Position Title: Vice President - Operations

Organization: Leading Wire and Cable Manufacturing Company

Department: Operations

Reporting To: Managing Director / Board of Directors

Direct Reports: Plant Heads, Manufacturing Heads, Quality Head, Supply Chain Head, Maintenance Head, EHS Representative, Projects Head, and Functional Operations Teams across all group companies.

Position Summary:

The Vice President - Operations will provide strategic leadership and overall direction for manufacturing and operational excellence across the companies and its group companies. The incumbent will be responsible for driving business growth, operational efficiency, profitability, quality, safety, compliance, and capacity expansion initiatives across multiple manufacturing facilities.

The role requires developing and executing long-term operational strategies while ensuring seamless coordination among production, quality, engineering, supply chain, projects, EHS, and industrial relations functions to achieve organizational objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Leadership & Business Planning:

- Develop and execute the organization's operational strategy in alignment with the overall business vision and growth objectives.

- Establish short-term and long-term operational goals, budgets, and performance targets.

- Drive capacity expansion, diversification, automation, and modernization initiatives.

- Support mergers, acquisitions, new plant setups, and integration activities.

- Participate in annual business planning and strategic decision-making processes.

2. Manufacturing Excellence:

- Oversee end-to-end manufacturing operations across all plants and business units.

- Ensure optimum utilization of manpower, machinery, materials, and utilities.

- Monitor production performance and implement initiatives to improve productivity and efficiency.

- Drive manufacturing excellence through Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and Industry 4.0 initiatives.

- Ensure adherence to production schedules and customer delivery commitments.

3. Profitability & Cost Optimization:

- Drive sustainable improvements in EBITDA, operational margins, and return on capital employed.

- Monitor plant-wise manufacturing costs and implement cost-reduction strategies.

- Optimize conversion costs, inventory carrying costs, and working capital.

- Lead value engineering and waste reduction initiatives.

- Ensure achievement of annual cost-saving targets.

4. Quality & Customer Satisfaction:

- Establish and maintain robust quality systems across all manufacturing units.

- Ensure compliance with customer specifications, regulatory requirements, and industry standards.

- Drive reduction in customer complaints, rejections, and warranty claims.

- Enhance customer satisfaction through operational reliability and consistent product quality.

- Lead quality improvement and process capability initiatives.

5. Supply Chain & Planning:

- Provide strategic oversight for procurement, inventory management, logistics, warehousing, and dispatch functions.

- Ensure uninterrupted availability of raw materials and critical consumables.

- Optimize supply chain efficiency and improve inventory turnover.

- Develop risk mitigation plans for supply chain disruptions.

- Strengthen S&OP (Sales and Operations Planning) processes.

6. Engineering, Maintenance & Projects:

- Ensure reliability and availability of all manufacturing assets and utilities.

- Drive preventive and predictive maintenance programs.

- Lead capital expenditure planning and execution.

- Oversee new projects, plant expansions, technology upgrades, and automation initiatives.

- Ensure timely completion of projects within approved budgets and timelines.

7. Health, Safety, Environment & Sustainability:

- Champion a culture of safety across all group companies.

- Ensure compliance with applicable environmental, health, and safety regulations.

- Establish sustainability goals related to energy efficiency, emissions reduction, waste management, and resource conservation.

- Lead risk assessments, safety audits, and emergency preparedness initiatives.

- Drive ESG and sustainability initiatives.

8. Compliance & Governance:

- Ensure compliance with all applicable statutory, legal, and regulatory requirements.

- Maintain adherence to labour laws, factory regulations, environmental standards, and corporate governance norms.

- Interface with regulatory authorities, customers, auditors, and certification agencies.

- Ensure compliance with internal policies, systems, and procedures.

9. People Leadership & Industrial Relations:

- Build and develop high-performing operations teams.

- Drive leadership development, succession planning, and capability enhancement programs.

- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

- Maintain harmonious industrial relations across all manufacturing units.

- Partner with HR on talent management, workforce planning, and employee engagement initiatives.

10. Performance Management & Reporting:

- Establish operational dashboards and review mechanisms.

- Monitor key performance indicators and implement corrective actions.

- Present operational performance reports to the Managing Director and Board of Directors.

- Benchmark performance against industry best practices.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

- EBITDA improvement

- Manufacturing cost per unit

- Capacity utilization

- Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)

- On-time delivery performance

- Inventory turnover ratio

- Customer complaint rate

- Rejection and rework percentage

- Plant productivity metrics

- Working capital efficiency

- Safety performance (LTIFR/TRIR)

- Energy consumption per unit

- Project completion within budget and timelines

- Employee productivity and retention

Educational Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, Production, or related discipline).

- Master's degree in business administration (MBA/PGDM - Operations, Strategy, or General Management) preferred.

- Certifications in Lean Six Sigma, TPM, Project Management, or Supply Chain Management will be an added advantage.

Experience:

- Minimum 20 - 25 years of progressive experience in manufacturing operations.

- At least 10 years of leadership experience in senior operations roles.

- Proven experience managing multiple plants or business units.

- Prior experience in wire, cable, copper, aluminium, metal processing, or allied manufacturing industries is preferred.

- Demonstrated success in leading transformation, expansion, and operational excellence initiatives.

Required Competencies:

Functional Competencies:

- Strategic operations management

- Manufacturing excellence

- Financial acumen and cost management

- Supply chain optimization

- Capital project management

- Quality management systems

- Industrial relations

- Risk management and compliance

- Digital transformation and Industry 4.0

- ESG and sustainability management

Leadership Competencies:

- Visionary leadership

- Business acumen

- Change management

- Decision-making capability

- Stakeholder management

- Team building and coaching

- Negotiation and influencing skills

- Analytical and problem-solving ability

- Crisis management

- Result orientation

Authority Matrix:

The Vice President - Operations shall have authority for:

- Approval of operational plans within delegated authority limits.

- Plant-wise budget allocation and monitoring.

- Resource deployment across group companies.

- Approval of capital expenditure proposals as per company policy.

- Operational policy formulation and implementation.

- Vendor evaluation and strategic partnerships.

- Performance review of operational leadership teams.

Working Relationships:

Internal Stakeholders:

- Managing Director

- Board of Directors

- CFO

- Head - HR

- Sales & Marketing Team

- Procurement Team

- Plant Leadership Teams

- Quality and Engineering Teams

External Stakeholders:

- Customers

- Suppliers and contractors

- Government authorities

- Regulatory agencies

- Industry associations

- Auditors and certification bodies