Sr. Manager - Aftersales Operations

Badshahpur, Gurugram · Full Time

About Us

Noise was built on a simple belief: India can build world-class consumer tech. Founded in 2014 by Amit Khatri and Gaurav Khatri, Noise began with a mission to democratize connected technology for every Indian. Today, we are India's #1 smartwatch brand and #2 in TWS audio, with 40M+ users — and now backed by Bose as a strategic investor.

Noise's journey of innovation and impact has earned recognition both nationally and globally, with prestigious honours including the Economic Times Startup Award (2022), Forbes Leadership Awards (2023), Red Dot Design Award (2024), and Mobile India Awards (2025).

The next phase is sharper: building a globally relevant, AI-native company where every function compounds leverage, not headcount.

Join us as we continue to shape the sound of tomorrow!

Your Will Be's

We are looking for an experienced and hands-on Senior Manager – Aftersales Operations to own and drive the end-to-end Repair, Replacement, QC, Product Testing and Dispatch Operations across Audio, Wearables and other consumer electronics categories. The role will be responsible for ensuring that products received through customer returns, service centres, warehouses and other channels are accurately received, inspected, tested, repaired/replaced where applicable, dispositioned and dispatched within defined TATs, along with management of spares and inventory through the OMS platform. The individual will work closely with Customer Experience, Warehouse, Inventory, Logistics, Quality, Product, Technology and external service partners to ensure seamless execution of the aftersales lifecycle. This role requires a strong combination of operations management, technical understanding, QC expertise, inventory discipline, data analysis, process improvement and people leadership.

1. End-to-End Repair & Replacement Operations

• Own the complete repair and replacement lifecycle from receipt of returned/defective products to final closure.
• Define and manage processes for product receiving, physical verification, serial number validation, QC inspection, functional testing, repair assessment, replacement approval, product disposition, inventory reconciliation and final dispatch through CRM.
• Establish clear SOPs and process controls to minimize leakage, delays, wrong replacements and incorrect dispositions.
• Ensure replacement products are dispatched within committed customer TAT.

2. Product QC & Testing – Audio, Wearables & Other Categories

• Own pre-dispatch and post-return QC/testing for Audio, Wearables and other consumer electronics categories.
• Define category-wise testing protocols and checklists for TWS/Earbuds, Headphones/Neckbands, Speakers/Audio products, Smartwatches/Smart Bands, Power Banks and other electronic accessories and NPD categories.
• Ensure complete functional testing before replacement dispatch, refurbishment, restocking, repair closure or customer shipment.
• Build testing parameters covering battery performance, charging, Bluetooth/pairing, audio output, microphone, touch/buttons, sensors, display, connectivity, app synchronization, physical condition, accessories and packaging.
• Ensure products failing QC are correctly segregated and do not enter saleable/replacement inventory.
• Continuously improve testing methodology based on emerging customer complaints and product defect trends.

3. Replacement Product Dispatch Management

• Own replacement dispatch readiness and ensure only QC-approved products are dispatched.
• Maintain controls around product model, SKU, serial number, colour/variant, product condition, accessories and packaging.
• Coordinate with Warehouse and Inventory teams to ensure replacement stock is available and accurately reflected in the system.
• Establish daily dispatch plans based on ageing and customer commitment.
• Track pending replacement cases and ensure there are no avoidable ageing cases.
• Identify bottlenecks causing delays in replacement dispatch and implement corrective actions.

4. TAT Management

• Own and monitor end-to-end aftersales TAT across receiving, QC, repair, replacement and dispatch.
• Define stage-wise TATs and SLAs for product receiving, QC inspection, technical testing, repair assessment, replacement approval, inventory allocation and dispatch.
• Maintain daily ageing dashboards and ensure cases crossing SLA are immediately escalated.
• Drive a culture of zero avoidable ageing within the team.
• Identify root causes of TAT breaches and implement preventive measures.
• Publish daily/weekly TAT performance reports to senior leadership.
• Key TAT Metrics tracked: Overall Repair TAT, Replacement TAT, QC TAT; Receiving-to-QC TAT, QC-to-Dispatch TAT; Average Ageing, Cases > SLA; First-Time-Right QC %, Dispatch SLA adherence %.

5. Returns & Reverse Logistics Management

• Own the operational strategy for products returning from customers, service centres, marketplaces and other channels.
• Analyse return volumes and identify major drivers.
• Ensure returned products are correctly classified into Repairable, Replaceable, NTF/No Trouble Found, Physical Damage, Liquid Damage, Manufacturing Defect, Refurbishable, Scrap/Non-recoverable and Restockable.
• Ensure proper disposition and system closure of every returned unit.
• Work with Logistics and Warehouse teams to reduce reverse-logistics TAT and cost.

6. Root Cause Analysis & Defect Reduction

• Analyse product return and QC data to identify recurring product and process failures.
• Build RCA dashboards covering top complaint reasons, top defective SKUs, product/category-wise failure rates, NTF %, repeat failure %, repair failure %, QC rejection %, replacement rate and return rate.
• Partner with Product, Quality, Engineering and NPD teams to identify systemic product issues.
• Convert customer complaint data into actionable product improvement recommendations.
• Track corrective and preventive actions until closure.
• Identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary replacements, repairs and returns.

7. Customer Experience Partnership

• Work closely with Customer Experience / Customer Service leadership to ensure operational issues do not negatively impact customer experience.
• Create clear escalation mechanisms between CX and Aftersales Operations.
• Ensure customer commitments made by CX teams are operationally achievable and tracked.
• Provide CX teams with accurate visibility on product availability, repair status, replacement status, QC status, dispatch status and expected TAT.
• Support CX escalations involving delayed repairs, replacement delays, product quality concerns and exceptional cases.

8. Warehouse & Inventory Management

• Partner closely with Warehouse and Inventory teams to maintain 100% stock accuracy for repair and replacement inventory.
• Ensure proper segregation of fresh stock, replacement stock, returned stock, repairable stock, refurbished stock, QC hold stock, defective stock and scrap stock.
• Monitor physical vs system inventory reconciliation.
• Ensure no product is dispatched without appropriate system and QC clearance.
• Minimize inventory ageing and unidentified inventory.
• Establish controls for serial-number-level inventory tracking.

9. Team Management & Leadership

• Lead and manage QC Engineers, QC Specialists, Inventory Associates and Aftersales Operations Associates.
• Define manpower requirements based on business volumes and workload.
• Hire, train, coach and develop team members.
• Establish individual and team-level performance KPIs.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and provide structured feedback.
• Manage daily manpower planning and workload allocation.
• Ensure adequate staffing during peak periods and product launches.
• Build technical capability within the QC team through regular training and certification.
• Establish accountability at individual process stages.

10. Process Excellence & Automation

• Continuously identify opportunities to simplify and automate aftersales processes.
• Work with Technology/Product/Engineering teams to improve RMS and internal systems.
• Drive automation for product receiving, serial number validation, QC status, inventory movement, repair tracking, replacement allocation, dispatch readiness, TAT alerts, ageing alerts and reporting dashboards.
• Eliminate manual trackers wherever system-based solutions are feasible.
• Develop robust SOPs, process maps, escalation matrices and control mechanisms.

11. Cost Management

• Identify opportunities to reduce the cost of repairs, replacements, reverse logistics, packaging, inventory handling, manpower, refurbishment and scrap.
• Monitor cost per return, cost per repair and cost per replacement.
• Reduce unnecessary replacements through better diagnosis and testing.
• Improve recovery from returned products through refurbishment/restocking wherever commercially and operationally viable.
• Track savings generated through process improvement initiatives.

12. Escalation & Exception Management

• Own critical operational escalations related to delayed replacements, delayed repairs, QC disputes, wrong product dispatch, inventory mismatch, repeated product failures, customer escalations and partner/service-centre disputes.
• Establish an escalation matrix with clear ownership and resolution timelines.
• Ensure high-priority cases receive immediate action and do not age unnecessarily.
• Work with CX leadership on customer-sensitive cases requiring exceptional intervention.

13. MIS, Analytics & Senior Management Reporting

• Daily dashboards covering: products received, products under QC, QC completed; repair pending, replacement pending, dispatch pending; cases ageing beyond SLA, inventory availability and QC rejection rate.
• Weekly/Monthly dashboards covering: return rate, replacement rate, repair rate, NTF %; QC pass %, QC rejection %, restock rate, refurbishment recovery %; average TAT, SLA adherence; cost per return, cost per repair, cost per replacement; product/category-wise defect trends, top RCA drivers and team productivity.
• Present actionable insights to senior management rather than only reporting numbers — highlighting key risks, gaps, corrective actions and expected business impact.

The Ideal Noisemaker

• 10–12+ years of relevant experience in Aftersales, Repair Operations, QC, Returns, Reverse Logistics, Warehouse Operations or Consumer Electronics.
• Experience managing Audio, Wearables, Mobile Accessories or consumer electronics preferred.
• Experience managing QC/testing teams and warehouse/inventory operations.
• Strong experience in Repair & Replacement / RMA / Returns Management.
• Experience working with RMS/WMS or other inventory and aftersales systems.
• Strong understanding of consumer electronics QC and testing, and the ability to define QC protocols and testing checklists.
• Strong knowledge of inventory, reverse logistics, and serial-number/SKU-level inventory management.
• Strong knowledge of TAT/SLA management, with strong analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Advanced Excel / Google Sheets skills, with experience creating operational dashboards and MIS.
• Strong people-management, team-building and stakeholder-management skills — able to work with CX, Warehouse, Logistics, Product, Quality and Technology teams.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to operate effectively in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.

Key Performance Indicators

• Replacement TAT & Repair TAT — maintain agreed SLA.
• QC TAT — same-day / defined SLA adherence.
• Dispatch TAT — timely dispatch of QC-approved units.
• SLA Adherence — maximize; Ageing Cases — minimize.
• QC Accuracy & First-Time-Right QC — maximize.
• Inventory Accuracy — 100% system vs physical reconciliation.
• NTF % — reduce through better diagnosis.
• Return Rate — reduce through RCA; Restock Rate — improve where applicable.
• Cost per Return / Cost per Repair — reduce and optimize.
• Replacement Leakage — minimize.
• Team Productivity — improve; Process Compliance — 100% adherence.

Leadership Expectations

The successful candidate will be expected to operate as the owner of Aftersales Operations, not merely as a process manager. The individual should be able to:

• Identify operational gaps independently and build scalable processes from the ground up.
• Use data to identify problems and drive decisions.
• Balance Customer Experience, Quality, TAT and Cost.
• Build strong accountability within the team, and challenge existing processes to continuously improve them.
• Convert recurring customer complaints into operational and product improvements.
• Drive cross-functional projects to closure, and build systems and processes that can scale with business growth.

Candidate Profile

Educational Qualification

• Bachelor's degree in Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Business Administration, Electronics or a related field.
• MBA / PG qualification in Operations or Supply Chain would be an advantage.