Operations Manager

The Operations Manager is responsible for leading all day-to-day manufacturing and operational activities within the automotive production facility. This role ensures safe, efficient, and cost-effective operations while meeting customer quality, delivery, and performance expectations. The Operations Manager drives continuous improvement, leads cross-functional teams, and ensures full compliance with industry, safety, and customer standards (IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001).

Key Responsibilities

1. Production & Operational Leadership

• Lead and manage all production activities to meet output, efficiency, and quality targets.
• Ensure daily adherence to production schedules, resource allocation, and workflow optimisation.
• Maintain operational readiness of equipment and facilities to prevent downtime.

2. Quality, Safety & Compliance

• Drive a strong culture of safety and compliance throughout the plant.
• Ensure operations meet IATF 16949, ISO, and customer requirements.
• Collaborate with Quality to reduce scrap, rework, and warranty claims.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action initiatives (8D, 5 Why, FMEA).

3. People Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of supervisors, technicians, and production employees.
• Build a culture of accountability, performance, and continuous learning.
• Manage staffing levels, skills development, and succession planning.

4. Continuous Improvement & Lean Manufacturing

• Implement Lean tools to improve productivity (5S, Kaizen, SMED, VSM, Standard Work).
• Drive cost savings, OEE improvements, and waste reduction.
• Support digitalisation and data-driven performance monitoring (KPIs, dashboards).

5. Supply Chain & Materials Coordination

• Ensure seamless coordination with logistics, materials, purchasing, and planning.
• Monitor inventory levels, material flow, and supplier performance to avoid line stoppages.
• Support customer order fulfilment through reliable delivery performance.

6. Budget & Performance Management

• Manage operational budgets, labour costs, and production expenses.
• Track and report plant KPIs (OEE, output, scrap rate, downtime, delivery performance).
• Identify and execute initiatives to improve P&L performance.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• 5–10+ years’ experience in automotive manufacturing or Tier 1/Tier 2 supplier environment.
• Strong understanding of Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing production teams in a high-volume environment.
• Solid knowledge of automotive quality standards (IATF 16949).
• Proven track record of safety, quality, and operational excellence.