Head of Operations

• Location:

Lisbon or Madrid (remote work with physical presence required often for meetings)
- Type:

Full-time
- Start Date:

Q1 2026
- Seniority:

Leadership role with hands-on operational ownership

About Volup

At Volup, we believe extraordinary food deserves an extraordinary delivery experience. We partner with the best restaurants and chefs in Lisbon and
(soon)

Madrid to bring their food into people's homes: reliably, beautifully, and with exceptional care.

With fresh funding, strong momentum, and a crystal-clear vision in place, our operations sit at the center of our next phase. We're hiring a
Head of Operations

to build, lead, and scale the operational backbone of Volup as we grow across Iberia and begin our international expansion.

You'll join a leadership team where:

• Monica
  drives growth and demand
• Álvaro
  secures the most exceptional supply
• Alejandra
  owns the app experience
• You

guarantee flawless execution: every order, every shift, every driver

This is a role for someone deeply autonomous and self-disciplined, capable of building and running a complex operational engine with minimal oversight. You will have full ownership to design the model, build the team, and execute the strategy.

The Role

The Head of Operations owns Volup's entire operational engine: driver operations
(logistics)

, customer support & live ops, and the underlying processes that allow us to scale with quality.

This is a role for a true builder, someone who thrives in ambiguity, can architect systems from scratch, and isn't afraid to get hands-on in the trenches when needed. You will have full autonomy to design the operational model, define the fleet and customer support strategies, and build your own team as we keep growing.

You will own

Driver Operations (Logistics)

This is our biggest bottleneck today, and your most powerful lever.

• Guarantee driver supply matches demand in all the markets we operate or will operate
• Define and continuously improve the driver model (internal fleet, contractors, partners, hybrid strategies)
• Build the framework for selection, onboarding, training, and performance
• Establish quality standards that reflect our premium experience
• Design scalable processes and policies to eliminate delays and increase reliability
• Manage logistics inventory (bags, equipment, branded materials) and distribution
• Own driver recruitment, onboarding, payouts, operational compliance, and communication routines
• Forecast operational capacity needs in alignment with growth initiatives

You will shape the logistics engine that enables Volup to scale with quality.

Customer Support & Live Ops

You won't just lead the support & live operations team, you will own the entire service model that guarantees Volup delivers a premium, reliable, and delightful experience as we scale. Your responsibilities go far beyond people management:

1. Customer Support

2. Architect the workflows, processes, and standards that define how Volup interacts with customers, restaurants, and drivers

3. Create the service philosophy that consistently delivers the "wow effect"
4. Build escalation frameworks, communication scripts, response playbooks, and operational SOPs
   (Standard Operational Procedures)
5. Establish the service-level model (shift structure, staffing model, coverage plan, responsibilities, KPIs)

6. Implement tools and systems that enable fast, effective issue resolution

7. Lead and scale the team

8. Manage, coach, and grow the support & live ops team

9. Set targets, performance measurements, and quality frameworks

10. Recruit future roles as we expand to new markets

11. Own live ops and get in the trenches

This role is highly operational. You will jump into live ops when needed to:

• Solve urgent, high-pressure issues
• Support the team during peak or crisis moments
• Learn firsthand where processes break
• Model the behavior and standards you expect from the team

This combination of strategic design + hands-on execution is essential. You will create the system that later scales across multiple cities and countries.

Operational Excellence and Systems

• Build the operational infrastructure and SOPs for all markets
• Implement or optimize tools for routing, dispatching, tracking, and ops management
• Work closely with product to influence roadmap for ops tech
• Create dashboards and KPIs to monitor reliability, efficiency, and performance
• Identify bottlenecks and execute improvements with speed and data insight

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Work closely with the founders
• Provide operational input for marketing campaigns and supply onboarding
• Support fundraising by contributing operational insights and projections
• Be a central pillar of Volup's culture of excellence and ownership

What Great Looks Like

You are:

• A builder,  someone who has created systems, teams, or companies from zero, not just operated existing structures
• Ideally an ex-founder, early startup operator, or someone who has scaled operations from scratch
• Highly autonomous, independent, and self-disciplined: you don't wait for direction, you create it
• Exceptionally comfortable operating at two altitudes:
• High-level strategy, contributing to leadership discussions, forecasting, planning, and expansion
• Hands-on execution, jumping into live ops, solving urgent issues, refining processes, and working shoulder-to-shoulder with the team
• Able to switch between strategic thinking and tactical action in seconds, and you enjoy both
• Customer-obsessed and quality-obsessed
• Calm, structured, and analytical, even under pressure
• A decisive problem-solver who thrives in ambiguity
• A natural leader who sets high standards, creates clarity, and inspires accountability across teams

What You Bring

Required

• 4–7+ years in operations, logistics, mobility, delivery, or marketplace environments
• Experience managing or building delivery fleets or courier networks
• Team leadership experience
• Strong analytical and process design skills
• Ability to work in Lisbon or Madrid and travel if necessary
• Fluent in English + Portuguese + Spanish

Nice to have

• Experience in food delivery, Q-commerce, gig economy, or mobility platforms
• Experience building or scaling operations in new cities
• Background as an ex-founder or early-stage builder
• Familiarity with Tookan or similar dispatching/logistics tools (Onfleet, etc.)
• Experience with Zendesk, Intercom, Notion, or support systems
• Exposure to fleet partnerships and hybrid models

What We Offer

• A pivotal, high-impact role at a defining moment in Volup's growth, you'll shape the operational engine that powers our expansion across Iberia and future international markets
• The opportunity to build your own team and design the operational model from scratch
• A company with soul: you will work hand-in-hand with the best restaurants, chefs, and culinary creators in the world. If you love food, hospitality, or the restaurant scene, you will thrive here
• Real ownership and autonomy: this role gives you space to make decisions, test ideas, and drive meaningful change
• A high-trust, mission-driven team that values accountability, collaboration, and a "get it done" mentality
• Competitive senior compensation package
• Remote work flexibility, with physical presence required often for meetings in Lisbon or Madrid