Head - Manufacturing Operations & Supply Chain - Apparel/Fashion Business

Description:

The Head of Manufacturing Operations & Supply Chain (Reports to: COO ) will lead Operations as a Business Unit Head, owning end-to-end responsibility for:

Manufacturing Operations:

- Design and run world-class manufacturing and factory operations for optimal throughput.

- Drive MTM production excellence across cut-to-pack processes with strict SLA management.

- Optimize machine and manpower utilization to achieve production targets with cost efficiency.

- Oversee raw material planning, sourcing and factory workflow to ensure on-time delivery (OTD) compliance.

- Introduce lean systems to eliminate waste and improve flow efficiency.

Sourcing & Vendor Management:

- Allocate production to partner factories based on capability and capacity.

- Negotiate commercial terms, improve lead times, and build long-term supplier performance metrics.

- Troubleshoot supply bottlenecks and implement vendor improvement programs.

Quality & Compliance:

- Implement quality control systems across all manufacturing stages.

- Define and enforce First Time Right (FTR) product quality standards.

- Ensure zero-defect dispatch with AQL standards and inline QC systems.

- Create and maintain quality manuals and documentation.

Process Engineering & Improvement:

- Build SOPs for end-to-end production processes.

- Use Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, KAIZEN and TQM to drive continuous improvement.

- Introduce automation, process simplification, and operational analytics across the unit.

Supply Chain & Logistics:

- Build an agile supply chain that balances speed, cost and working capital.

- Drive production planning based on sales demand and stock norms.

- Build strong demand-to-fulfilment systems with logistics partners.

- Optimize freight and warehousing cost without compromising service levels.

Business Leadership:

- Set up the performance review engine daily, weekly, monthly operations dashboards.

- Work closely with Retail, Digital, Merchandising & Finance teams for operational planning.

- Build operating rhythm, team structure, KPIs, and talent pipelines across operations.

Qualifications:

- Bachelors degree in Engineering/Textiles/Apparel or MBA in Operations/Supply Chain.

- 15+ years leading large-scale manufacturing and supply chain operations.

- Proven experience as a Business Unit Head or equivalent leadership role.

- Six Sigma or Lean training preferred.

- Hands-on leader with operating mindset and strong execution discipline.