Head Operation - Production

• Employment Type

  : - Full Time

• Salary Range

  : - No bar for the right candidate

• Experience

  : - 20+Yrs.

• Reporting to

  : - Promoter - Technical

• Level

  : - Senior Leadership

• Note

  : - This position will lead the operations of 5 different production sites of Aether with a total reporting of 600 employees.

Job Objective

• To take full command of end-to-end plant operations in a high-performance specialty chemicals environment.
• This role demands a technically competent, results-driven operations leader with proven experience in batch manufacturing, solvent recovery systems, compliance-heavy processes, and multi-step reaction management.
• The Head of Operations will be accountable for achieving production goals, maximizing plant efficiency, and ensuring safety, quality, and cost objectives are consistently met.

Core Responsibilities

1. Plant Operations Management

• Lead all plant functions: Production, Utilities, Engineering, Maintenance, EHS, QC, and Warehousing.
• Oversee and optimize multi-stage batch processes, high-value product handling, and reactive material manufacturing.
• Drive output realization, cycle time efficiency, and batch reproducibility while reducing plant idle time and manual interventions.
• Ensure plant uptime through proactive maintenance, asset health monitoring, and spares management.

2. Technical Excellence & Process Optimization

• Lead and approve material/energy balance, utility cost mapping, and batch economics to ensure process efficiency.
• Troubleshoot and resolve process deviations, yield drops, or reaction inconsistencies in real time.
• Drive optimization of solvent recovery units (SRUs), scrubbers, and reflux/reboiler operations to improve recoveries and reduce losses.

3. Safety, EHS & Regulatory Governance

• Establish a zero-incident safety culture across all high-risk zones, handling flammable, toxic, corrosive, and temperature-sensitive chemicals.
• Lead daily safety briefings, emergency drills, and ensure 100% usage of PPE, flame-proof equipment, and static control measures.
• Ensure compliance with local and international environmental standards (CPCB, GPCB, ISO 14001, OSHA).

4. Compliance, Documentation & Audits

• Ensure adherence to ISO 9001, GMP, REACH, Responsible Care, and custom client-specific compliance protocols.
• Approve and ensure accurate documentation of all batch records, deviations, incident logs, and SOPs.
• Lead all customer, statutory, and third-party audits, ensuring full readiness and closure of NCs.

5. Pilot Plant & Scale-Up Integration

• Coordinate with R&D and Tech Transfer team to scale up pilot plant batches to commercial scale seamlessly.
• Own plant-scale validation of new molecules, including process tuning, safety checks, and cycle time establishment.
• Ensure alignment of reaction parameters, utilities, heat transfer coefficients, and mass balances between lab, pilot, and commercial scale.

6. Strategic Planning & Cost Control

• Drive plant profitability through raw material yield improvement, batch standardization, and utility cost optimization.
• Reduce reworks, off-spec production, and chemical wastage through root cause analysis and preventive measures.
• Create and implement production KPIs, ensuring continuous performance monitoring and reporting to management.

7. People Development & Team Management

• Lead and groom a team of production managers, shift in-charges, operators, engineers, and maintenance staff.
• Conduct competency mapping, develop a training calendar, and drive cross-functional skill development.
• Monitor team morale, attrition, and discipline; initiate corrective or developmental action as needed in collaboration with HR.

8. Continuous Improvement & Industry Benchmarking

• Deploy Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Kaizen, and 5S practices across production floors.
• Benchmark plant performance with industry best-in-class and drive implementation of digital tools (MES, OEE dashboards, etc.).
• Review and implement learnings from external audits, seminars, plant visits, and technology fairs.

Qualifications & Experience

• B.E./ B.Tech in Chemical Engineering (Mandatory); M.E./ M.Tech or MBA (Operations/Industrial Management) is desirable.
• Minimum 15 years of plant experience with at least 8 years in senior plant leadership role in specialty chemicals, intermediates, or performance chemicals manufacturing.

Certifications Preferred: -

• Six Sigma (Green or Black Belt)
• ISO Lead Auditor (9001/14001/45001)
• Responsible Care / EHS Certifications
• SAP HANA / PP/PM/MM or MES Training

Key Competencies: -

• Expertise in multi-product batch manufacturing
• Strong understanding of reaction kinetics, process safety, and material compatibility
• Proficiency in SAP (Production, Quality, Maintenance, Inventory) modules
• Hands-on experience in utility systems: chillers, boilers, scrubbers, ETP, solvent recovery
• Strong leadership, analytical and decision-making abilities
• Communication skills to collaborate across departments and with external stakeholders
• High attention to process discipline, data integrity, and compliance
• Performance Metrics (KPIs)
• Batch Yield vs Standard
• On-time Batch Completion Rate
• Safety Incidents & Near Misses
• Downtime (Planned vs Unplanned)
• Customer Rejections / Returns
• Solvent Recovery Efficiency
• OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)
• Attrition Rate & Training Hours per Employee
• NC Closure Timeliness (Internal/External Audits)

Common Specialty Raw Materials (Industry-Relevant): -

• The Head of Operations must be well-versed with the safe handling, storage, and processing of the
• following types of specialty chemical raw materials, which are typically used in the manufacturing of
• intermediates, performance chemicals, and value-added specialty products:

1. Solvents & Carriers

• Toluene, Xylene, Acetonitrile, Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA), Methanol, Ethanol, NMP (N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone)
• Dimethylformamide (DMF), Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), Ethyl acetate
• Solvent recovery and reuse is a key responsibility

2. Acids & Alkalis

• Sulfuric Acid, Nitric Acid, Hydrochloric Acid (HCl), Phosphoric Acid
• Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide, Ammonia solution
• Strong fuming acids (Oleum), and handling pH-sensitive reactions

3. Halogenated Compounds

• Chloroform, Dichloromethane (DCM), Carbon Tetrachloride, Thionyl Chloride ( SOCl )
• Bromine and brominated intermediates for high-value chemical synthesis

4. Reactive Intermediates

• Aldehydes (Formaldehyde, Benzaldehyde), Ketones (Acetone, MIBK)
• Amines (Mono/Di/Triethylamine, Aniline derivatives)
• Isocyanates, Hydrazines , and acid chlorides

5. Catalysts & Additives

• Palladium, Platinum, Nickel Catalysts (Raney Nickel)
• Lewis Acids ( AlCl , BF), Organometallics, Phase transfer catalysts
• Chelating agents and surfactants

6. Specialty Intermediates

• Sulfonates, Nitriles, Acrylates, Silanes, Polyols
• Specialty dye intermediates or agrochemical building blocks

7. Gases & Pressure Reactants

• Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Chlorine (if applicable), Carbon Monoxide, Oxygen
• Involvement in hydrogenation, nitration, and pressure vessel operations

Safety and Regulatory Considerations: -

• Many of the above raw materials are flammable, corrosive, or toxic and require:
• Flameproof equipment
• Proper earthing/static control
• Ventilation and scrubber systems
• MSDS knowledge and chemical compatibility awareness
• The candidate must be competent in:
• HAZOP, MSDS review, solvent segregation
• Permit-to-work systems, chemical spill SOPs
• Solvent distillation/recycling and waste segregation