Packaging Lead

About the role:

FirstClub is looking for a Packaging Lead to own how our products physically move from warehouse to doorstep balancing two things that don't always pull in the same direction: running a tight, cost-efficient packaging operation through a team of 3, and personally driving packaging innovation on cost, sustainability, and customer experience.

This is primarily a Mid-leadership + execution role (~70%: managing the team, owning vendor/cost/quality outcomes) with a protected mandate to drive innovation (~30%) not a pure R&D or design position.

What you'll own:

1. Team leadership & execution (majority of the role):

- Lead and develop a team of 3, split across vendor coordination, inventory, and quality/damage tracking set priorities, run reviews, own their output.

- End-to-end packaging vendor management: sourcing, negotiation, contracting, and performance management across primary, secondary, and shipping packaging.

- Packaging cost per order own the number, track it, defend it in reviews.

- Inventory planning for packaging materials across warehouses/dark stores, avoiding stockouts and overstock.

- Damage-in-transit and quality issues root-cause with vendors and ops, drive corrective action.

- Category-specific packaging specs (e.g., temperature-sensitive, fragile, liquid) in partnership with category and CX teams.

- Compliance with food-safety and regulatory packaging norms where applicable.

- Day-to-day escalations when packaging issues affect fulfilment or customer complaints.

2. Innovation & exploration (protected minority of the role):

- Evaluate and pilot new materials (sustainable, cost-down, or CX-improving) on a defined cadence not ad hoc.

- Build a business case (cost, MOQ, vendor readiness, environmental impact) before any pilot scales.

- Track industry and competitor packaging trends (Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, D2C brands) relevant to quick commerce.

- Partner with sustainability/brand stakeholders on packaging as a customer-facing signal, not just a cost line.

What we're looking for:

- 4 to 8 years in packaging, supply chain, procurement, or ops, with at least 1 - 2 years managing a team this role has real people-management load, not just individual execution.

- Ideally exposure to both vendor/ops management and some material or product evaluation work.

- Comfortable owning a hard cost number and being measured on it.

- Genuine curiosity about materials and packaging trends, but pragmatic about ROI this is not a role for someone who wants to run sustainability pilots full-time.

- Vendor negotiation experience, ideally in packaging, converting, or FMCG/D2C supply chain.

- Data comfort can build a cost model, read a damage-rate trend, size an MOQ decision.

- Quick-commerce, D2C, or FMCG background strongly preferred given the speed and SKU-variety involved.