Sr. Manager - Operations

Kemin Industries; Thiruvallur District; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 5,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Kemin Industries in India seeks a Sr Manager – Operations to drive strategic leadership, optimize performance, and lead cross-functional teams across EHS, production, and maintenance.

The role emphasizes safety, lean manufacturing, and continuous improvement to enhance plant uptime, quality, and efficiency while managing costs.

Qualifications

• BE / BTech in Chemical, Mechanical or Industrial Engineering.
• 15+ years in chemical process manufacturing/operations.
• At least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of production planning, maintenance, quality assurance, and safety standards.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive operational efficiency.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Direct day-to-day manufacturing operations to maximize equipment utilization, plant uptime, and output.
• Monitor KPIs related to safety, quality, delivery, and cost efficiency.
• Own plant performance across production, maintenance, quality, food safety, stores and factory administration, in coordination with cross-functional teams.
• Improve OEE, capacity utilisation, throughput, labour productivity, yields and equipment reliability while reducing conversion cost, wastage, rework and downtime.
• Deliver production plans aligned with sales forecast demand, customer service levels and inventory norms.
• Implement Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement frameworks to minimize bottlenecks and reduce cycle times.
• Oversee preventive and breakdown maintenance programs to minimize downtime and costs.
• Achieve optimal Energy Units per KG targets by optimizing production processes and equipment conditions.
• Prepare the Annual Operational Plan (AOP) for Plant Maintenance.
• Implement safety programs and eliminate accidents through regular inspection and repair of safety devices.
• Ensure fire hydrant, ETP & STP systems, and other critical infrastructure are in proper working condition.
• Liaise with EB and PCB officials for compliance and operational needs.
• Supervise and motivate the maintenance team, ensuring discipline and efficiency.
• Implement 5S practices in the maintenance section.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Problem-solving

Analytical skills

Decision-making

Communication skills

Safety standards

Education

BE / BTech in Chemical/Mechanical/Industrial Engineering

Tools

Lean Manufacturing

5S

Plant maintenance systems

Job description

Overview

Sr Manager – Operations Serves as a strategic leader responsible for optimizing organizational performance, driving operational excellence, and leading cross-functional teams to achieve business objectives. This role combines advanced operational expertise with executive leadership skills to transform processes, systems, and team performance across the organization.

Responsibilities

Environment, Health and Safety (EHS)

• Drive a Safety First mindset, ensuring 100% compliance with Process Safety Management (PSM), OSHA, and local environmental control boards (such as the State Pollution Control Board and DISH).
• To maintain safe, pollution free working environment & housekeeping for eliminate/minimize work time lost due to accidents by implementing recommendations of Internal safety audits, EHS round, safety committee meeting, HAZOP study, & Occupational Health Risk Assessment etc.
• Oversee Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) and Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) operations and ensure strict adherence to hazardous waste management protocols.
• Lead incident investigations, root cause analyses (RCA), and implement corrective actions for any safety near-misses in the work place.

Production & Operational Excellence

• Direct day-to-day manufacturing operations to maximize equipment utilization, plant uptime, and overall output yield.
• Monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) relating to safety, quality, delivery, and cost efficiency.
• Own plant performance across production, maintenance, quality, food safety, stores and factory administration, in close coordination with cross functional team.
• Improve OEE, capacity utilisation, throughput, labour productivity, yields and equipment reliability while reducing conversion cost, wastage, rework and downtime.
• Deliver production plans aligned with sales forecast demand, customer service levels and inventory norms.
• Implement Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement frameworks to minimize operational bottlenecks and reduce cycle times.

Maintenance Management

• Oversee preventive and breakdown maintenance programs to minimize downtime and costs.
• Achieve optimal Energy Units per KG targets by optimizing production processes and equipment conditions for reduced energy consumption.
• Generate Maintenance Reports, including Machine Health Cards, and manage Maintenance Costs effectively.
• Lead new project planning, including layout, process reengineering, and equipment execution for enhanced efficiency in coordination with the project team.
• Ensure critical plant & machinery uptime to prevent production shutdowns.
• Maintain high uptime rates by ensuring optimal conditions of equipment across all production lines.
• Prepare the Annual Operational Plan (AOP) for Plant Maintenance.
• Implement safety programs and eliminate accidents through regular inspection and repair of safety devices.
• Ensure fire hydrant, ETP & STP systems, and other critical infrastructure are in proper working condition.
• Analyze all the breakdown failures and implement corrective and preventive actions through proper lean tool.
• Liaise with EB and PCB officials for compliance and operational needs.
• Supervise and motivate the maintenance team, ensuring discipline and efficiency.
• Implement 5S practices in the maintenance section.

Team Leadership & Development

• Provide direction and motivation to team members, emphasizing safety, quality, efficiency, productivity, cost reduction, and morale.
• Responsible for managing and appraising team member job performance and recommending corrective action.
• Develop and maintains positive team member relations centered on mutual trust, dignity, respect, fairness, consistency, two-way communication, teamwork, and harmony.
• Plan and coordinate hiring and placement of team members. Monitors and track staf fing conditions, work hours and overtime, job rotation, and absenteeism.
• Direct floor activities through consistent application of company’s practices to ensure all aspects of manufacturing are ef fective and correct sub-standard situations.

Qualifications

• Must be a BE / BTech in Chemical, Mechanical or Industrial Engineering with around with 15 + years’ experience in chemical process manufacturing/operations, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of production planning, maintenance systems, quality assurance, and safety standards.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive operational efficiency.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to manage diverse teams.