Business Head - Owndays

Mission Brief: Build the Operating System for Asia's Most Ambitious Eyewear Retailer

Owndays is not just growing — it is redefining what a global eyewear retailer can be. With hundreds of stores across Asia and an aggressive expansion roadmap, we are at an inflection point that demands more than a capable operator. We need a Chief Operating Officer who thinks in systems, acts with speed, and leads with data.

As COO, you will be the architect of Owndays' operating engine — the person who translates bold strategy into consistent, profitable, scalable execution across retail, supply chain, and manufacturing, from Tokyo to Southeast Asia and beyond. You will work directly alongside the CEO, owning the full operational P&L and building the infrastructure that powers our next phase of growth.

This is one of the most consequential leadership roles in the organisation. If you have ever wanted to leave a fingerprint on a category-defining business at exactly the right moment, this is it.

🔑 The Core Mandate

1. Operational Architecture & Excellence (The Builder's Focus)

• Systems-Led Operations: Design and implement a scalable, data-driven operating model across retail, supply chain, and manufacturing. Move the organisation from intuition-based decisions to real-time intelligence — leveraging AI tools for demand forecasting, workforce planning, store performance analytics, and inventory optimisation.

• SOP & Standards Engine: Own the creation and enforcement of operational playbooks across every market. Ensure that a customer walking into an Owndays store in Tokyo has the same exceptional experience as one in Singapore or Bangkok.

• Retail Performance Ownership: Drive store-level KPIs including conversion, productivity, shrinkage, and NPS. Build the dashboards, rhythms, and accountability structures that make underperformance visible and fixable — fast.

2. Supply Chain & Manufacturing (The Scale Focus)

• End-to-End Supply Chain Leadership: Own sourcing, inventory planning, warehousing, and logistics across geographies. Drive cost efficiency, speed-to-market, and resilience — with a clear eye on working capital and margin impact.

• AI-Augmented Planning: Champion the adoption of AI and ML tools for demand sensing, replenishment signals, and supplier collaboration. Partner with the Inventory Intelligence team to align supply chain systems with Lenskart's global planning platform.

• Manufacturing Oversight: Work closely with manufacturing partners to ensure quality, throughput, and capacity are always ahead of demand — not chasing it.

3. Expansion & Market Scaling (The Growth Focus)

• New Market Playbook: Lead operational readiness for every new store opening and market entry. Build the pre-launch, launch, and stabilisation framework that makes scaling repeatable, not chaotic.

• Integration Architecture: Ensure new markets are absorbed into Owndays' operating model quickly and cleanly — with no dilution to standards, margin, or customer experience.

• Infrastructure for the Next Chapter: Think 3 years ahead. Build processes, technology, and team structures today that can support 2x or 3x the current scale tomorrow.

4. Financial & Performance Management (The Ownership Focus)

• P&L Ownership: Own operational metrics that directly drive financial performance — revenue per store, margins, cost per unit, inventory turns, and fulfilment efficiency. Be accountable to outcomes, not just activities.

• Data-Led Governance: Establish rigorous business review cadences powered by real-time data. Eliminate reporting that doesn't drive decisions. Build a culture where every leader can see their numbers and act on them.

• Finance Partnership: Work closely with the CFO on budgeting, forecasting, and capital allocation — ensuring operational plans are always grounded in financial reality.

5. People & Culture (The Leadership Focus)

• Team Builder: Attract, develop, and retain exceptional operational leaders across retail, supply chain, and market teams. Create the bench strength that lets Owndays scale without breaking.

• Culture of Execution: Instil a culture that prizes speed, accountability, and intellectual honesty. Celebrate what works, diagnose what doesn't, and fix it without blame.

• Executive Partnership: Serve as a core member of the leadership team. Be the operational conscience in every strategic conversation — the person who asks "how will we actually do this?" and then makes sure it happens.

The Essentials

• Experience: 15+ years in operational leadership, with at least 5 years in a senior role (COO, VP/SVP Operations, or equivalent) within retail, consumer, or omni-channel businesses. Proven track record of scaling operations across multiple geographies.

• Commercial Acumen: Deep P&L ownership experience. You understand the levers of retail economics — margin, inventory, labour, and fulfilment — and you know how to pull them.

• Tech & Data Fluency: You don't need to write code, but you must be fluent in the language of data. Comfortable working with BI tools, operational dashboards, and AI-enabled planning systems. You push for technology-first solutions before defaulting to headcount.

• Language: Fluency in both Japanese and English is essential. You will operate daily with local teams and leadership in Japan, and also with global stakeholders across Lenskart's network.

• Preferred Background: Experience in high-growth, founder-led organisations. Exposure to Japan and Southeast Asia markets. Familiarity with supply chain technology platforms or enterprise planning systems.

The Mindset

• Systems Thinker: You see operations not as a collection of tasks, but as an interconnected system. You instinctively map dependencies, identify failure points, and design for resilience.

• Data-First, Always: You make decisions with data and challenge those who don't. You are as comfortable in a BI dashboard as in a boardroom. You know that gut instinct is only valuable when it is validated.

• AI-Curious Leader: You actively explore how AI and automation can eliminate friction, improve accuracy, and free your team to focus on higher-order problems. You are not afraid of the tools that will change your industry.

• Bias for Speed: In a high-growth business, the cost of slowness is enormous. You move fast, decide fast, and course-correct fast — without sacrificing rigour.

• Compelling Communicator: You can simplify complexity for a frontline store manager and present strategic vision to a board. You align people across cultures, functions, and geographies because you speak with clarity and lead with conviction.

What Success Looks Like

Within your first 12–18 months, you will have:

• Delivered a scalable, documented operating model that works across all current markets and is ready for the next wave of expansion

• Moved the organisation measurably toward AI-assisted decision-making in planning, retail ops, and supply chain

• Achieved tangible improvements in store performance metrics — conversion, productivity, and customer satisfaction — across the retail estate

• Reduced supply chain costs and lead times while improving product availability and inventory efficiency

• Built a high-performing operational leadership team with clear succession depth

• Established a data-led governance rhythm that gives the CEO and board real-time visibility into operational health

Owndays is a Lenskart company. We are building the future of eyewear — accessible, affordable, and powered by technology. If you want to build something that matters, at a scale that challenges you, and with a team that moves fast — we would love to meet you.