Job Description

Managing Director – India Operations

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Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India

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Employment Type: Full-Time

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Industry: Manufacturing | Engineering Products | Automotive Supply Chain

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Experience Level: Senior Leadership

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About the Opportunity

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We are seeking an accomplished Managing Director – India Operations to lead and scale the India operations of a rapidly growing global manufacturing and engineering organization.

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This is a high-visibility leadership chance for a strategic, people-focused executive who can combine manufacturing expertise, operational excellence, supplier management, and strong business leadership to drive the next phase of growth.

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The organization has a well-established presence in India and works closely with leading global OEMs and Tier-1 customers across the automotive and engineering ecosystem.

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The successful candidate will have significant influence over the India organization, supplier network, operational strategy, and long-term growth agenda.

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The Role

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As Managing Director – India Operations, you will provide overall leadership for the India organization and serve as a key connection point between the India manufacturing ecosystem and global executive leadership.

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You will be responsible for building a high-performance culture, strengthening strategic supplier relationships, improving operational execution, and positioning the India organization for substantial growth.

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This role is ideal for a leader who enjoys building teams, developing people, solving complex operational challenges, and creating sustainable business results.

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Key Responsibilities

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- Provide overall strategic and operational leadership for the India organization.
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- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing cross-functional team.
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- Build strong, long-term relationships with manufacturing suppliers and strategic partners.
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- Oversee supplier development, supplier quality, production coordination, sourcing, and operational performance.
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- Drive improvements across quality, cost, delivery, productivity, and supplier performance .
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- Establish meaningful performance metrics and ensure KPIs translate into measurable business outcomes.
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- Partner closely with global executive leadership to align India operations with broader business objectives.
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- Develop and execute strategies to support significant business growth and increased manufacturing/sourcing volumes.
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- Identify operational risks, capacity constraints, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
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- Strengthen communication and collaboration between India-based teams, suppliers, and global stakeholders.
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- Develop organizational capability, succession planning, and leadership talent within the India team.
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- Support strategic sourcing, cost optimization, capacity planning, and supplier diversification initiatives.
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- Represent the organization with key suppliers, partners, and other external stakeholders.
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- Promote a culture built around trust, accountability, transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement .
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What We're Looking For

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We are looking for a business-minded manufacturing leader who combines strong technical and operational knowledge with exceptional people leadership.

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Required Experience

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- Significant leadership experience within manufacturing, engineering products, automotive, industrial products, sourcing, or supply chain environments .
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- Strong understanding of Indian manufacturing and supplier ecosystems.
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- Experience working with global, US, European, or other Western organizations .
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- Experience managing manufacturing suppliers, supplier development, sourcing, quality, or production operations.
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- Demonstrated success leading teams and driving measurable operational improvements.
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- Strong commercial understanding with the ability to balance cost, quality, delivery, capacity, and customer requirements .
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- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related discipline.
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Manufacturing Expertise

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Experience with one or more of the following will be highly valuable:

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- Precision machining
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- Casting
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- Forging
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- Metal components
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- Automotive components
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- Industrial manufacturing
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- Supplier development
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- Supplier quality
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- Strategic sourcing
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- Production operations
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- Engineering products
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Leadership Qualities That Matter

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Beyond technical and operational expertise, we are looking for a leader who demonstrates:

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High Emotional Intelligence

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Builds trust, listens actively, understands different perspectives, and develops people.

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Collaborative Leadership

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Works effectively across organizational levels without relying on hierarchy or authority.

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Transparency & Integrity

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Communicates business realities openly and creates an environment where challenges can be surfaced and solved.

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Strong Business Judgment

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Can distinguish between activity and actual business impact and make thoughtful decisions in complex situations.

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Relationship Builder

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Develops strong, sustainable relationships with suppliers, employees, customers, and global stakeholders.

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Growth Mindset

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Comfortable operating in a rapidly scaling organization and energized by the opportunity to build something bigger.

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Ideal Candidate Background

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We are open to candidates from a variety of backgrounds, including:

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- Manufacturing / Operations leadership
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- Automotive OEM or Tier-1 suppliers
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- Engineering product companies
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- Strategic sourcing / procurement leadership
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- Supplier development / supplier quality
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- Industrial manufacturing
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- Global supply chain organizations
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- Manufacturing consulting and transformation practices
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Professionals from organizations, and other leading consulting firms may also be considered where they have strong hands-on exposure to manufacturing operations, sourcing, or supply-chain transformation.

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We are also open to high-performing Senior Managers, Operations Leaders, or Business Unit Leaders who are ready to take the next step into a broader India leadership role.

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Why Consider This Prospect?

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- High-impact leadership position with significant visibility to global executive leadership.
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- Opportunity to shape and scale a growing India organization.
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- Direct influence over manufacturing, sourcing, supplier strategy, and operational performance.
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- Opportunity to build and develop a strong leadership team.
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- Exposure to global OEM and Tier-1 customer ecosystems.
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- Significant opportunity to drive transformation and business growth.
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- A role where leadership style, people development, and business impact matter as much as operational expertise.
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Location

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Pune, Maharashtra

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Candidates based in Pune, Mumbai, or the surrounding manufacturing corridor are encouraged to apply.

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Interested?

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If you are a manufacturing or operations leader looking for an opportunity to take ownership of a growing India business and make a meaningful impact at the executive level, we would be interested in hearing from you.

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Apply with your updated resume or reach out for a confidential discussion.

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Warm Regards,

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Sajith Nair

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Email: [email protected]

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📌 Managing Director - India Operations (Pune)
🏢 Ztek Consulting
📍 Pune