Director of Operations, Manufacturing
Role: Director of Operations, Manufacturing
Industry: Chemicals
Client background
A leading chemicals manufacturer planning a new greenfield facility. The plant had to be set up from scratch, so the operations leader would shape its processes, systems and team from day one.
The challenge
The company faced challenges in recruiting a Director of Operations to optimise its production processes and drive operational excellence. Leaders who have built a chemicals plant from the ground up are rare, and those who also bring lean manufacturing and supply chain depth are rarer still.
What the role demanded
- Set up a new greenfield facility from scratch
- Build production processes on lean manufacturing principles
- Integrate supply chain management with plant operations
- Shape the strategic plan for the site and hire its operating team
How we ran the search
We started by calibrating the brief with the client: the plant's scale, process chemistry and timeline. We then mapped operations leaders across chemicals, specialty chemicals and allied process industries, focusing on those with greenfield commissioning experience. Each candidate was approached directly and in confidence.
What we assessed for
- Greenfield or brownfield project experience, from commissioning to stable operations
- Results from lean manufacturing and operational excellence programmes
- Supply chain and planning capability alongside plant leadership
- Safety, quality and regulatory discipline in chemical operations
The outcome
We moved the search quickly and onboarded the Director of Operations. The client gained a leader to set up the new facility and build its operating model for the years ahead.
Why it matters
A greenfield plant sets its culture in its first year. Hiring the wrong operations head costs time, money and safety performance, so the search needs evidence of what a candidate has built before, not only what they have run.
Read more about our specialty chemicals practice, our plant head recruitment and our VP Operations search work.
Practice: Leadership hiring for India's specialty chemicals growth.
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