Chief Operating Officer - Manufacturing Operations

Key Responsibilities:

1. Manufacturing Excellence:

- Lead end-to-end operations across all manufacturing units with a strong focus on efficiency, quality, safety, and scalability.

- Drive adoption of best practices including TPM, Lean, Six Sigma, and advanced automation.

- Champion customer-centric manufacturing with agile production and short lead times.

2. Integrated Supply Chain & Logistics:

- Build a resilient supply chain covering demand planning, inventory optimization, logistics, and warehousing.

- Strengthen supplier partnerships and ensure smooth coordination across the supply chain.

- Implement robust S&OP processes for better forecasting, planning, and cross-functional coordination.

3. Purchase (Capex & Opex):

- Lead the purchase of all Capital (Capex) and Operational (Opex) items across manufacturing units and projects.

- Ensure strategic vendor development, robust negotiations, and long-term commercial agreements.

- Drive digitization of the purchase process, from requisition to vendor evaluation and payment tracking.

- Build category strategies for major spend areas, including MRO, packaging, consumables, machinery, and project services.

- Establish centralized governance and controls to ensure compliance, transparency, and cost optimization.

- Collaborate with Finance, Engineering, Projects, and Manufacturing to align purchase decisions with technical and financial goals.

- Regularly benchmark costs and drive VA/VE (Value Analysis / Value Engineering) initiatives in Capex/Opex procurement.

4. Strategic Growth Initiatives:

- Lead global tie-ups and JVs in manufacturing to gain access to advanced technologies, markets, or capabilities.

- Drive new product development aligned with market demands, regulatory changes, and competitive advantage.

- Implement Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) processes for structured innovation and portfolio review.

5. Digital Transformation & Industry 4.0:

- Develop and execute a Digital Factory Roadmap involving AI/ML, IoT, Digital Twins, and real-time analytics.

- Build smart dashboards for visibility into OEE, energy usage, productivity, and predictive maintenance.

- Enable data-driven decision-making across operational layers.

6. ESG, Compliance & Risk:

- Integrate sustainability and ESG goals (energy, waste, emissions) into manufacturing and supply chain strategies.

- Build systems to ensure compliance, ethical sourcing, and operational risk governance.

- Prepare the operations ecosystem for upcoming ESG disclosures and audit frameworks.

7. Operational Strategy & Cost Competitiveness:

- Create and own a 5-year operations roadmap with CAPEX alignment, plant network strategy, and cost optimization plans.

- Institutionalize zero-based budgeting, VA/VE, and regular productivity benchmarking.

- Monitor ROI on capital investments and major purchases with detailed post-implementation reviews.

8. Leadership, Talent & Culture:

- Build and mentor a strong leadership pipeline for Manufacturing, SCM, and Purchase teams.

- Champion a performance-driven and innovation-led culture across the operations ecosystem.

- Institutionalize structured learning programs, including an Ops Capability Academy for functional excellence.

Qualifications & Experience:

- Engineering graduate: MBA/PGDM in Operations/General Management preferred.

- 20+ years of leadership experience in manufacturing-centric industries (pipes, plastics, building materials, or similar).

- Strong exposure to smart manufacturing, product innovation, and digital operations.

- Demonstrated experience in managing global collaborations, supply chains, and cost programs.

- Deep financial understanding and business acumen.