Chief Operating Officer

Job Purpose

• The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will be responsible for overall operations including directing efficient and effective production, supply chain, manufacturing, process management, optimization, purchase / materials, shipping and warehousing, inventory control, engineering/maintenance, quality including employee health & safety compliance and quality of the manufactured products to the market according to company’s strategic and annual growth plans and also drive continuous improvement and lean initiatives.The incumbent will be a part of the India management team and will work on both business strategy and day-to-day operations functions.

Key Responsibilities

• Operations Management: Direct, review and approve the development of objectives, short-term and long-term plans & budgets, policies, and programs for operations activities including purchasing and procurement, safety, materials, quality, manufacturing, and engineering. Ensure that clear goals, metrics and accountability are in place and achieved for each department.
• Day-to-Day Production: Implement processes to ensure work order priorities and sequencing are optimized to meet Quality, Date of delivery (DoD), equipment utilization and production commitments. Ensure that production is running smoothly on a day-to-day basis. Provide timely communication to suppliers and employees where necessary. As required, resolve any urgent matters or shipment requirements.
• Lean Operations: Drive plant leadership and associates with a lean manufacturing operational culture. Drive the ownership and implementation of lean building blocks such as 5S, SMED, Kaizen, Visual Management, and continuous improvement. Cooperate & coordinate with company management to develop strategies for operational excellence.
• Continuous Improvement: Manage continuous improvement of conversion processes and resources at the lowest possible cost while meeting increasing customer expectations in terms of quality & delivery.
• Quality Assurance / Quality Control: Direct the operations in the support and achievement of a highly effective, comprehensive QA/QC process. Lead the customer & certifications audits/re-certifications and renewals. The COO is expected to drive quality improvements in all aspects of the business.
• Health & Safety and Regulatory Compliance: Increase the focus on Safety and Organization education and processes to positively impact costs and lost productivity. Ensure that the company remains compliant with all applicable regulatory requirements relating to Employee Health & Safety, Manufacturing and Labour laws.
• Cost Management: Lead efforts and drive the organization to think in terms of lowest total cost and procurement. Ensure the company reaches agreed upon gross margin targets that reflect the annual and longer-term profitability plans.
• Leadership and Personnel Development: Develop strong functional leaders and viable individual development and succession plans. Coordinate hiring, training and development of personnel, inclusive of identification of constraints and overages.
• Systems and Processes: Lead manufacturing systems and process re-engineering to improve production performance, accountability and provide simple to access information for tactical and strategic decision making.
• Inventory Management: Manage inventories to assure customer satisfaction and optimize working capital efficiency. Set-up and maintain inventory controls and levels to conform to budgets and forecasts. Implement and standardize inventory, purchasing and Kanban/Demand Pull models.
• Engineering/Maintenance: Direct the Engineering & Maintenance function to ensure that the Plant and Equipment is always available. Monitor and oversee preventive and predictive maintenance schedules, repairs, spares inventory, maintenance logs and procedures.
• New Product Development: Support the introduction of new product developments by quickly responding to customers’ needs.
• Team Integration: Maintain a liaison between plant managers, sales, customer support and engineering.
• Customer Interactions: Where required, communicate and resolve production and/or quality & delivery matters with customers. Representing the company professionally and courteously.
• Reporting: The COO has the responsibility of preparing, consolidating, and presenting monthly reports for review by company and corporate leadership.

Key Skills

• Business Vision & Results oriented.
• Leadership Skills with steadfast resolve and person integrity.
• Develop and Leverage relationships.
• Self-directed and forward thinking with a strong work ethic.
• Excellent interpersonal communication, time management & team building skills.
• Be able to diagnose problems quickly and have foresight into potential issues.
• Analytical & Creative problem solver.
• Negotiation skills, Dynamic, energetic, and self-propelled.
• Safety & Compliance oriented.

Qualification & Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree (preferably an Engineering Graduate) with an MBA would be preferred.
• 18-20 years’ experience in manufacturing company with at least 3+ years of experience in an executive leadership position commensurate with role.
• Age: 40 – 45 Years
• Core experience in a manufacturing setup and working with variety of customers of B2B / B2C industries, experience of working in folding cartons manufacturing preferred.
• Strong understanding of business planning and solid grasp of data analysis and performance metrics, best practices, and benchmarking systems
• Problem solver and have collaborated with cross cultural teams, proven track record in setting and maintaining process controls, regulatory issues and compliances.
• Ability to represent the organisation in a professional, ethical and socially responsible manner.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and communication tools.