Director, Manufacturing Operations

1940 International Refreshments (India) Private Limited; Ahmedabad District; On-site; INR 4,200,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

The Coca-Cola Company in India seeks an experienced Plant Leader to own end-to-end manufacturing performance at a new highly automated beverage plant. You will lead production, warehouse operations, maintenance and planning, drive ramp-up to stable, benchmark performance, and shape the site’s standards, routines and culture.

You will work with integrated SAP/MES, oversee safety, quality, and cost, develop people and capability, and build an organization where decisions sit with the people

Qualifications

• 10–12 years in manufacturing operations with 5+ years leading multi-function plant operations.
• Proven FMCG/process packaging experience; capable of ramping up greenfield or brownfield sites.
• Expertise in IWS/IL6S or equivalent operational excellence programs; exposure to automation.

Responsibilities

• Lead safety culture and compliance with relevant labour, safety, food safety and environmental rules.
• Deliver ramp-up plans, drive OEE, right-first-time quality and cost through loss analysis.
• Own master production schedule and finite planning; ensure OTIF and S&OP alignment.
• Stabilise automated warehouse performance and integrate material flow end to end.
• Lead maintenance strategy focusing on reliability, Autonomous Maintenance and cost control.
• Develop leaders, push decision rights, and build a scalable capability ladder.
• Run continuous improvement using MES/SCADA data and drive digital tools adoption.

Skills

Autonomous Maintenance

Reliability engineering

Capability building

Loss elimination

MES/SCADA integration

Warehousing automation

Education

Engineering degree (mechanical/electrical/chemical/electronics)

MBA or industrial operations qualification

Tools

MES

SCADA

SAP

Job description

Job Description Summary

Role purpose Own end-to-end manufacturing performance at a new, highly automated beverage plant: safe, compliant, on-plan delivery at the right quality and cost. The role leads production, warehouse operations, maintenance and production planning as one integrated system, and builds an organization where decisions sit with the people closest to the work. The plant, systems and team are new. The incumbent will take operations from ramp-up to stable, benchmark performance, and will shape the standards, routines and culture the site runs on for years. The role is part of Plant leadership team and provides an opportunity to shape the strategy and vision for the site. The context you will lead in- Highly automated plant. Liquid manufacturing, high-speed filling lines and a fully automated warehouse (ASRS, robotic palletizing, AGVs and AMRs), integrated through SAP, MES and batch control. Lean, ownership-based operating model. Area Owners operate and maintain their equipment; Technical Associates provide electrical and instrumentation depth on demand. There is no team lead layer by design. Phased ramp-up. Additional lines and manufacturing rooms come online in phases while running lines must hit committed market volumes. Excellence built in. Autonomous Maintenance, reliability-centred maintenance and structured capability building are being embedded from day one.

Key accountabilities

1. 1. Safety and compliance Lead a safety culture where everyone stops unsafe work and owns their risk: LOTO, permit to work, pre-task risk assessment and behaviour-based safety as daily routine. Ensure operational compliance with labour, factory safety, food safety, environmental and equipment regulations, with clear owners and evidence for every obligation.
2. 2. Production delivery and ramp-up Deliver the ramp-up plan for each line and product family, including qualification and verification of new lines. Drive OEE, right-first-time quality and conversion cost through structured loss analysis. Partner with Quality to build in-process quality ownership on the shop floor, reducing reliance on downstream inspection.
3. 3. Production planning and customer delivery Own the master production schedule and finite schedule, balancing customer demand, changeovers, maintenance windows and material availability. Deliver OTIF and plan adherence; lead the operations input to S&OP. Manage exceptions (material shortages, demand changes, breakdowns) through defined decision rights, not escalation.
4. 4. Warehouse operations Stabilise and optimise automated warehouse performance: availability, throughput, inventory accuracy and dispatch OTIF. Integrate warehouse, production and planning so material flow is seamless end to end. Hold automation partners to performance through clear SLAs and joint problem solving.
5. 5. Maintenance and asset reliability Lead a maintenance strategy built on three pillars: reliability-centred maintenance, Autonomous Maintenance and capability building. Shift the maintenance mix from reactive to planned; drive MTBF, MTTR and PM compliance. Own critical spares strategy and maintenance cost.
6. 6. People, capability and culture Build leader-leader behaviours: push decisions to where the information is, coach rather than direct. Progress every associate up a visible capability ladder; build succession for each functional lead. Establish standards, daily management routines and a no-blame, high-accountability culture.
7. 7. Continuous improvement and digital Run structured loss elimination and continuous improvement routines across all four functions. Use MES, SCADA and warehouse system data to make decisions on the floor; drive adoption of digital tools that make execution easier. Build a pipeline of improvements that sustain gains after ramp-up.

Experience

Experience 10 to 12 years in manufacturing operations, with at least 5 years leading multi-function plant operations (production plus maintenance and/or warehouse). Track record in FMCG or similar process and packaging environment. Led a greenfield / brownfield start-up, major expansion or ramp-up through to stable performance. Demonstrated results in IWS / IL6S or equivalent operational excellence programs, demonstrating deep understanding of autonomous Maintenance, reliability engineering, capability building and structured loss elimination. Exposure to automated warehousing, MES or digitally integrated plants (strongly preferred).

Education

Education Engineering degree (mechanical, electrical, chemical or electronics). MBA or post-graduate qualification in industrial engineering or operations preferred.

Skills

Skills: Location(s): India City/Cities: Ahmedabad Travel Required: 00% - 25% Relocation Provided: Yes Job Posting End Date: November 29, 2026

Our Purpose and Growth Culture

Our Purpose and Growth Culture: We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company is a global community of passionate employees who are refreshing the world and making a difference every day. Innovation has been at the heart of our story since 1886. It goes beyond new flavors and brands. Learn more about our system and how we’re making an impact. As a global organization, we seek opportunities to embrace and champion progress. Our careers span across functions and are globally connected to give you an unmatched career experience. We’re glad you’ve chosen to explore your next career opportunity with The Coca-Cola Company. Learn more about our hiring process and pick up tips on how to showcase your experience and skills so you can stand out and thrive. The Coca‑Cola global business system is composed of The Coca‑Cola Company (TCCC), its subsidiaries and 225 bottling partners around the world. Search jobs throughout our system.