How to get an operations, finance or people job at an Indian startup

Operations, finance and people roles are the least visible category on job boards and the one where a direct approach works best — many are filled by referral before they're posted.

What the category includes

• Operations — supply, logistics, city or category operations at consumer and commerce startups; program management at SaaS companies.
• Finance — controllership, FP&A, business finance, internal audit. Groww, Razorpay and FamPay post these regularly as they scale their finance functions ahead of audits and IPO readiness.
• People / HR — recruiting, HR business partnering, people experience. The first people hire at a startup is usually a recruiter.
• Chief of Staff — a generalist attached to a founder or CXO; project-driven, very high learning rate, best for 3–8 years' experience.
• Strategy & Operations — a consulting-style role inside the company; analytics and execution together.

What the interview tests

Cases from the company's own operations (a cost problem, a process that broke), a spreadsheet or SQL exercise, and rounds with the function head and a founder. Structured thinking and evidence of having run something matter more than credentials.

Pay

Ops and finance pay at startups trails product and engineering at junior levels and converges at senior ones; CFO-track finance roles and Chief of Staff roles are paid well and usually carry ESOPs.

Roles right now

Open operations, finance and people roles are listed beside this article; city pages filter by "Operations".