Manager Operations Administration

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About Zeno

An unprecedented energy transition has begun. To meet 2040 net zero goals, over 2 billion electric two-wheelers (motorcycles) must be sold and $11 trillion in fuel consumption replaced. Zeno is building a tech platform to electrify this two-wheeler market, currently responsible for more than 4% of the world’s GHG emissions. Our mission is to accelerate the energy transition and democratize the benefits across Africa, India, and Latin America. With a focus on East Africa as a starting point, Zeno is building a new energy ecosystem with ground-up development of a fundamentally better electric motorcycle and associated battery swap network to drive a better experience for our customers.

We are looking for audacious, creative, and committed people to join us on this important mission. You will be joining a bold team consisting of leading engineers, operators, and entrepreneurs hailing from companies that include Tesla, Apple, Google, SRAM, Ola Electric, Dott, LiveWire, Lucid, Bolt, Microsoft, SafeBoda, Sun Mobility, among many others. Zeno has just closed its seed round with Lowercarbon, Silicon Valley’s leading climate tech venture fund, Toyota Ventures, the VC of the world’s largest automotive company, and 4DX Ventures, a leading early-stage investor in Africa.

The role

The role leads end-to-end Facilities, Administration, Procurement, and Travel Operations across multiple regional sites. This position partners closely with CXOs and cross-functional leaders to drive infrastructure expansion, operational efficiency, cost savings, compliance, and vendor governance.

Key Responsibilities

1. Facilities Expansion & Infrastructure Management

• Lead greenfield and brownfield expansion projects across multi-city offices (75,000+ sq. ft.).
• Collaborate with CXOs on infrastructure planning, workspace design, and real estate negotiations.
• Ensure seamless setup and scaling of new facilities with zero business disruption.

2. Cost Optimization & Budget Management

• Drive significant cost efficiencies through lease renegotiations, vendor consolidation, automation, and process redesign.
• Deliver year-on-year cost savings through strategic operating model improvements.
• Manage facility budgets, forecast spend, and ensure financial adherence.

3. Procurement & Inventory Management

• Oversee end-to-end procurement lifecycle integrated with SAP.
• Develop centralized dashboards for real-time spending, approvals, and policy compliance.
• Implement controls for inventory, asset management, and purchase governance.

4. Travel Policy & Operations

• Design, implement, and digitize company-wide travel policies.
• Optimize travel spend through streamlined approval processes and data-driven controls.
• Manage travel desk operations, vendor relationships, and adherence to policy.

5. Vendor, Security & Operations Management

• Manage 20+ vendors, security partners, and support staff (administration, housekeeping, pantry).
• Drive SLAs, quality audits, contract renewals, and performance reviews.
• Maintain high operational standards across all campuses.

6. Maintenance, Safety & Compliance

• Oversee preventive maintenance, AMCs, utilities monitoring, and facility uptime.
• Ensure compliance with statutory and internal audits—ISO, EHS, asset audits, fire safety, evacuation drills.
• Maintain complete documentation and audit readiness.

7. Event, Logistics & Technology Operations

• Plan and execute executive events, audits, and offsites with end-to-end logistics management.
• Implement technology solutions such as IoT-based asset tracking and centralized utility dashboards.
• Drive digital transformation across facilities and operations.

Qualifications

• 6–10 years of experience in Facilities, Admin, Procurement, or Corporate Operations (or similar roles).
• Experience working with fast-scaling organizations or multi-site operations.
• Strong negotiation, vendor management, and project execution skills.
• Proficiency in SAP MM, procurement systems, and facility management tools.
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration abilities.

Preferred Attributes

• Start-up experience is a must-have
• Strong analytical and cost-optimization mindset.
• Ability to operate in high-growth, dynamic environments.
• Hands-on with systems, dashboards, and process automation.
• High ownership, reliability, and communication skills.