Manufacturing Head, API

Confidential client: a fast-growing API manufacturer with two plants approved by the US FDA, WHO GMP and other regulated-market authorities, supplying customers in more than 80 countries.

Position snapshot

• Reports to: Managing Director and CEO
• Scope: two API manufacturing plants
• Base: Bengaluru, with regular presence at both plants and frequent travel between sites
• Direct reports: both Plant Heads, with the production, engineering, EHS and plant quality leaders

Why this role exists

The company has committed to doubling revenue every five years, and that growth has to come from two plants already running while regulated-market customers keep raising the bar on quality, delivery and audit readiness. Each plant runs well on its own. What is missing is one leader who makes them run as a single manufacturing system: the same standards, the same discipline, a shared view of cost, and the capacity planning to absorb new products and volumes without any drop in quality or safety.

What you will own

1. Production and delivery

• Own the monthly and annual production plan for both plants, with customer orders shipped in full and on time
• Balance load between the plants so capacity is used well
• Track batch cycle times, yields and rejections, and fix root causes
• Work with supply chain so raw material and solvent availability never delays a batch

2. Quality and regulatory readiness

• Keep both plants ready for a US FDA, PMDA, WHO GMP, COFEPRIS, ANVISA or customer audit on any given day
• Work with quality and regulatory teams so documentation, batch records and change controls are complete and accurate at the point of work
• Close audit observations and customer complaints with real, lasting fixes
• Keep practice aligned to regulatory filings, and flag early when a change needs a regulatory conversation

3. Controlled substances and compliance

• Take personal responsibility for the handling, storage, accounting and reporting of controlled products across both sites
• Maintain the licensing, records and physical security this requires, with clean relations with the authorities

4. Safety, health and environment

• Set the tone on safety personally
• Own process safety for hydrogenation, high vacuum distillation, high temperature reactions and Grignard chemistry, including hazard studies before scale-up
• Meet every condition of the environmental clearances: effluent, emissions, solvent recovery and waste
• Build a culture where people report near misses without fear

5. Cost and productivity

• Own conversion cost per kilogram, solvent and utility consumption, manpower productivity and maintenance spend
• Drive yield improvement and solvent recovery without touching product quality
• Build the annual manufacturing budget with finance and hold both plants to it

6. New products and technology transfer

• Partner with R&D to move new molecules from lab to pilot to full production
• Plan and execute scale-up, validation and exhibit batches to committed timelines
• Support new product launches at the pace the growth plan needs

7. Projects and capacity expansion

• Bring new blocks and equipment on line on time and on budget with the projects team
• Anticipate the next constraint and make the investment case to the CEO early
• Make maintenance planned rather than reactive, with critical equipment uptime measured

8. People and organisation

• Lead both Plant Heads and their teams to a single standard
• Build the next layer of plant leadership
• Keep contract and on-roll manpower trained, well deployed and fairly treated, with a settled industrial relations climate
• Set clear targets for every reporting manager and act on reviews

9. Reporting

• Give the CEO an honest monthly picture of output, cost, quality, safety and people
• Raise problems early with a recommended course of action
• Represent manufacturing in customer audits and visits

Who we are looking for

• Degree in Chemical Engineering, or a Master's or Doctorate in Chemistry; a management qualification is useful but not required
• Around 20 to 25 years in API or fine chemical manufacturing, with at least 5 years running a plant as Plant Head, Works Head, GM Operations or equivalent
• Responsibility for more than one site at a time, or clear readiness to step up to it
• Has faced US FDA, PMDA, EDQM or comparable inspections personally
• Hands-on multi-product campaign manufacturing
• Working experience of hydrogenation, vacuum distillation, high temperature reactions and Grignard chemistry, with the safety systems they demand
• Direct accountability for a manufacturing cost budget
• Controlled substance experience is a strong advantage
• Has taken new products from development into commercial production

What the role offers

• Full ownership of manufacturing for a business with a plan to double in size, backed by a larger group
• A direct line to the MD and CEO, with a seat where growth decisions are made
• Two established, regulated-market approved plants to build on
• A compensation package with fixed and performance-linked components, structured to attract the right person

All applications are handled in confidence by a Dedicated HR Services partner. The client is named to shortlisted candidates only.