Managing Director India Operations

Managing Director – India Operations

Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India

Employment Type: Full-Time

Industry: Manufacturing | Engineering Products | Automotive Supply Chain

Experience Level: Senior Leadership

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an accomplished Managing Director – India Operations to lead and scale the India operations of a rapidly growing global manufacturing and engineering organization.

This is a high-visibility leadership opportunity for a strategic, people-focused executive who can combine manufacturing expertise, operational excellence, supplier management, and strong business leadership to drive the next phase of growth.

The organization has a well-established presence in India and works closely with leading global OEMs and Tier-1 customers across the automotive and engineering ecosystem.

The successful candidate will have significant influence over the India organization, supplier network, operational strategy, and long-term growth agenda.

The Role

As Managing Director – India Operations, you will provide overall leadership for the India organization and serve as a key connection point between the India manufacturing ecosystem and global executive leadership.

You will be responsible for building a high-performance culture, strengthening strategic supplier relationships, improving operational execution, and positioning the India organization for substantial growth.

This role is ideal for a leader who enjoys building teams, developing people, solving complex operational challenges, and creating sustainable business results.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall strategic and operational leadership for the India organization.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing cross-functional team.
• Build strong, long-term relationships with manufacturing suppliers and strategic partners.
• Oversee supplier development, supplier quality, production coordination, sourcing, and operational performance.
• Drive improvements across quality, cost, delivery, productivity, and supplier performance.
• Establish meaningful performance metrics and ensure KPIs translate into measurable business outcomes.
• Partner closely with global executive leadership to align India operations with broader business objectives.
• Develop and execute strategies to support significant business growth and increased manufacturing/sourcing volumes.
• Identify operational risks, capacity constraints, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Strengthen communication and collaboration between India-based teams, suppliers, and global stakeholders.
• Develop organizational capability, succession planning, and leadership talent within the India team.
• Support strategic sourcing, cost optimization, capacity planning, and supplier diversification initiatives.
• Represent the organization with key suppliers, partners, and other external stakeholders.
• Promote a culture built around trust, accountability, transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for a business-minded manufacturing leader who combines strong technical and operational knowledge with exceptional people leadership.

Required Experience

• Significant leadership experience within manufacturing, engineering products, automotive, industrial products, sourcing, or supply chain environments.
• Strong understanding of Indian manufacturing and supplier ecosystems.
• Experience working with global, US, European, or other Western organizations.
• Experience managing manufacturing suppliers, supplier development, sourcing, quality, or production operations.
• Demonstrated success leading teams and driving measurable operational improvements.
• Strong commercial understanding with the ability to balance cost, quality, delivery, capacity, and customer requirements.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related discipline.

Manufacturing Expertise

Experience with one or more of the following will be highly valuable:

• Precision machining
• Casting
• Forging
• Metal components
• Automotive components
• Industrial manufacturing
• Supplier development
• Supplier quality
• Strategic sourcing
• Production operations
• Engineering products

Leadership Qualities That Matter

Beyond technical and operational expertise, we are looking for a leader who demonstrates:

High Emotional Intelligence

Builds trust, listens actively, understands different perspectives, and develops people.

Collaborative Leadership

Works effectively across organizational levels without relying on hierarchy or authority.

Transparency & Integrity

Communicates business realities openly and creates an environment where challenges can be surfaced and solved.

Strong Business Judgment

Can distinguish between activity and actual business impact and make thoughtful decisions in complex situations.

Relationship Builder

Develops strong, sustainable relationships with suppliers, employees, customers, and global stakeholders.

Growth Mindset

Comfortable operating in a rapidly scaling organization and energized by the opportunity to build something bigger.

Ideal Candidate Background

We are open to candidates from a variety of backgrounds, including:

• Manufacturing / Operations leadership
• Automotive OEM or Tier-1 suppliers
• Engineering product companies
• Strategic sourcing / procurement leadership
• Supplier development / supplier quality
• Industrial manufacturing
• Global supply chain organizations
• Manufacturing consulting and transformation practices

Professionals from organizations, and other leading consulting firms may also be considered where they have strong hands-on exposure to manufacturing operations, sourcing, or supply-chain transformation.

We are also open to high-performing Senior Managers, Operations Leaders, or Business Unit Leaders who are ready to take the next step into a broader India leadership role.

Why Consider This Opportunity

• High-impact leadership position with significant visibility to global executive leadership.
• Opportunity to shape and scale a growing India organization.
• Direct influence over manufacturing, sourcing, supplier strategy, and operational performance.
• Opportunity to build and develop a strong leadership team.
• Exposure to global OEM and Tier-1 customer ecosystems.
• Significant opportunity to drive transformation and business growth.
• A role where leadership style, people development, and business impact matter as much as operational expertise.

Location

Pune, Maharashtra

Candidates based in Pune, Mumbai, or the surrounding manufacturing corridor are encouraged to apply.

Interested

If you are a manufacturing or operations leader looking for an opportunity to take ownership of a growing India business and make a meaningful impact at the executive level, we would be interested in hearing from you.

Apply with your updated resume or reach out for a confidential discussion.

Warm Regards,

Sajith Nair

Email: [Confidential Information]