Head - Manufacturing Operations - Automotive/Chemicals/Heavy Engineering/Aerospace/Defence

Designation: Head - Manufacturing Operations

Location: Khordha

Reports to: CEO / MD

Summarized JD:

To lead and manage end-to-end plant operations, ensuring production efficiency, quality compliance, cost optimization, safety excellence, and high-performance teams, while aligning plant objectives with overall business strategy and strictly adhering to Defence and Aerospace standards such as AS9100, and other standards focusing on regulatory/customer compliance requirements.

1. Plant Operations & Production Management:

- Oversee end-to-end plant operations encompassing production, maintenance, quality assurance, safety, and dispatch, ensuring adherence to Defence & Aerospace standards, special process controls, and export/customer compliance requirements.

- Drive achievement of production targets across volume, quality, cost, and delivery, ensuring zero-defect orientation, configuration integrity, and timely delivery of Defence & Aerospace products meeting stringent customer and regulatory standards.

- Drive capacity utilization and improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

- Implement production planning & scheduling in coordination with SCM.

2. Strategic & Business Alignment:

- Translate organizational goals into plant-level execution strategies.

- Participate in annual business planning, budgeting, and forecasting.

- Support business growth through capacity expansion and operational scalability.

- Monitor KPIs like productivity, yield, rejection rates, and downtime.

3. Quality & Compliance:

- Ensure adherence to quality standards (ISO, AS9100D, customer specifications).

- Lead internal and external audits and ensure zero non-compliance.

- Maintain statutory compliance with factory laws, pollution control, and labour regulations.

4. EHS (Environment, Health & Safety):

- Drive a zero-incident safety culture across plant operations.

- Ensure compliance with EHS norms and conduct regular safety audits.

- Implement risk assessment and preventive safety measures.

5. Maintenance & Engineering:

- Oversee preventive and predictive maintenance of plant machinery.

- Ensure minimum downtime and high equipment reliability.

- Evaluate new technologies, automation, and Industry 4.0 initiatives.

6. Cost Management & Profitability:

- Manage plant budgets including manpower, utilities, and maintenance costs.

- Identify cost-saving initiatives without impacting quality or output.

- Optimize raw material consumption and reduce wastage.

7. People Management & Leadership:

- Lead and manage a large workforce (100-500+ employees).

- Build strong second-line leadership (HODs, supervisors).

- Drive performance culture, training, and employee engagement.

- Handle IR (Industrial Relations) and union matters.

8. Continuous Improvement & Excellence:

- Implement Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, Kaizen initiatives.

- Drive digital transformation and process automation.

- Improve operational efficiency and reduce cycle times.

9. Supply Chain & Coordination:

- Collaborate with procurement, logistics, and sales teams.

- Ensure timely availability of raw materials and dispatch of finished goods.

- Maintain optimal inventory levels.

10. Stakeholder & Government Liaison:

- Manage relationships with local authorities, vendors, and regulatory bodies.

- Handle plant-level approvals, inspections, and compliance requirements.

- Represent plant in corporate and external forums.

Other Skills & Competencies:

- Production output vs plan.

- OEE / Productivity.

- Cost per unit / Budget adherence.

- Rejection / Scrap rate.

- Safety metrics (Lost Time Injury, incidents).

- Employee retention & engagement.

- Audit compliance score.

Behavioural Attributes:

- Ownership and accountability.

- Ability to operate in compliance-driven environments.

- Adaptability and problem-solving capabilities.

- High integrity and professionalism.

Education Requirements:

- B.E / B.Tech (Aerospace / Mechanical / Electrical / Chemical / Industrial Engineering).

- MBA (Operations) - preferred.

- 18-25 years of experience in manufacturing.

- Minimum 5-8 years in Plant Head / Unit Head / Operations Head role.

- Experience in industries like automotive, chemicals, heavy engineering, or process manufacturing, Aerospace / Defence is preferred.