Operations Associate

Overview

Operations Associate Jobs in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India at SoCoffee

Title: Operations Associate

Company: SoCoffee

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Location: Indiranagar, Bangalore

Type: Full-time | On-ground execution | Planning rigor

Reporting to: Manager – Operations

Experience: 0–2 years

About SoCoffee

India grows some of the finest coffee in the world, yet much of it still gets traded as a commodity. Quality is often compromised during processing, traceability is limited, and small and mid-sized growers rarely get to see their end product.

At SoCoffee, we’re building the smart supply chain for Indian coffee. We work directly with small and mid-sized growers, take their ripe harvests, and process them in our data-driven factory in Coorg — designed to transform what could have been commodity coffee into specialty-grade lots. From there, we take it to both India and the world through products, experiences, and storytelling that celebrate traceability, craft, and quality.

We’ve been bootstrapped for the past two years, supported by Karnataka Elevate, PMFME, and other government programs, and are part of AIC-CCRI, the Coffee Board of India’s accelerator with C-CAMP. We’re now closing our pre-seed round with investments from Shradha Sharma (YourStory), Naveen Tewari (InMobi & Glance), Ankit Agrawal & Ish Babbar (Insurance Dekho), and others.

Our first coffee kiosk is live at InMobi HQ, Bangalore, our second opens shortly in Gurgaon, and a flagship coffee shop is planned for the first half of next year.

SoCoffee sits at the intersection of coffee, technology, and operations, building India’s first digitally enabled farm-to-cup ecosystem.

Karum, the founder is a 3rd generation coffee grower, an ex entrepreneur and has been deeply involved in the startup-tech space.

About the Role

This is a hands-on, high-rigor operations role that sits at the heart of SoCoffee’s day-to-day execution.

You’ll be responsible for ensuring that everything runs smoothly – from the way coffee is shipped from Coorg, to how coffee shops operate, to how gift boxes are packed and delivered with precision.

One day you might be coordinating with the factory in Coorg or a packaging vendor in Bangalore; the next day, ensuring a client shipment is packed and delivered to the exporter on time; the next, helping streamline SOPs for our coffee kiosks.

Over time, as you develop a deep understanding of operations, the role will expand to include business development and partnerships – building and managing relationships that help SoCoffee grow.

This role is ideal for someone who truly enjoys execution, logistics, vendor coordination, and problem-solving, and thrives on seeing things move from plan to completion.

The five qualities that matter most for this role

1. Operational rigor: You thrive on systems, structure, and timelines. You plan ahead, track everything, and hate loose ends.
2. Attention to detail: You notice the small things – a missing label, a packaging imperfection, a missed handoff – and fix them before they become issues.
3. Quality obsession: You hold yourself and vendors to high standards. Every box, every store, every shipment must reflect SoCoffee’s craftsmanship.
4. Ownership mindset: You don’t wait for instructions – you take charge, solve problems, and ensure results, whether it’s a late delivery or a vendor misstep.
5. People and communication skills: You can build strong working relationships across baristas, vendors, exporters, and logistics partners, and communicate clearly in English, Kannada & Hindi (At-least 2 of these languages if not all 3)

What This Role Involves

• Operations management: Oversee day-to-day operations across retail, logistics, and production.
• Vendor coordination: Work with packaging suppliers, printers, logistics providers, and equipment partners to ensure timelines and quality.
• SOP implementation: Help design and maintain operating procedures for coffee kiosks, factory processes, and fulfillment.
• Quality control: Monitor the quality of every output – from coffee batches to shipped gift boxes – and ensure high consistency.
• Logistics and shipping: Coordinate movement of goods between Coorg, Bangalore, and other cities; manage documentation and dispatches.
• Team coordination: Work closely with baristas, operations staff, and vendors to keep daily operations smooth.
• Business development: Support client outreach, partnerships, and institutional orders; assist in proposal creation and relationship management.

Who You Are

• 0–2 years of work experience in operations, supply chain, or general management.
• Excellent organizational and multitasking abilities.
• Fluent in English, Kannada and Hindi (Ideally all 3, but any two is ok)
• Comfortable with occasional travel (Bangalore, Coorg, Gurgaon, and occasionally other cities).
• Detail-oriented, disciplined, and dependable – you like things done right and on time.
• High on energy and ownership; you enjoy solving problems independently.
• Bonus: A love for coffee and an appreciation for craftsmanship.

You’ll Enjoy This Role If

• You love being the person who makes things actually happen.
• You enjoy managing details, people, and moving parts – and thrive when things are running smoothly.
• You find satisfaction in high-quality execution and operational excellence.
• You’re curious about how coffee businesses work end-to-end, from factory to café to customer.
• You want to grow into a role that combines operations and business development.

You May Not Enjoy This Role If

• You prefer desk-only work or dislike travel.
• You’re not comfortable juggling multiple priorities or fast-changing tasks.
• You prefer defined instructions rather than ownership and problem-solving.
• You’ll hate this role if you’re not ok with untimely calls, needing to be at work early in the day or late at night. Given the nature of the role, this will be an inherent part of it.

Working at SoCoffee

We’re a six-day-a-week, in-office team based in Bangalore (Indiranagar for now).

We believe the best work happens through collaboration, context, and shared purpose. Expect an environment that is warm, hands-on, fast-paced, and deeply committed to quality – in both people and product.

If you think you’d enjoy this role and be good at it, please apply at the link . We’ll reply to shortlisted candidates and aim to close the process within two weeks of shortlisting.