Director of Operations Operations · HQ

Job Description

Job title: Director of Operations

Level: 8

Reporting into: Chief Executive Officer

Zapp is redefining the future of premium on-demand convenience. We deliver life's essentials - from last-minute needs to little luxuries - in minutes, 24/7, powered by a vertically integrated technology and operations platform.

Behind every order sits a complex orchestration of real-time logistics, intelligent merchandising, and seamless customer experience - all built in-house by a team obsessed with quality, speed, and innovation. Our mission is simple: to make modern life frictionless through technology that anticipates and serves human needs instantly.

Founded in 2020, Zapp has grown to become London's leading premium convenience retail platform, delivering millions of orders, generating >$100m in ARR and achieving profitability. We partner with some of the world's leading brands to deliver an exclusive range of hand-picked products across central London with 20-30 minute delivery times.

We're looking for an exceptional operations leader to help shape and scale the next generation of Zapp's operational infrastructure. This is a senior leadership role reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, responsible for leading our multi-site fulfilment operations, ensuring operational excellence, and building the systems and teams that will power Zapp's next phase of growth.

You'll oversee day-to-day operations across our network of micro-fulfilment centres and our central distribution centre, leading a team of fulfilment centre managers, supervisors, and associates. This role demands someone who can balance operational rigour with startup agility - implementing world-class processes whilst maintaining the speed and adaptability that defines Zapp.

This is a rare opportunity to influence both the operations and the trajectory of a brand that's building a category-defining experience in premium convenience retail.

• Fulfilment Centre Operations & Leadership
  • Lead Multi-Site Operations: Oversee daily operations across multiple micro-fulfilment centres and our central distribution centre, ensuring consistent execution of operational standards, service levels, and brand quality across all locations
  • Build High-Performing Teams: Recruit, develop, and manage a team of fulfilment centre managers, supervisors, and associates (more than 150 FTEs), creating a culture of ownership, accountability, and operational excellence
  • Drive Operational Excellence: Monitor and optimise key performance indicators including order accuracy, fulfilment speed, availability, customer satisfaction, labour productivity, and cost per order - implementing corrective actions when needed
  • Scale Operations: Develop and execute strategies to increase operational capacity, improve efficiency, and reduce costs whilst maintaining or improving service quality and delivery times
  • Ensure Safety & Compliance: Maintain rigorous safety standards, implement security protocols, and ensure compliance with all health and safety regulations, employment law, and company policies across all sites
• Inventory & Supply Chain Management
  • Optimise Inventory Operations: Oversee inventory management processes including receiving, put-away, picking, packing, cycle counting, and FIFO rotation to minimise waste and shrinkage whilst preserving product availability
  • Manage Shrink & Waste: Implement and continuously improve inventory control measures to keep waste and shrinkage below target levels, working with Technology and Commercial teams on system improvements
  • Supplier & Distribution Coordination: Work closely with Supply Chain team and the central distribution centre to ensure seamless inbound logistics, quality control, and timely replenishment of fulfilment centres
• Loss Prevention & Asset Protection
  • Develop Loss Prevention Strategy: Design and implement comprehensive strategies to prevent theft, fraud, and operational losses across all fulfilment sites and in-transit inventory
  • Conduct Audits & Investigations: Lead regular security audits, spot-check controls, and incident investigations, providing detailed reports with preventive recommendations…