Objective of this role:
The COO will be responsible for driving operational excellence across all divisions and functions, ensuring robust processes, cost competitiveness, and customer-focused delivery. As a key member of the leadership team, the COO will align overall operations with the companys long-term growth vision while strengthening manufacturing, supply chain, technology, and people capabilities to support sustained scalability.
Roles and Responsibility:
Strategic Responsibilities:
- Collaborate with the Board to build a compelling long-term vision that motivates teams to achieve the organizations growth targets.
- Define the strategic direction of the company in alignment with the Board of Directors (BOD) and ensure its effective execution.
- Lead the execution of current and future business commitments to expand the company’s footprint across targeted markets.
- Strengthen the leadership team by focusing on capability building, succession planning for critical roles, skill enhancement, and fostering a unified organizational culture.
Operational Responsibilities:
- Oversee end-to-end business operations with a strong focus on margin control and achievement of monthly, quarterly, and annual performance goals.
- Develop growth strategies and implementation plans with a sharp focus on market needs, operational deliverables, performance metrics, and long-term sustainability.
- Engage consistently with existing customers and build strong external relationships with clients, vendors, industry leaders, and influencers to reinforce the company’s brand and market presence.
- Work closely with the Finance Head and Board to ensure robust financial controls, timely reporting, and adherence to budgets.
- Assess team capabilities and implement development programs to enhance skills and improve productivity across functions.
- Deploy continuous improvement methodologies—Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean, and Kaizen—to improve throughput, efficiency, and cost competitiveness.
- Track industry trends, competitive landscape, and emerging technologies to keep operations future-ready.
- Ensure optimal plant capacity utilization aligned with future demand forecasts and upcoming business wins.
'Business Growth Enablement:
- Support business diversification into new product lines
- Build scalable supply chain and vendor ecosystems to minimize lead times and reduce logistics constraints.
- Partner with Sales and Business Development teams to align operational capabilities with customer (OEM & Tier-1) requirements.
'Governance & Compliance
- Drive strong operational governance through structured goal sheets, dashboards, and periodic review mechanisms.
- Ensure compliance with quality standards (IATF, ISO) and all statutory and regulatory requirements.
- Identify and manage risks across production, supply chain, operations, and people functions.
People & Culture:
- Build, mentor, and develop a strong leadership pipeline across all functions.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement, and customer-centricity.
- Partner with HR to strengthen talent acquisition, leadership development, capability building, and succession planning initiatives.
Key Areas:
Business Performance & Growth:
- Deliver year-on-year revenue and profitability targets in line with the organization’s strategic plan.
- Expand the company’s presence across key markets by driving new business wins and enabling diversification into new product lines.
- Strengthen customer relationships (OEMs & Tier-1s) and enhance customer satisfaction through consistent delivery, quality, and responsiveness.
Operational Excellence:
- Improve operational efficiency across plants and functions through Lean, TOC, and Kaizen initiatives.
- Achieve targeted improvements in throughput, capacity utilization, cycle time, and OEE.
- Ensure consistent on-time delivery (OTD), reduction of rework, and improved first-pass quality.
- Strengthen supply chain resilience, reduce lead times, and remove logistical bottlenecks
Culture, Governance & Stakeholder Management
- Drive a unified, customer-centric organizational culture across all plants and functions.
- Embed operational discipline, innovation, and agility throughout the workforce.
- Build an engaging work environment that supports employee development, collaboration, and productivity.
- Strengthen governance through structured reviews, dashboards, KPIs, and robust compliance systems.
- Ensure adherence to statutory, regulatory, and quality standards (IATF, ISO).
- Build trusted relationships with key stakeholders including the Board, customers, vendors, partners, and regulatory bodies.
- Proactively identify, mitigate, and manage risks across operations, supply chain, and people functions.
Candidate Criteria:
Educational Qualifications
- Engineering degree in Mechanical / Automobile / Electrical / Polymer (preferred).
- MBA in Business Management or Strategy from a reputed institute (preferred).
Experience Requirements
- 25+ years of experience in the automotive components or manufacturing industry.
- 5–7 years in a senior leadership role such as COO / Operation Director / Business Head, with full operational responsibility.
- Proven experience in scaling manufacturing operations, managing multi-plant environments, and leading large teams.
- Strong experience working with OEMs and Tier-1 customers, ensuring delivery, quality, and customer satisfaction.
- Exposure to global markets, international customer requirements, and M&A/post-merger integration (preferred).
Technical & Functional Expertise
- Deep expertise in
Lean, TOC, Kaizen
, and world-class manufacturing practices. - Strong understanding of
automotive component manufacturing
, production processes, and shop-floor operations. - Solid knowledge of
supply chain, vendor management, procurement, and production planning
. - Comprehensive understanding of
quality systems
such as IATF/ISO
and statutory compliance requirements. - Familiarity with
APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans
, and other automotive-specific processes. - Exposure to
digital manufacturing, Industry 4.0
, automation, and transformation initiatives.
Business & Financial Acumen
- Strong
P&L management
experience with a track record of improving EBITDA, PBT
, and overall financial performance. - Strong financial discipline with expertise in
cost control, budgeting, and operational efficiency
. - Demonstrated ability to drive
cost competitiveness
, optimize resources, and manage CapEx/OpEx.
Leadership & Behavioral Competencies
- Excellent leadership and team-building capabilities with a strong focus on
people development
. - High customer orientation with the ability to build and sustain relationships with
OEMs, Tier-1 customers
, and other key stakeholders. - Strong decision-making ability with a strategic mindset and hands-on operational approach.
- Exceptional communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.
