Head of Arena Operations

About TorqWars

TorqWars is building India's competitive RC racing. We are a sports-entertainment business running on three engines: experience-led arenas with timed racing, a league, and a D2C store for RC cars and parts. Our first arena opens soon in Bandra, Mumbai, and we are backed by The Foundery. Our mission is to make battling with machines a real sport. You will work directly with the founders and own how your function is built from the ground up.

Role overview

You will own our first arena in Bandra end to end, from the final stage of fit-out to daily operations: team, equipment, safety, retail and the arena P&L. The operating model you build here becomes the playbook for every arena that follows. In the first few months you will be on the floor every day, hire and train the first team yourself, and lead operations through the launch.

Key responsibilities

• Complete fit-out, close snag lists, receive stock and open on the agreed launch date.
• Get licences, permissions and insurance in place with our admin and finance team.
• Run trial days and a soft launch before opening.
• Manage daily operations: opening and closing, staff rosters, front desk, and maintenance of tracks and cars.
• Hire, train and manage the floor team: floor managers, game marshals and hosts.
• Own safety: battery charging and storage, crowd management and incident reporting.
• Manage in-store retail sales and inventory.
• Own the arena P&L: revenue, staff costs, vendor costs and margins.
• Deliver tournaments and events at the arena with the community and events team.

KPIs

Launch date, equipment uptime, footfall, revenue per visitor, monthly margin and safety record.

Requirements

• Operations experience at family entertainment centres (FECs), gaming zones, retail stores or multi-site businesses, with hands-on floor work in the last 2–3 years. Senior candidates are welcome, and so are candidates with 3–5 years who have already run a site.
• Has opened at least one venue or store end to end: budget, vendors, permissions and hiring.
• Has managed frontline teams through weekends and peak days.
• Experience with safety SOPs and incident management in public spaces.
• Comfortable with budgets and a site P&L.

Good to have

Go-karting, bowling, trampoline park, gaming arena or amusement park operations. Basic knowledge of batteries and electronics. Has run an outlet or business of your own.

How we assess

A quick AI voice interview with your camera on (about 20 minutes, five main questions): a venue or store you opened or ran (the timeline, the budget, the team you hired and the numbers you moved), a safety incident and how you handled it, a TorqWars arena launch scenario to plan out loud, and what your last manager would say about you. We do not expect you to know RC cars; we will teach you the sport. We hire for intelligence, energy and integrity. Specific, honest answers score well; rehearsed ones do not. We speak to references before any offer.

Your first 90 days

The arena open on the agreed date with licences, insurance and SOPs in place; the first floor team hired and trained; and a daily dashboard for footfall, revenue, uptime and safety running.

What we offer

Leadership of a new venue format, 0.1–0.5% ESOPs (vesting as set out in the offer letter), direct work with the founders, and growth into a multi-arena role. A two-year mission: open our first arenas and write the playbook every new arena runs on.

Location

Work from office, Mumbai: on-site at our Bandra arena, with time at our Worli office.

Hiring process

A short AI interview, a call with a founder, a short assignment for shortlisted candidates, a site visit in Bandra with reference checks, a final conversation with our co-founder, and an offer within 2 weeks of the first call.

When you apply, share

• A venue or store you opened or managed, with team size and one result you improved.
• Current and expected CTC, and notice period.