Chief Operating Officer - Manufacturing/Supply Chain - IIM/ISB/MDI/XLRI

Role Overview:

The COO will lead the company's operating engine across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Procurement, Projects, Quality, Customer Fulfilment, Business Excellence, ESG, and Digital Operations, while partnering closely with the MD & CEO to build a high-performing, future-ready organization.

This is a Board-facing leadership role with the potential to evolve into the CEO role over time, subject to demonstrated performance and leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

Enterprise Operations:

- Lead end-to-end business operations to deliver growth, profitability, productivity, and execution excellence.

- Translate strategic priorities into operational plans with clear accountability and governance.

- Drive enterprise-wide operating rhythm through Monthly Business Reviews (MBRs), KPI dashboards, and cross-functional execution.

Manufacturing Excellence:

- Lead all manufacturing operations with accountability for safety, quality, productivity, cost, capacity utilization, and asset reliability.

- Drive Lean Manufacturing, TPM, automation, digitization, and continuous improvement initiatives.

- Improve plant efficiency, throughput, yield, and overall manufacturing competitiveness.

Supply Chain & Procurement:

- Own integrated planning, sourcing, procurement, logistics, warehousing, and distribution.

- Improve inventory productivity, forecast accuracy, supplier performance, and working capital.

- Build a resilient, agile, and cost-efficient supply chain.

Customer Fulfilment:

- Deliver best-in-class order-to-delivery performance in partnership with the Commercial team.

- Improve service levels, dealer experience, order fulfilment, and customer responsiveness.

- Drive operational excellence across the complete customer fulfilment cycle.

Transformation & Business Excellence:

- Lead enterprise transformation initiatives, including digital manufacturing, automation, process redesign, analytics, and operational governance.

- Institutionalize a culture of continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making.

- Drive simplification, standardization, and scalability across the organization.

Leadership:

- Build a high-performance execution culture anchored in accountability, collaboration, speed, and ownership.

- Develop leadership capability, succession pipelines, and future operational talent.

- Serve as a strategic thought partner to the MD & CEO and the Board on business performance, operational risks, and long-term capability building.

Candidate Profile:

- 20-25 years of progressive leadership experience with at least 10 years in senior enterprise operations.

- Proven track record of leading large manufacturing and supply chain businesses with P&L responsibility.

- Demonstrated success in operational transformation, productivity improvement, cost optimization, and organizational scaling.

- Experience presenting to Boards and leading cross-functional business transformation.

Preferred Industry Background:

Building Materials, Ceramics, Tiles, Cement, Paints, Industrial Manufacturing, Consumer Durables, Engineering, Process Industries, or comparable asset-intensive businesses.

Education:

- Bachelor's degree in Engineering from a reputed institution.

- MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification preferred.

Leadership Competencies:

- Enterprise Leadership, Strategic Execution, Operational Excellence, Financial & Commercial Acumen, Manufacturing & Supply Chain Leadership, Customer Orientation, Digital & Business Transformation, Data-Driven Decision Making, Change Leadership, Talent Development.

- High Integrity with Strong Bias for Action.

Success Profile:

The successful candidate will have demonstrated the ability to:

- Build high-performing operational organizations.

- Deliver sustainable improvements in EBITDA and ROCE.

- Scale businesses while improving quality, productivity, and customer experience.

- Lead complex transformations with measurable business impact.

- Build leadership teams that consistently outperform.

- Operate effectively with promoters, Boards, investors, and senior leadership teams.