Job Description
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.
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