisers.
- Oversee office facilities, equipment, access, security, vendors, records, workplace administration, health and safety and business-continuity arrangements.
- Protect confidential information and ensure appropriate access, document control and professional conduct across the office.
- Drive continuous improvement, AI adoption, workflow automation and SOP ownership, measuring whether changes improve quality, speed or control.
- Provide Directors with concise reports on delivery, people performance, risks, staffing needs,



office costs and improvement opportunities.
- Establish clear role ownership, delegation boundaries and handover standards so specialist teams remain accountable and duplicated or unowned work is eliminated.
- Manage office suppliers, facilities costs and service contracts within delegated authority, monitoring quality, cost and value for money.
- Coordinate local office policies, payroll inputs, employment administration and statutory office requirements with HR, Finance and external advisers.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

- Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience, including substantial responsibility for managing an office, shared-services team or multi-function support operation.
- Proven experience allocating work, managing performance, maintaining quality standards and leading employees with different skills and personalities.
- Experience supporting a UK, European, North American, Australian or other international business is strongly preferred.
- Excellent spoken and written English, confident communication with Directors and strong commercial and operational judgement.
- Strong Microsoft 365 and workflow-management capability; experience with Monday.com, service dashboards, KPIs and process improvement is advantageous.
- Experience building, stabilising or scaling a professional office or shared-services operation, including recruitment, onboarding, role clarity and change management.
- Strong understanding of Indian office administration and the expectations of a UK-led professional business, including confidentiality, accountability and service quality.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

- Reliable UK-hours coverage and a professional, well-run Vadodara office.
- Work is allocated clearly, completed accurately and delivered on time.
- Strong quality control, early escalation of risks and fewer unresolved actions.
- Improved employee ownership, capability, retention and performance.
- Reduced need for Directors to manage routine team and office matters.
- Measurable improvements to systems, SOPs, productivity and service quality.

CANDIDATE STANDARDS & ASSESSMENT

ROLE-SPECIFIC CANDIDATE PROFILE

For this management role, the candidate must be fair but firm, willing to make decisions, comfortable addressing poor performance and capable of building a culture of ownership, respectful challenge and self-management rather than dependency.

CORE WORKING STANDARDS

Henley Retail Group requires employees who think independently, take ownership of work and manage their own tasks, priorities, follow-ups and deadlines without repeated reminders.

Employees must investigate concerns using evidence, identify risks and missing information,



challenge unclear or unsuitable instructions respectfully and return with practical recommendations rather than simply reporting problems. They must communicate early where a deadline, accuracy or completeness is at risk and remain responsible for progressing work that depends on colleagues, suppliers or third parties. Completing a task includes maintaining accurate records, capturing reusable learning and ensuring relevant procedures, supplier information and SOPs remain current, controlled and usable by others.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAPABILITY - ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENT

Henley Retail Group has used artificial intelligence extensively across its operations for the past two years and now works at an advanced level. AI is embedded in how we research, analyse information, compare options, prepare professional communications, solve unfamiliar problems, improve processes and increase productivity.

Candidates must already be confident and regular users of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Claude or comparable platforms. This is not a role for someone who has not yet adopted AI, uses it only occasionally for basic drafting or intends to learn how to use it after joining. From the outset, the successful candidate must be able to use AI independently and effectively to:

- Conduct research and structured comparisons, analysing information for gaps, inconsistencies, assumptions and risks.
- Draft and improve professional communications, reports and recommendations.
- Solve unfamiliar problems, develop practical options and apply independent professional judgement.
- Improve efficiency, reduce repetitive work and develop better processes, workflows and reusable methods.
- Provide clear context and instructions, refine prompts and improve initial outputs through iteration.
- Challenge, verify and correct AI-generated information rather than accepting it without checking, remaining accountable for the final work.
- Protect confidential, personal and commercially sensitive information and use only approved tools and methods.
Role-specific AI use includes workload planning, management reporting, research, professional communication, performance analysis, process design and identifying opportunities to reduce manual administration.

Candidates must provide clear examples of how they already use AI in professional work and explain how it has improved speed, quality, accuracy, productivity or decision-making. Basic familiarity with AI, occasional use or a willingness to learn after joining will not meet the requirements of the role.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT ASSESSMENT

Shortlisted candidates will complete mandatory practical assessments covering critical thinking, independent problem-solving, task management, follow-through, SOP ownership, evidence-based investigation, constructive challenge, reliable delivery, professional communication, personal accountability and responsible AI use. A role-specific work sample may also be required. Appointment will be subject to meeting Henley Retail Group's required assessment standard.

📌 Senior Team Lead & Office Operations Manager UK Head Office (Vadodara)
🏢 Henley Retail Group
📍 Vadodara