Deputy Plant Head

Location: India

Function: Manufacturing Operations

Reporting To: Plant Head

Experience: 18-25 Years

Education:

B.E./B.Tech (Mechanical, Production, Industrial, Automobile, Electrical or equivalent)

Role Purpose:

The Deputy Plant Head will support the Plant Head in leading end-to-end manufacturing operations to achieve business objectives related to Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Productivity, and People. The role will be responsible for ensuring operational excellence, driving manufacturing efficiency, implementing continuous improvement initiatives, strengthening plant systems and governance, and supporting capacity expansion and transformation projects. The incumbent will work closely with Production, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, EHS, HR, and Finance to deliver world-class manufacturing performance while fostering a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

Manufacturing Operations:

- Support end-to-end manufacturing operations to achieve production, quality, cost, and delivery targets.

- Ensure optimal utilization of manpower, machines, materials, utilities, and production capacity.

- Drive daily production planning, execution, and performance monitoring.

- Ensure adherence to production schedules and customer delivery commitments.

- Support smooth ramp-up of new products and manufacturing processes.

Operational Excellence:

- Lead continuous improvement initiatives across the plant using Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Value Engineering, and 5S.

- Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), productivity, and manufacturing efficiency.

- Drive waste elimination across materials, processes, energy consumption, and manpower utilization.

- Standardize manufacturing processes and promote best practices across operations.

- Establish robust manufacturing governance and performance review mechanisms.

Productivity & Cost Optimization:

- Drive plant productivity improvement initiatives.

- Optimize manufacturing costs through process improvements and resource optimization.

- Monitor and control overhead costs including manpower, utilities, maintenance, consumables, and indirect expenses.

- Support value engineering and localization initiatives to improve profitability.

- Drive improvements in Overall Plant Efficiency and Return on Capital Employed (ROCE).

Quality Management:

- Ensure compliance with Quality Management Systems and automotive quality standards.

- Drive Zero Defect manufacturing culture.

- Lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions for quality issues.

- Improve First Pass Yield (FPY), reduce customer complaints, warranty claims, and internal rejections.

- Partner with Quality and Engineering teams to improve product reliability.

Safety, Environment & Compliance:

- Foster a strong safety-first culture across the plant.

- Ensure compliance with all statutory, environmental, and regulatory requirements.

- Drive Zero Accident initiatives and improve safety performance indicators.

- Ensure adherence to ISO, IATF, EHS, and other applicable management systems.

- Support internal and external compliance audits.

Projects & Manufacturing Transformation:

- Support Greenfield and Brownfield expansion projects.

- Drive plant modernization, automation, robotics, and Industry 4.0 initiatives.

- Lead implementation of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), digital manufacturing, and smart factory solutions.

- Improve plant layout, line balancing, and manufacturing flow.

- Support capital investment planning and project execution.

Supply Chain & Cross-functional Collaboration:

- Collaborate with Supply Chain, Procurement, Planning, Engineering, and Finance to improve plant performance.

- Ensure material availability and inventory optimization.

- Support working capital improvement initiatives.

- Participate in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and capacity planning discussions.

People Leadership:

- Lead and develop manufacturing, maintenance, engineering, and support teams.

- Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability and continuous improvement.

- Drive capability development, succession planning, and workforce productivity.

- Strengthen employee engagement and industrial relations.

- Foster effective communication and collaboration across departments.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

Operations:

- Production Target Achievement

- Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)

- Capacity Utilization

- On-Time Delivery (OTD)

- Schedule Adherence

Productivity:

- Labour Productivity

- Machine Utilization

- Manufacturing Cycle Time

- Throughput Improvement

Quality:

- First Pass Yield (FPY)

- Customer PPM

- Internal Rejection Rate

- Warranty Claims

- Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)

Cost:

- Manufacturing Cost per Unit

- Plant Overhead Control

- Value Engineering Savings

- Inventory Turns

- Working Capital

Safety & Compliance:

- Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR)

- Zero Accident Achievement

- Audit Compliance

- Statutory Compliance

Continuous Improvement:

- Lean Projects Implemented

- Kaizen Savings

- Automation Initiatives

- Productivity Improvement Projects

Candidate Profile:

Education:

- B.E./B.Tech in Mechanical, Automobile, Production, Industrial, Electrical, or related engineering discipline.

- MBA/PGDM in Operations or Manufacturing Management will be an advantage.

Experience:

- 18-25 years of experience in large automotive manufacturing organizations.

- Significant experience managing high-volume manufacturing plants.

- Proven experience in plant operations, operational excellence, productivity improvement, and cost optimization.

- Experience in managing cross-functional manufacturing teams.

- Exposure to greenfield/brownfield projects, automation, and digital manufacturing initiatives is desirable.

Functional Competencies:

- Plant Operations Management

- Automotive Manufacturing

- Lean Manufacturing

- TPM

- Six Sigma

- Kaizen

- Value Engineering

- Industrial Engineering

- Production Planning

- Quality Systems (IATF 16949, ISO 9001)

- Manufacturing Cost Management

- Supply Chain Integration

- Project Management

- Industry 4.0 & Smart Manufacturing

- SAP/ERP Systems

Leadership Competencies:

- Strategic Execution

- Operational Excellence

- Business Acumen

- Analytical Thinking

- Decision Making

- Problem Solving

- Change Leadership

- People Development

- Stakeholder Management

- Cross-functional Collaboration

- Results Orientation

- Continuous Improvement Mindset