Vice President, Technical

The Catalyst Group; Karachi Division; On-site; PKR 18,000,000 - 30,000,000; Full time

Job summary

The Catalyst Group is seeking a Vice President, Technical for a leading Food & Beverage client in Pakistan. This role leads the company’s entire technical and manufacturing agenda across multiple sites, driving safety, efficiency, quality, and cost effectiveness.

Responsibilities include strategic leadership, capex governance, and modernization through automation, AI, and digital manufacturing to sustain growth and profitability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field required.
• 15+ years of leadership in technical, engineering, manufacturing, or supply chain in large FMCG/food manufacturing.
• Experience with multi-site operations and modernization initiatives preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end technical and manufacturing agenda across sites.
• Set and execute long-term technical and manufacturing strategy to enable growth and sustainability.
• Drive OEE, MTBF, yield, energy optimization, and cost control.
• Oversee capex projects from feasibility to commissioning with ROI governance.
• Promote digital transformation: automation, AI, IoT, and Industry 4.0 initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Change management

Operational excellence

People development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Master’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or MBA (preferred)

Tools

ERP systems

SCADA

Predictive maintenance tools

Data analytics platforms

Job description

The Catalyst Group is hiring a VP, Technical on behalf of its client, a leading Food & Beverage company in Pakistan.

Role Purpose

The Vice President – Technical is a key executive leadership role responsible for leading the company’s end-to-end technical and manufacturing agenda across multiple operating sites. The role drives long-term operational excellence, manufacturing competitiveness, engineering reliability, product quality, innovation, sustainability, and technical capability development in alignment with the company’s business growth strategy.
The incumbent will provide strategic and operational leadership for all manufacturing and technical functions across the company’s food processing and manufacturing facilities.
The role is accountable for ensuring safe, efficient, reliable, and cost-effective operations while accelerating modernization through digital transformation, automation, AI, IoT, and advanced manufacturing practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic & Operational Leadership
• Develop and execute the company’s long-term Technical & Manufacturing strategy aligned with growth, profitability, and sustainability goals.
• Lead manufacturing operations across multiple food processing and manufacturing facilities.
• Drive operational excellence through productivity improvement, asset optimization, cost reduction, and lean manufacturing practices.
• Partner with the CEO and leadership team on capacity planning, supply chain resilience, investments, and business expansion initiatives.
• Ensure achievement of key operational KPIs including OEE, MTBF, yield efficiency, energy utilization, and maintenance costs.

Engineering, Projects & Digital Transformation

• Lead engineering, maintenance, and reliability strategies to maximize plant uptime and operational efficiency.
• Oversee major capex projects from feasibility to commissioning, ensuring strong governance, ROI, and timely execution.
• Drive modernization through automation, AI, IoT, robotics, predictive maintenance, and digital manufacturing systems.
• Promote data-driven decision-making and support innovation, NPD, packaging enhancement, and localization initiatives.

Quality, Safety & Compliance

• Ensure world-class standards in quality, food safety, occupational health, and environmental compliance.
• Strengthen quality systems, SOPs, audits, risk management, and regulatory compliance across all facilities.
• Manage relationships with key regulatory authorities and drive continuous improvement in customer quality perception and satisfaction.

Organization & Leadership

• Build and lead a high-performing technical organization with strong succession planning and capability development.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, safety, and continuous improvement across all technical functions.

Candidate Profile

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, Industrial, or related discipline).
• Master’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or MBA preferred.

Experience

• 15+ years of leadership experience in Technical, Engineering, Manufacturing, or Supply Chain functions within large FMCG or food manufacturing organizations.
• Proven success managing large-scale, multi-site manufacturing operations.
• Experience in food processing, dairy, agri-processing, or related sectors preferred.
• Strong track record in operational transformation, modernization, and manufacturing excellence initiatives.

Technical & Leadership Competencies

• Strong commercial and financial acumen with focus on productivity, cost optimization, and ROA improvement.
• Deep expertise in manufacturing systems, reliability engineering, process optimization, and Industry 4.0 technologies.
• Strong leadership in capital projects, stakeholder management, strategic planning, and organizational transformation.
• Solid understanding of food safety, quality systems, and regulatory frameworks.