Senior Operations Manager

WhiteCrow Research; Surabaya ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ; On-site; IDR 550,000,000 - 850,000,000; Full time

Job summary

WhiteCrow Research is seeking a Senior Operations Manager for its client, a global leader in tobacco specialty filter solutions, to drive production and engineering performance at the Surabaya site. You will lead manufacturing, supervise maintenance, and push continuous improvement across safety, quality and costs.

The role requires seven years of leadership in manufacturing, a degree in engineering, and strong English.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial, Chemical, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering.
• 7+ years of experience leading manufacturing and plant operations.
• Strong spoken and written English.
• Experience managing sizeable manufacturing operations and developing teams.
• Strong knowledge of Production and Engineering/Maintenance operations.
• Knowledge of SPC, PLCs and PPIC.

Responsibilities

• Provide strong leadership across Production and Engineering & Maintenance to meet targets.
• Lead and monitor production, process engineering, maintenance and training activities.
• Drive improvements in productivity, efficiency, cost, quality and customer satisfaction.

Skills

Leadership

English proficiency

SPC

PLC

PPIC

IWS

Cost management

Safety compliance

Team development

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial, Chemical, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SPC tools

PLC programming

ERP / PPIC systems

Job description

About WhiteCrow

We are global talent research, insight and pipelining specialists with offices in the UK, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Dubai, and India. Our international reach has helped us to understand and penetrate specialist markets at a global level. In addition to this, our service is also extended to complement our client’s in-house research.

About our client

Our Client is the global market leader in the design, testing, and manufacture of specialty filter solutions for the tobacco industry. Headquartered in Singapore, the company operates nine manufacturing facilities across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, supported by two Innovation Centres, an accredited Scientific Services laboratory, and a Centre of Excellence dedicated to sustainability.

With a workforce of approximately 2,000 employees, Our Client serves customers in more than 120 countries worldwide.

Guided by a strong sense of partnership, Our Client’s purpose is to support its partners in transforming their businesses and realizing sustainable growth—succeeding together through collaboration. Its mission is to be a responsible, customer-focused innovation leader, delivering excellence in sustainable solutions for today and the future.

As a Senior Operations Manager, you will be responsible for...

• Providing strong leadership across Production and Engineering & Maintenance, ensuring operational plans and performance targets are achieved.
• Leading and monitoring production, process engineering, technical training, maintenance and related operational activities.
• Driving improvements in productivity, efficiency, cost, quality and customer satisfaction across the manufacturing operation.
• Ensuring effective utilisation of machinery, labour, materials and other manufacturing resources.
• Monitoring production performance and taking timely corrective action where performance deviates from established standards.
• Leading employee development initiatives through effective training, communication, coaching and engagement.
• Driving the Manufacturing Improvement Program, encouraging continuous improvement and operational best practices.
• Ensuring effective management and maintenance of production assets and equipment.
• Optimising the use of production materials, equipment and electricity while maintaining appropriate cost controls.
• Ensuring operational procedures and practices meet required health, safety, quality and environmental standards.
• Providing leadership and accountability for the site's Occupational Safety & Health management systems.
• Working collaboratively with the wider site leadership team to support customer requirements and overall plant performance.
• Contributing to the development of a strong operational leadership pipeline and a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.

What you already have...

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial, Chemical, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering.
• Minimum 7 years of experience leading manufacturing and plant operations.
• Strong spoken and written English.
• Demonstrated experience managing sizeable manufacturing operations and developing teams.
• Strong understanding of Production and Engineering/Maintenance operations.
• Knowledge of Statistical Process Control (SPC), Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and Production Planning & Inventory Control (PPIC).
• Proven experience or involvement in Operational Excellence programmes such as IWS or comparable manufacturing/production systems used by multinational organisations.
• Strong knowledge of total manufacturing cost management and cost improvement.
• Good understanding of workplace hazards, risk management and maintaining a safe and compliant manufacturing environment.
• Experience in Tobacco manufacturing will be advantageous; relevant experience from FMCG or other complex manufacturing environments will also be considered.

What We Are Looking For

Beyond technical and operational capability, the successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong leadership presence and the ability to inspire and engage teams.
• A collaborative, one-team mindset and willingness to work across functions and sites.
• Strong business acumen and an understanding of how operational decisions influence cost and business performance.
• A coaching-oriented approach to developing people and future leaders.
• The maturity and breadth to work effectively in a multinational, matrix environment.
• A track record of taking ownership, driving improvement and delivering measurable operational results.
• The ambition and potential to progress into broader site leadership and future GM responsibility.