Expansion Leader

Head of Expansion will be responsible for designing and leading the overall expansion strategy of a rapidly growing retail pharmacy chain. This role owns the end-to-end store rollout lifecycle — from location science and property acquisition to project execution, legal compliance, and go-live. The incumbent will build and lead expansion, create scalable systems, and ensure 300+ stores are launched on-time, within budget, and with quality.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

1. Define the multi-year expansion roadmap aligned with company vision and financial goals.

2. Develop the city prioritization model (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3) based on catchment opportunity, competition, and ROI.

3. Establish store format strategies (micro, standard, hospital-attached, high street) tailored to markets.

Systems & Project Management

1. Build and implement systems, dashboards, and tools to track project progress and store openings.

2. Drive business process automation to make store openings real-time, transparent, and trackable.

3. Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) and implement continuous improvements to make processes scalable.

Legal & Compliance

1. Ensure timely lease negotiations, licensing, and approvals across states.

2. Build frameworks for regulatory compliance and risk management in expansion.

Financial & P&L Accountability

1. Own the capex and opex budgets for expansion.

2. Ensure new stores hit payback periods and ROI benchmarks as planned.

3. Deliver against board-approved store opening targets.

Location Science & Data-Driven Expansion

1. with data tech companies (e.g., Data Sutram, GeoIQ) to improve site selection and location science.

2. Establish internal and external feedback loops to refine decision-making.

Project Management & Infra

1. Standardize store designs, layouts, and fit-out vendors to ensure speed + cost efficiency.

2. Continuously improve infrastructure to enhance customer experience, store functionality, and cost efficiency.

3.Track project timelines and costs to deliver stores within budget and SLA.

4. Incorporate customer experience feedback into infra upgrades.

Stakeholder & Network Management

1.Leverage existing broker networks, project teams, and industry contacts across regions for faster expansion.

2.Liaise with government bodies for licensing and compliance requirements (pharma experience preferred).

Build and lead a strong expansion team.

1.Problem Solving & Execution

2.Create innovative solutions to overcome blockers and challenges.

3.Ensure cross-functional alignment with operations, technology, supply chain, and HR.

4.Deliver store openings on time by managing complex situations involving hiring, vendors, and internal constraints.

5. Break organizational silos to drive monthly, quarterly, and annual expansion targets.

Must-Have :

-Based in Mumbai

- Has pharmacy retail expansion / licensing experience OR strong consumer

retail expansion.

- Exposure to regulatory & licensing processes in pharmacy is a strong plus.

- Minimum 8–15 years of experience in expansion / real estate / business

development.

- Has built/led a team for expansion projects (not just individual contributor)

- Strong in business process automation / system building (dashboards, RCA,

tools).

- Knowledge of location science tools (worked with Data Sutram, GeoIQ or similar).

- Network with brokers, landlords, project managers across regions.