Head/Senior General Manager - Plant Operations - Automotive Component Manufacturer

Job Purpose: To provide overall leadership for the manufacturing plant and ensure the delivery of operational, customer, quality, and business objectives. The incumbent will be responsible for driving manufacturing excellence across production, maintenance, quality, logistics, and other plant operations while ensuring uninterrupted Just-in-Time (JIT) supplies to key OEM customers. The role also requires building strong relationships with customers, managing internal and external stakeholders, leading a large, unionized workforce, and working closely with centralized corporate functions to ensure smooth plant operations and sustained business performance. Company Background: A leading Tier-1 automotive component manufacturer. Key Responsibilities: Manufacturing & Operations Leadership: - Lead end-to-end manufacturing operations, ensuring achievement of Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People (SQDCP) objectives. - Drive operational excellence through Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Kaizen, Six Sigma, and Industry 4.0 initiatives to improve productivity and operational efficiency. - Ensure Just-in-Time (JIT) production and material flow through effective production planning, inventory optimization, and supply chain coordination. - Lead cross-functional initiatives to improve quality, reduce manufacturing costs, eliminate waste, and enhance customer delivery performance. - Drive equipment reliability through robust maintenance strategies and continuous process improvements. - Lead and develop a workforce of over 1,000 employees, effectively managing a unionized environment. Customer Management: - Develop and maintain strong relationships with key OEM customers. - Engage directly with customers to understand their operational expectations. - Lead customer discussions whenever required. - Ensure high levels of responsiveness and consistent operational performance to strengthen customer confidence. People & Industrial Relations: - Lead a manufacturing workforce of over 1,000 employees, including a significant unionized workforce, while fostering collaboration between experienced legacy talent and the next generation of leaders. - Foster stable industrial relations and maintain a positive work environment. - Build credibility and acceptance across long-serving employees as well as newly inducted talent. - Drive effective stakeholder management across all levels of the plant. - Build a high-performance culture through strong stakeholder engagement, employee development, and stable industrial relations, ensuring seamless execution of operational priorities. Cross-functional Leadership: - Provide leadership across production, maintenance, logistics, and operations. - Collaborate with centralized functions including HR, Finance, Quality, Procurement, and R&D. - Ensure alignment between plant priorities and corporate policies. - Maintain overall accountability for plant performance while working within a matrix reporting structure. Operational Improvement & Capacity Management: - Support the stabilization and ramp-up of recently expanded manufacturing capacity. - Drive continuous improvement initiatives across plant operations. - Ensure consistent delivery of operational and business objectives. - Develop a strong understanding of customer requirements, organizational expectations, and the overall operating rhythm to enable effective execution. Key Skills & Attributes: - Strong customer-centric mindset with the ability to engage directly with automotive OEM customers. - Proven leadership and stakeholder management capabilities across plant, corporate, and customer teams. - Ability to build credibility and foster strong relationships with both legacy employees and new talents. - Strong understanding of high-volume automotive manufacturing operations. - Experience in sheet metal manufacturing, including press shop, welding, and painting processes; wheel manufacturing experience is an advantage. - Excellent interpersonal skills with a collaborative and positive leadership approach. - Operationally disciplined with sound judgment and adaptability in a dynamic manufacturing environment. - Ability to quickly understand organizational expectations and align with business priorities. - Willingness to undertake the daily commute to the Ranjangaon plant and commit to the location. Qualification & Experience: - Bachelors degree in engineering from a reputed institution. - 20 - 25 years of experience in manufacturing, with at least 5 - 7 years as a Plant Head or Head of Operations. - Experience in automotive OEMs or reputed Tier-1 automotive component manufacturers is preferred. - Proven experience in high-volume manufacturing environments serving major OEM customers. - Strong exposure to sheet metal manufacturing, including press shop, welding, and painting operations. - Prior experience managing large manufacturing teams in a unionized environment. Cultural Fit: - Mature, humble, and collaborative leader with a people-centric approach. - Strong ability to build relationships with employees, customers, and stakeholders. - Comfortable leading a stable, experienced, and unionized workforce. - Adaptable, and aligned with a transparent, low-politics work culture. - Capable of establishing credibility quickly and leading through collaboration.