Chief Of Staff to the CEO | Food Manufacturing Unit

Heads Up For Tails; Gurugram District; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,000,000; Full time

Job summary

HUFT is building one of the country’s largest food manufacturing units, designed to US FDA and BIS specifications. We are hiring a Chief of Staff to be the founder’s right hand through detailing and execution, bridging design and delivery with MEP consultants, food technologists and machinery vendors.

Initially you will drive phase‑1 detailing and execution, then partner with leadership on high‑priority strategic projects.

Qualifications

• B.Tech/B.E. in Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, Electrical or related engineering.
• 4–8 years of experience in engineering, project execution and consulting.
• Experience on manufacturing, food processing or industrial greenfield projects.
• Familiarity with MEP systems, plant utilities and process equipment.

Responsibilities

• Assist the founder in translating the project vision into detailed technical specifications.
• Maintain the master project plan, tracking milestones, dependencies and critical path items.
• Run regular review meetings with consultants and vendors, tracking actions to closure.
• Coordinate with MEP consultants (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire, utilities) and review drawings.
• Ensure design, equipment and documentation meet FDA/BIS requirements with a compliance matrix.
• Coordinate with regulatory and quality advisors on FDA and BIS audit readiness.
• Liaise with machine manufacturers on specs, FAT/SAT, delivery schedules and commissioning.
• Review proposals, quotations and BOQs; support vendor negotiations.
• Prepare decision notes and dashboards for the founder; manage budgets and capex.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Problem solving

Stakeholder management

Education

B.Tech/B.E. in Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, Electrical or related engineering

Tools

MS Project

Primavera

AutoCAD

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

About The Role

Heads Up For Tails is building its Food Manufacturing Unit, one of the largest in the country, to US FDA and BIS specifications. We are hiring a Chief of Staff to be the founder's right hand through detailing and execution. You will bridge design and delivery: working with MEP consultants, food technologists and machinery manufacturers so that every decision is technically sound, compliant, documented and on schedule. Once the unit is commissioned, the role broadens into a Chief of Staff position, partnering with the founder on other high-priority strategic projects across the business. This is a high-ownership role for someone who can read a P&ID and a Gantt chart with equal ease, and who is comfortable pushing a vendor on a delivery date or a consultant on a drawing revision.

About The Role

Heads Up For Tails is building its Food Manufacturing Unit, one of the largest in the country, to US FDA and BIS specifications. We are hiring a Chief of Staff to be the founder's right hand through detailing and execution. You will bridge design and delivery: working with MEP consultants, food technologists and machinery manufacturers so that every decision is technically sound, compliant, documented and on schedule. Once the unit is commissioned, the role broadens into a Chief of Staff position, partnering with the founder on other high-priority strategic projects across the business. This is a high-ownership role for someone who can read a P&ID and a Gantt chart with equal ease, and who is comfortable pushing a vendor on a delivery date or a consultant on a drawing revision.

Key Responsibilities

Phase 1: Food Manufacturing Unit detailing and execution:

• Assist the founder in translating the project vision into detailed technical and operational specifications.
• Maintain the master project plan, tracking milestones, dependencies and critical path items.
• Run regular review meetings with consultants and vendors, and track action items to closure.
• Act as the single point of coordination with MEP consultants (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire, utilities), reviewing drawings, resolving clashes and tracking revisions.
• Work with food technologists to ensure process flows, hygiene zoning, throughput and food safety requirements are reflected in layouts and equipment choices.
• Ensure the design, equipment and documentation meet US FDA and BIS requirements, and keep a compliance matrix mapping each requirement to the drawing, specification or equipment that satisfies it.
• Coordinate with regulatory and quality advisors on FDA and BIS audit readiness, including facility registration, certification and inspection documentation.
• Liaise with machine manufacturers on specifications, utility requirements, material and sanitary design standards, FAT/SAT, delivery schedules, installation and commissioning.
• Ensure interfaces between process, civil, MEP and equipment are coordinated before they become site problems.
• Review technical proposals, quotations and BOQs; support comparative evaluation and vendor negotiations.
• Flag risks, delays and cost overruns early, with proposed solutions. Conduct regular site visits to verify progress and quality against plan.

Phase 2: Strategic initiatives (post-commissioning):

• Own and drive high-priority projects as directed by the founder, from scoping through delivery.
• Conduct analysis, build business cases and structure decisions on new initiatives, expansions and operational improvements.
• Coordinate across functions and external partners to move cross-cutting initiatives forward.

Founder support (throughout)

• Prepare decision notes, dashboards and status reports for the founder.
• Manage budgets and capex tracking alongside the finance team.
• Represent the founder in technical, vendor and internal meetings where required.

Qualifications And Experience

• B.Tech/B.E. in Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, Electrical or a related engineering discipline; a degree from an IIT (or equivalent tier-1 institute) is preferred.
• 4 to 8 years of experience, ideally combining engineering/project execution with management consulting (MBA is a plus but not required).
• Demonstrated experience on a manufacturing, food processing or industrial greenfield project.
• Working knowledge of MEP systems, plant utilities and process equipment.
• Familiarity with regulated manufacturing environments, with an understanding of how compliance requirements translate into facility design.
• Familiarity with project management tools (MS Project, Primavera or similar), AutoCAD drawing review, and advanced Excel/PowerPoint.

Skills And Attributes

• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving ability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, able to hold their own with senior consultants, OEM engineers and leadership.
• High attention to detail, with a bias for follow-through and closing loops.
• Able to shift between deep technical detail and big-picture strategy.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and with working directly with a founder.
• Discretion and sound judgment with confidential information.
• Fluency in English and Hindi preferred.

Good To Have

• Experience in pet food, animal feed, food, beverage, dairy, FMCG or cold chain facilities.
• Exposure to US FDA requirements (such as FSMA and current good manufacturing practice) and to BIS certification processes.
• Exposure to GMP, HACCP or ISO 22000 systems.
• Experience in vendor negotiation and contract management.

What We Offer

• Direct exposure to the founder and all strategic decisions.
• Ownership of one of the largest food manufacturing units in the country, built to FDA and BIS specifications, from detailing to commissioning.
• A long‑term path beyond the project into broader strategic and leadership responsibilities.

Skills: food manufacturing,manufacturing,bis,mep