Senior Director of Plant Operations

Job Description – Vice President (VP) Operations

Location : Dahej, Bharuch, Gujarat

Industry : Pharmaceuticals (USFDA Regulated Plant)

Reporting To : Senior Leadership / Managing Director

Role Purpose

The Vice President – Operations will lead the overall manufacturing operations of a reputed pharmaceutical facility in Dahej, ensuring compliance with international regulatory standards (USFDA, MHRA, etc.). The incumbent will be responsible for driving operational excellence, productivity, and profitability while maintaining a safe and compliant environment. All functions except Quality will directly report to this role, including Production, Engineering, SCM, EHS, HR, and Administration.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Leadership

• Provide visionary leadership and direction for all plant operations.
• Develop and execute operational strategies aligned with the organization’s long-term business goals.
• Ensure adherence to regulatory guidelines and corporate governance standards.
• Drive a culture of performance, accountability, and continuous improvement across all departments.

Operations Management

• Oversee end-to-end manufacturing operations, ensuring cost efficiency, productivity, and timely delivery.
• Lead production planning, capacity utilization, and resource optimization to meet market demand.
• Implement Lean, Six Sigma, and best-in-class practices to achieve operational excellence.
• Ensure smooth coordination between Production, Engineering, SCM, HR, and EHS for seamless operations.

Compliance & Governance

• Ensure strict compliance with USFDA, MHRA, EU-GMP, and other international regulatory norms.
• Monitor statutory compliance related to manufacturing, safety, environment, and labor.
• Collaborate closely with Quality leadership to ensure that plant operations support GMP requirements.

People Leadership

• Lead a large multi-disciplinary workforce with focus on skill development, retention, and succession planning.
• Build strong functional teams through mentoring, motivation, and structured career growth.
• Foster a high-performance culture with emphasis on safety, ethics, and teamwork.

Financial & Business Impact

• Monitor and control operational budgets, plant costs, and CAPEX / OPEX utilization.
• Drive profitability through efficiency improvements, cost optimization, and waste reduction.
• Partner with commercial and business development teams to support growth initiatives.

Key Requirements

• Qualification : B.Pharm / M.Pharm (mandatory).
• Experience : 18+ years in pharmaceutical manufacturing operations, with at least 5 years in a leadership role as Unit Head or equivalent.
• Regulatory Exposure : Proven track record of leading a USFDA regulated facility ;

experience with multiple international audits preferred.

• Leadership : Must have managed all departments except Quality (Production, Engineering, SCM, EHS, HR, Admin).
• Strong knowledge of cGMP, manufacturing technologies, automation, and compliance standards.
• Excellent leadership, strategic planning, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Attributes

• Exposure to OSD manufacturing plants.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with ability to influence at CXO / Board level.
• Experience in managing large workforce and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Proactive, decisive, and result-oriented mindset with a focus on operational excellence.

👉 If you are a strategic leader with deep expertise in Operations and a passion for innovation in regulated markets, we invite you to apply for this role.

In case you are looking for this exciting opportunity you can apply to Piyush Garg on pgarg@uppl.in along with current salary.

Regards

Piyush Garg

Utkarsh Placement Pvt Ltd

Vadodara