Director Operational Excellence

Objective of the Role:

To lead and drive operations for a large manufacturing organization by applying global best practices across multi-plant and multi-business environments. The role focuses on operational excellence, post-merger integration, and enterprise transformation, leveraging Lean, TPS, and world-class production systems from Japanese, American, and European manufacturing cultures. It will advance digitalization, automation, and data-driven operations aligned with Industry 4.0, while optimizing capacity, manufacturing footprint, cost governance, and compliance to position India as a globally competitive manufacturing hub supporting global operations.

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

A. Operational Excellence & Integration

• Drive a common Production System across all manufacturing plants, aligned with global standards and best practices.
• Lead process standardization and integration across plants following multiple integrations, ensuring consistency in execution and governance.
• Improve overall plant culture, discipline, accountability, and alignment with enterprise values and performance expectations.
• Lead enterprise-wide Lean transformation , combining Lean Manufacturing principles with TPS philosophy to improve productivity, quality, delivery, and cost.

B. Manufacturing Footprint & Capacity Strategy

• Develop and own the long-term capacity and manufacturing footprint roadmap for India.
• Work closely with Business Unit Heads on future expansion plans, localization strategies, and demand planning.
• Support and enable the India growth vision of 2.5x scale by 2030 , ensuring operational readiness and scalability.

C. Quality & Customer Performance

• Drive sustained reduction in customer complaints, quality issues, and escalations .
• Improve demand–supply synchronization across plants to enhance delivery reliability and customer satisfaction.
• Support plants in effectively managing volatile OEM forecasts while maintaining service levels and operational stability.

D. Digitalization & Automation

• Lead the organization’s global push toward plant digitalization , positioning India as a benchmark region.
• Introduce automation, efficiency improvement initiatives, and data-driven operations across manufacturing facilities.
• Enable real-time performance visibility and analytics-driven decision-making.

E. ESG & Sustainability

• Drive plant-level sustainability initiatives , including:
• Waste reduction and recycling improvements
• Water neutrality and conservation programs
• Environmental and statutory compliance
• Embed ESG metrics into plant performance KPIs and leadership scorecards.

F. Compliance & Labor Strategy

• Establish and sustain a deep-rooted compliance culture , beyond surface-level adherence.
• Support enterprise labor and industrial relations strategy across all unionized plants, including:
• Labor law compliance
• Working hours and statutory adherence
• Union environment management
• Act as a strategic advisor during labour, regulatory, or compliance-sensitive situations.

Candidate Profile:

• 20+ years of experience in operations and manufacturing leadership roles within large multinational organizations , preferably with minimum ₹5000+ crore turnover
• Strong exposure to global manufacturing practices (Lean, TPS, World-Class Manufacturing)
• Proven experience managing multiple plants and business verticals in complex manufacturing environments
• Extensive experience in enterprise-wide transformation initiatives , including post-merger integration and operating model redesign
• Strong track record of leading continuous improvement and productivity enhancement projects across manufacturing and supply chain
• Hands-on experience in manufacturing digitalization, automation, and Industry 4.0 initiatives
• Solid understanding of capacity planning, manufacturing footprint strategy, and scalability
• Strong focus on operational excellence, quality improvement, and customer performance
• Experience working in global matrix organizations with teams across Europe, the US, and other regions
• Sound understanding of cost governance, capital efficiency, and investment decision-making
• Effective change leader with the ability to influence stakeholders and build high-performing leadership teams