Production Head Operations

Ideal Placement And Consultants; Coimbatore District; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 5,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Ideal Placement And Consultants seeks a senior Head of Production Operations in Coimbatore to lead fermentation-based manufacturing across multiple plants. You will drive production planning, capacity management, process optimization and quality adherence to GMP standards.

The role requires 15–20+ years of manufacturing leadership in biotechnology or related fields, with proven experience in Greenfield projects, plant setup and commissioning.

Qualifications

• 15–20+ years of manufacturing leadership in fermentation/biological product manufacturing.
• Experience managing multiple plants/locations and scale-up of processes.
• Strong GMP knowledge, quality systems, EHS and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee multi-location production operations across manufacturing sites.
• Establish common production standards, KPIs and review mechanisms.
• Drive production planning, capacity management and scheduling with cross-functional teams.
• Provide leadership in fermentation and bioprocess manufacturing; troubleshoot deviations and implement CAPA.
• Lead Greenfield projects from concept to commercial production, including plant layout and equipment selection.
• Oversee cost, budget, productivity, energy usage and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate maintenance planning, reliability, and automation enhancements.
• Develop second-line leadership and succession plans for critical roles.

Skills

Leadership

Operational Excellence

Cross-functional

Strategic Planning

Education

Biotech / Microbiology / Bioprocess tech degree

Job description

Head Production Operations

Location:Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Industry:Agri Inputs | Biological Products | Fermentation-Based Manufacturing | Sustainable Agricultural Solutions
Experience:15–20+ Years
Qualification:B.Sc./M.Sc./B.Tech./M.Tech in Biotechnology, Microbiology, Bioprocess Technology or related discipline

About the Organization

Our client is a long-established and professionally managed organization engaged in the research, development, manufacturing, and marketing of sustainable agricultural inputs and biological solutions.

The organization has a strong manufacturing and R&D orientation, serving domestic and international markets with products supporting plant nutrition, crop productivity, pest and disease management, and sustainable farming.

Position Overview

We are seeking an accomplishedHead – Production Operationsto provide leadership to manufacturing operations acrossmultiple plant locations.

The incumbent will be responsible for production planning and execution, fermentation-based manufacturing, capacity utilization, process optimization, quality, cost, productivity, plant coordination, people leadership and continuous improvement.

A critical requirement of the role is demonstrated experience inGreenfield manufacturing projects, including project planning, plant setup, equipment selection and installation, commissioning, process stabilization and successful transition to commercial production.

Key Responsibilities

1. Multi-Location Production Operations

• Lead and oversee production operations across multiple manufacturing locations.
• Establish common production standards, operating systems, KPIs and review mechanisms across plants.
• Ensure achievement of production targets relating to volume, quality, cost, delivery and productivity.
• Review plant-wise capacity utilization, bottlenecks, manpower productivity and operating performance.
• Coordinate with individual Plant/Production Heads and provide operational leadership and technical guidance.

2. Fermentation & Bioprocess Manufacturing

• Provide technical leadership for fermentation-based manufacturing operations.
• Oversee upstream and downstream processes, fermentation, recovery, formulation and related production activities.
• Ensure consistency of critical process parameters, yield, batch quality and process reliability.
• Troubleshoot process deviations and drive corrective and preventive actions.

3. Production Planning & Capacity Management

• Translate business forecasts into production and capacity plans.
• Optimize capacity utilization across different manufacturing locations.
• Coordinate production schedules with Sales, Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality and R&D.
• Ensure availability of manpower, materials, utilities and equipment to meet production commitments.

4. Greenfield Project Implementation & Execution

• Lead or play a key role in Greenfield manufacturing projects from concept to commercial production.
• Participate in project feasibility, capacity planning and plant layout development.
• Support technology selection, equipment specifications and vendor evaluation.
• Coordinate machinery procurement, installation and commissioning.
• Monitor project timelines, budgets, contractors and implementation milestones.
• Lead trial production, process validation, scale-up and stabilization.
• Ensure smooth transition from project/commissioning stage to regular commercial operations.

5. Productivity & Process Optimization

• Drive continuous improvement in:
• Production yield
• Cycle time
• Capacity utilization
• Batch consistency
• Manpower productivity
• Equipment efficiency
• Energy consumption
• Manufacturing cost
• Identify production bottlenecks and implement sustainable corrective measures.
• Promote Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, 5S and other operational excellence practices.

6. Plant Engineering & Maintenance Coordination

• Ensure optimum availability and reliability of critical production equipment and utilities.
• Coordinate preventive and predictive maintenance planning.
• Participate in equipment upgrades, automation and capacity enhancement projects.
• Ensure critical equipment and utilities support uninterrupted manufacturing operations.

7. Cost & Budget Management

• Prepare and monitor production budgets.
• Control manufacturing costs relating to raw materials, utilities, manpower, maintenance and wastage.
• Drive cost-reduction projects without compromising product quality or safety.
• Monitor plant-wise manufacturing cost and productivity indicators.

8. People & Leadership

• Lead Plant Heads, Production Managers and manufacturing teams across locations.
• Build technical and managerial capability within the production organization.
• Establish accountability through measurable KPIs.
• Develop second-line leadership and succession plans for critical production positions.

Desired Candidate Profile

• 15–20+ years of manufacturing experience, with substantial leadership exposure in fermentation, biotechnology, biological products or related process manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience managingmultiple manufacturing plants/locations.
• Strong knowledge ofupstream and downstream fermentation processes.
• Proven experience in production scale-up and process optimization.
• Hands-on exposure toGreenfield plant/project implementation and commissioning.
• Experience in equipment selection, installation, trials and production stabilization.
• Strong understanding of GMP, quality systems, EHS and regulatory compliance.
• Proven ability to lead large technical and production teams.
• Strong commercial understanding of manufacturing cost, productivity and capacity utilization.

Key Leadership Competencies

Multi-Plant Operations | Fermentation Technology | Greenfield Projects | Production Scale-Up | Operational Excellence | Cost Optimization | Quality & GMP | Project Execution | Team Leadership | Cross-Functional Management