Head of Operations

GoodSpace AI · India

Location: GIDC Sachin, Surat

Employment Type: Full-Time

Experience: 20+ Years

Reporting To: Promoter – Technical

Role Overview

The Head – Operations will lead end-to-end manufacturing operations across multiple production sites, ensuring world-class standards in production, safety, quality, compliance, cost optimization, and people management. This role requires strong expertise in specialty chemical manufacturing, batch processing, process improvement, and large-scale plant operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Production, Engineering, Maintenance, Utilities, EHS, Quality Control, and Warehousing.
• Manage multi-product batch manufacturing while maximizing productivity, quality, and operational efficiency.
• Improve plant performance through yield enhancement, cycle-time reduction, solvent recovery, and utility optimization.
• Ensure equipment reliability through preventive maintenance and asset management.
• Troubleshoot production issues, process deviations, and yield losses using root cause analysis.
• Lead pilot-to-commercial scale-up activities with R&D and Technology Transfer teams.
• Ensure compliance with ISO, GMP, Responsible Care, REACH, statutory regulations, and customer requirements.
• Drive a strong safety culture through process safety, risk assessments, emergency preparedness, and EHS compliance.
• Oversee batch records, SOPs, audits, documentation, CAPA, and regulatory inspections.
• Implement Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Kaizen, 5S, OEE improvement, and digital manufacturing initiatives.
• Develop production KPIs, monitor plant performance, and present operational reviews to leadership.
• Lead, mentor, and develop managers, engineers, supervisors, and plant teams across multiple sites.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality, R&D, HR, and Commercial teams to achieve business objectives.

Qualifications

• B.E./B.Tech in Chemical Engineering (Mandatory).
• M.E./M.Tech or MBA preferred.
• Minimum 15 years of manufacturing experience with at least 8 years in senior plant leadership within specialty chemicals or intermediates.
• Proven experience managing multi-site operations and large cross-functional teams.

Technical Skills

• Multi-product batch manufacturing
• Process safety and reaction engineering
• Solvent recovery and utility systems
• Process optimization and scale-up
• SAP (PP/PM/MM/QM), MES, OEE
• Preventive maintenance and asset management
• Root Cause Analysis and CAPA

Preferred Certifications

• Six Sigma Green/Black Belt
• ISO 9001/14001/45001 Lead Auditor
• Responsible Care/EHS Certification
• SAP HANA or MES Training

Key Competencies

Strong leadership, strategic planning, operational excellence, analytical thinking, decision-making, stakeholder management, communication skills, and a strong commitment to safety, quality, compliance, and continuous improvement.

The selected candidate will lead operations across five manufacturing sites with responsibility for 600+ employees , driving operational excellence and sustainable business growth.