In late-July Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple Resets the timing of its first Apple Retail Stores in India until Q1 2023. Then in mid-December we posted a follow-up report titled "India's Tata Group plans to open 100 exclusive Apple stores in 2023 as Apple prepares to open its first Flagship Store in Mumbai in Q1." We're now learning that Apple has begun hiring workers in India as the company moves closer to opening their first Apple Stores in Mumbai land New Delhi.  

According to a new Financial Times report, "Apple has started hiring retail store workers in India and posted plans to fill many other roles as it prepares to open its first flagship locations in the world’s second biggest smartphone market as soon as this quarter.

On Friday, Apple’s career page listed openings for 12 different job functions it seeks to fill in “various locations within India,” including technical specialist, business expert, senior manager, store leader and “genius”. 

Many of the job descriptions refer directly to flagship retail operations. “The Apple Store is a retail environment like no other — uniquely focused on delivering amazing customer experiences,” says one.

The 12 listings imply hundreds of job openings, as a typical Apple Store has at least 100 employees and flagship locations can have up to 1,000 workers.

Some of the functions on Apple’s website, such as “market leader,” describe managing teams “across Apple Stores,” implying several locations are in the works beyond the widely reported 22,000 square foot location set to open in Mumbai as early as March.

Separately, at least five employees in Mumbai and New Delhi have announced on LinkedIn they have been hired for the yet-to-be-announced stores. One announced they had been named “Lead Genius” — a customer-facing tech-support role — while another said she had been named a senior manager. Apple’s head of recruiting in India, Renu Sevanthi, “celebrated” several of the announcements on the social networking site.

For more, read the full report by The Financial Times.