Associate Director (Strategy)

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Function: Founder's office    
Base: Chennai

Who we are & what we do

We are Wheelocity – India’s First & Largest Supply Chain Network for Fresh Commerce. We’re out to solve for the massive inefficiencies in India’s fresh supply chain. India is the 2 nd largest producer of Fruits & Vegetables (F&V) in the world, but we waste more than 40% of our produce in the post-harvest supply chain. At the same time, there are millions of people who are under/mal-nourished. This dichotomy is a pressing $200bn problem to solve – which we believe can be solved by bringing together technology & supply chain engineering. We’re a 7-month-old Chennai-HQ’d startup, and we’ve already hit a scale that only few could dream of. We process 700+MT of F&V through our network every single day, saving 75+MT of produce from going waste. At per-capita F&V consumption of 200g/day, this translates to delivering nutrition to 3.75Lakh people every day - and we’re just getting started!

We have raised $12m as part of our Series-A investment from marquee investors including Lightspeed India in June 2022. https://inc42.com/buzz/wheelocity-raises-12-mn-to-solve-supply-chain-issues-for-quick-commerce-startups/

Our approach to the solution

We believe that the solution to India’s F&V supply chain problems lies at the intersection of (a) ‘Right’ implementation of Technology (b) Rigorous & Repeatable Processes, and (c) Reliable 24X7 Network that appreciates category nuance.

The traditional F&V mandi ecosystem has been running for close to 2000 years, and in our opinion, well past its shelf life. This ecosystem was built at an era of food surplus, and at a time when there was no access to technological support. This needs to change.

We view the F&V supply chain as three distinct and yet interconnected legs– (i) Farm Side Operations – comprising sorting, grading and logistics from the farm-gate to rural collection centers and onward logistics to cities; (ii) Upstream City Operations – comprising large fulfillment centers in cities where packing, processing & temperature treatment happens; and (iii) Downstream Operations – comprising of node operations & B2B/B2C last mile delivery to customers.

Each of these legs present huge opportunities for disruption and value creation. We take a ‘global-maxima’ view to problem solving and believe in building channel agnostic tech-powered solutions. Specifically, we strongly believe in the value to be created and unlocked in solving problems in Semi-Urban & Rural India (Bharat). Fueled by a highly aspirational middle-income group and powered through government initiatives, rural India is on the verge of an explosive demand growth and we strongly believe that this is going to drive the next slew of Indian unicorns.

Further, we are excited about the various technological shifts that will drive logistics in the days to come. We are thrilled by the convergence of technologies

The collective experience of the Founders & the Leadership team across domains of Technology, Supply Chain & Selling into Bharat places us in a unique position to take advantage of this massive opportunity unfolding in front of us.

What we look for

The role is part of our Strategy team, which is tasked with the objective of identifying and launching the next 10x growth opportunities for the organization. The role would require the candidate to push the boundaries of conventional thinking while developing products.

Key expectations are as follows:

  1. Cross Functional Work: This would involve working deeply and closely across functions
  2. Frugality: As an organization that deeply values sustainability, we work on the “Lean Startup” approach – and place a premium on failing fast & cheap on our way to building products.
  3. Field Work & Execution: The role would require the candidate to never hesitate to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty in the process of running these various experiments. As part of the product validation process, a part of the role would also involve actively meeting existing/potential clients to seek feedback and validate ideas. As the adage goes – Ideas are a dime a dozen, execution is what matters!
  4. Contrarian/Out of the Box Thinking: In an industry that is marked and known for its highly conventional & rigid thinking process, the role would challenge preset norms by actively seeking out and engaging new technologies being developed.
  5. Perseverance: The saying goes, “95% of product ideas never see the light of day” – so tenacity & upstream swimming would be a prerequisite for the role.

We believe that the role is tailor made for ex-founders but happy to engage with folks who haven’t been through that journey.

The experience we promise

The role works very closely with the Founders and the leadership team, and entails having to engage and discuss deeply with teams across other functions to (a) uncover real problems, (b) hypothesize solutions, (c) validate ideas, (d) build viable solutions, and (e) implement them on the ground.

The role would have tremendous exposure to the latest technologies shaping the F&V domain, by way of participation in various forums and field visits to other players in the ecosystem. The candidate should expect to travel, to attend events, for field implementations, and for partner visits. Overall, the candidate should expect a very rigorous, demanding & yet, a great learning & rewarding experience.

The role would be based in our Chennai HQ.

Why Wheelocity

The role presents an opportunity for the candidate to solve for one of India’s largest, most complex, and most impactful problem statements. As a $200bn market growing @ 12+% CAGR, there is no dearth of space or challenge in this industry.

Wheelocity is uniquely positioned in this space, as one of the fastest growing & largest players in this space. Our platform approach places us in a unique advantage to get an industry-wide view. The role would also expose the candidate to work alongside some of the smartest & passionate folks across domains. And did we say we’re well funded & profitable?

Diversity and Inclusion

Wheelocity is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, disability, gender, marriage, race, religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation.

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