Vice President - Plant Operations & Production - Steel

We are looking for a senior manufacturing leader to provide strategic and operational leadership for an integrated steel manufacturing operation. The role will be responsible for plant operations, large-scale projects, commissioning, maintenance, production performance, plant availability, manpower leadership, cost management and continuous improvement. The incumbent will work closely with the Managing Director / senior leadership team and lead cross-functional teams across manufacturing and project environments.

Key Responsibilities:

- Provide overall leadership for plant operations, production, maintenance and project execution.

- Drive the complete lifecycle of greenfield and brownfield projects from conceptualisation, technology evaluation and project planning through erection, commissioning and stabilisation.

- Lead major steel plant facilities including blast furnace, DRI, coke oven, sinter/pellet, steel melting shop, rolling mills, oxygen plant and associated utilities, as applicable.

- Ensure plant availability, production targets, quality, reliability and operational efficiency across manufacturing units.

- Lead mechanical maintenance strategy covering manpower, equipment reliability, spares, preventive maintenance, breakdown reduction and structural safety.

- Drive debottlenecking, capacity enhancement, process improvement and reduction of downtime.

- Oversee project monitoring, equipment inspection, vendor coordination, erection and commissioning activities.

- Evaluate technology, equipment and plant machinery; support vendor finalisation, procurement and technical negotiations.

- Manage CAPEX and OPEX planning, project budgets and execution within approved timelines and cost parameters.

- Build and lead high-performing technical, maintenance, production and project teams; develop organisational capability and technical skills.

- Coordinate with internal stakeholders, external vendors, technology suppliers, consultants, government authorities and other external stakeholders.

- Drive TPM, OEE, continuous improvement, standardisation of spares and consumables, and reliability initiatives.

- Support SAP/ERP-enabled maintenance and operational processes and ensure disciplined data-driven plant management.

- Ensure compliance with applicable legal, regulatory, environmental and safety requirements in project and plant activities.

- Provide regular operational, project and performance updates to the Managing Director / senior management.

Core Functional Expertise:

- Integrated steel plant operations and maintenance

- Blast Furnace, DRI, Pellet/Sinter, Coke Oven and Steel Melting Shop

- Hot Rolling / Cold Rolling / Wire Rod / Bar Mill operations

- ERW pipe and tube manufacturing

- Greenfield and brownfield project execution

- Erection, commissioning and plant stabilisation

- Mechanical maintenance and equipment reliability

- CAPEX / OPEX planning and project cost control

- Plant debottlenecking and capacity enhancement

- TPM / OEE / reliability improvement

- Vendor, technology supplier and stakeholder management

- Manpower planning, team leadership and capability development

Candidate Profile:

- 20 - 30+ years of experience in steel manufacturing, integrated steel plants, heavy engineering or closely related industrial manufacturing environments.

- Strong track record in senior plant leadership, preferably with experience as Plant Head, VP/GM - Operations, Projects, Maintenance or equivalent.

- Demonstrated experience handling large-scale greenfield and/or brownfield projects, including erection and commissioning.

- Strong technical understanding of steel plant equipment, rolling mills, mechanical systems and plant maintenance.

- Experience managing large teams and multiple manufacturing units / facilities.

- Strong commercial understanding of CAPEX, OPEX, budgets, procurement and vendor management.

- Proven ability to improve plant availability, productivity, reliability and operational efficiency.

- Engineering qualification preferred, particularly Mechanical / Industrial Engineering. Management qualification is an asset.