Job Title | Senior Manager - Infrastructure Planning Engineering & Automation |
Function | Operations |
Reports To | Chief Operating Officer (COO) |
Location | Head Office |
Travel Required | 25%þ50%☐75%☐ |
About DHL Blue Dart Express India: |
Blue Dart Express Limited, a listed company, isa leader in courier, integrated air express package distribution, and eCommerce in South Asia, offering a wide range oflogisticssolutions.Founded in 1983, it is recognised for reliable, time-bound, and secure delivery services across 55,000+ locations in India as well as internationally. Its competencies span across evaluation and contracting, planning and transition, delivery and execution, and specific service capabilities.We pride ourselves on innovation, digitalization, service excellence, and creating long-term partnerships with our clients, enabling businesses to thrive in the fast-pacedlogisticsenvironment and ever-evolving supply-chains. It wholly-owns India's only scheduled air cargo airline, Blue Dart Aviation Limited, since May 1994, and the Concorde Air Logistics Limited, a transport, storage, and communications business, since May 2004.
Blue Dart Express Limited is a part of the DHL Group's DHL eCommerce division,leveragingthis globallogisticsleader's network across 220 countries and territories to provide comprehensive express andlogisticssolutions to our clients. Our robust network and unmatched infrastructure have positioned the Blue Dart brand as a key India-grownlogisticsplayer with a n unmatched and phenomenal global outreach rooted in the DHL brand of its majority shareholder.
We are proud to be consistently ranked amongIndia's Top 100 Great Places to Work, combining it with DHL Group's Top Employer certification. Being anEmployer of Choiceis not just a goalit'sa fundamental part of who we are, committed to creating a workplace where people are valued, empowered, and wear the sobriquet Blue Darter with honour.
If you are looking to join a purpose-led, people-first, company that shapes India's supply-chains with integrity and safety,Blue Dart is where you belong. Blue Dart offers competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, access to cross-functional, succession planning and global career paths, and strong culture of recognition.
Senior Manager - Infrastructure Planning Engineering & Automation is responsible for planning and governing Blue Dart's operational infrastructure strategy by translating business growth plans into scalable, efficient and future-ready operational facilities across the country. The role defines operational infrastructure requirements for branches, hubs, processing centres, service centres, Pickup & Delivery (PUD) facilities, Business Development Offices (BDOs) and customer counters, ensuring every investment supports current and future business needs.
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the role serves as the Operations Centre of Excellence for infrastructure planning, operational design standards, capacity planning, automation and operational investment governance. Working closely with Regional Operations, Real Estate, Procurement, Projects, Finance and other corporate functions, the role evaluates Business Case Approvals (BCAs), establishes operational design requirements and ensures operational infrastructure delivers optimum productivity, service quality and long-term scalability.
To develop and govern Blue Dart's operational infrastructure strategy by defining facility requirements, capacity models, operational design standards and automation opportunities that enable business growth, operational excellence and efficient capital investment while ensuring infrastructure remains scalable, productive and aligned with future operational requirements.
Key Roles & Responsibilities: |
Operations Infrastructure Planning & Strategy
- Develop the long-term operational infrastructure strategy supporting Blue Dart's business growth, operational expansion and network capability requirements.
- Translate business plans into operational infrastructure requirements covering branches, hubs, service centres, PUD facilities, Business Development Offices (BDOs), customer counters and other operational facilities.
- Develop infrastructure planning frameworks that support operational efficiency, customer service excellence and future scalability.
- Review operational footprint requirements and recommend expansion, consolidation, relocation or optimisation of operational facilities based on business needs.
- Partner with Regional Operations Heads to understand evolving operational requirements and incorporate them into long-term infrastructure planning.
Operational Capacity Planning
- Define operational capacity requirements for new and existing operational facilities based on shipment volumes, throughput, workforce requirements and business growth projections.
- Develop standard capacity models covering warehouse space, office areas, dock requirements, vehicle movement, parking, operational flow and future expansion capability.
- Evaluate facility utilisation and recommend capacity enhancement or infrastructure optimisation initiatives.
- Ensure infrastructure planning supports current operational requirements while providing flexibility for future business growth.
- Establish operational planning standards for capacity utilisation, infrastructure productivity and operational readiness across all facility types.
Business Case Evaluation & Investment Governance
- Lead operational evaluation of Business Case Approvals (BCAs) relating to new operational facilities, expans ion projects, relocation proposals and infrastructure investments.
- Validate operational assumptions including throughput, capacity utilisation, manpower planning, productivity improvements and long-term business requirements.
- Assess operational feasibility and provide recommendations on infrastructure investments prior to management approval.
- Partner with Finance to ensure proposed infrastructure investments are operationally justified, commercially viable and aligned with organisational priorities.
- Provide operational recommendations to the COO for major infrastructure investment decisions.
Operational Design Standards & Facility Engineering
- Establish and govern operational infrastructure design standards for branches, hubs, processing centres, service centres, PUD facilities, Business Development Offices (BDOs) and customer service counters.
- Define operational requirements for facility layouts, warehouse configurations, office space, loading and unloading areas, vehicle circulation, customer interface zones and future expansion provisions.
- Ensure operational process flows are incorporated into infrastructure planning to maximise productivity, safety and service quality.
- Develop standard design guidelines that optimise space utilisation, operational efficiency and infrastructure scalability across all operational facilities.
- Review and recommend infrastructure design improvements to support changing business requirements, new products and operational innovations.
Automation & Operational Innovation
- Develop the roadmap for automation and mechanisation across operational facilities to improve productivity, operational efficiency and service quality.
- Evaluate automation opportunities including material handling systems, sortation technologies, scanning solutions and digital operational workflows during infrastructure planning.
- Partner with Technology, Engineering and Operations teams to incorporate automation into new facility designs and infrastructure enhancement projects.
- Assess emerging technologies and industry best practices that improve operational throughput, facility utilisation and workforce productivity.
.Monitor benefits realised from automation initiatives and recommend continuous enhancements.
Infrastructure Lifecycle Planning
- Continuously assess the suitability, utilisation and operational effectiveness of existing operational facilities across the network.
- Recommend expansion, consolidation, relocation, redesign or capacity enhancement of operational facilities based on business growth, operational performance and future demand.
- Develop long-term infrastructure lifecycle plans to ensure operational facilities remain efficient, scalable and aligned with organisational strategy.
- Partner with Regional Operations teams to review infrastructure performance and identify future infrastructure requirements.
- Maintain a forward-looking infrastructure pipeline that supports business expansion and operational readiness.
Cross-functional Planning & Governance
- Partner with Regional Operations, Finance, Real Estate, Procurement, Projects, Safety, Security and Technology teams to ensure infrastructure plans align with operational requirements and organisational priorities.
- Provide operational planning inputs for land acquisition, facility selection and infrastructure investment proposals while ensuring operational suitability.
- Participate in cross-functional governance forums relating to infrastructure expansion, facility optimisation and capital investment planning.
- Ensure operational infrastructure decisions balance customer requirements, operational efficiency, employee safety and financial sustainability.
- Act as the Operations Centre of Excellence for infrastructure planning, operational design and facility planning standards across the organisation.
Team Leadership & Capability Development
- Lead, mentor and develop the Operations Planning, Automation & Efficiency team to build strong capability in infrastructure planning, operational design, automation and business case evaluation.
- Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement across the function.
- Develop succession plans and technical capability within the team to support long-term organisational requirements.
- Promote knowledge sharing and adoption of best practices across regional and corporate operations teams.
- Build strong partnerships with internal stakeholders to ensure alignment on operational infrastructure priorities and execution.
Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance infrastructure utilisation, operational productivity and overall network efficiency.
- Benchmark Blue Dart's operational infrastructure against industry best practices and recommend improvements that strengthen competitiveness.
- Standardise operational planning methodologies, infrastructure evaluation frameworks and facility design practices across the organisation.
- Lead enterprise-wide improvement initiatives that optimise operational flow, space utilisation, throughput and infrastructure performance.
- Foster a culture of innovation, operational excellence, customer focus, teamwork, integrity and continuous learning across the function.
Qualifications & Experience: |
Education:
- Bachelor's Degree in Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, Civil, Production or related discipline), Operations Management, Supply Chain Management or Logistics is mandatory.
- MBA or Master's Degree in Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Engineering Management or Business Administration will be preferred.
.Professional certifications in Lean Six Sigma, Project Management (PMP), Industrial Engineering or Operations Excellence will be an added advantage.
Experience:
- 17-20 yearsof progressive leadership experience in Operations Planning, Infrastructure Planning, Industrial Engineering, Operations Engineering, Facility Planning or Supply Chain Operations within large logistics, transportation, eCommerce, warehousing or distribution organisations.
- Proven experience in planning and evaluating operational infrastructure requirements for branches, hubs, warehouses, processing centres, service centres, PUD facilities and other operational locations.
- Strong experience in operational capacity planning, infrastructure sizing, facility utilisation, operational workflow design and infrastructure optimisation.
- Demonstrated experience in reviewing Business Case Approvals (BCAs), capital investment proposals and operational infrastructure expansion projects.
- Experience partnering with Real Estate, Procurement, Projects, Finance and Operations teams to define infrastructure requirements and ensure facilities are operationally fit for purpose.
- Experience in evaluating engineering layouts, facility drawings, space utilisation plans and operational process flows to validate operational requirements and future scalability.
- Working knowledge of facility planning software, layout interpretation and design review tools (such asAutoCAD, Autodesk Viewer, Visio or equivalent engineering/layout applications) will be preferred.
- Experience leading enterprise-wide operational planning, infrastructure transformation, automation and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Prior experience in express logistics, transportation, eCommerce, supply chain, warehousing or large-scale distribution environments will be highly preferred.
Technical Skills:
- Operations Infrastructure Planning
- Facility Planning & Capacity Modelling
- Warehouse & Operational Layout Planning
- Business Case Evaluation (BCA)
- Capital Investment Planning
- Operational Process Flow Design
- Space Utilisat ion & Infrastructure Optimisation
- Infrastructure Lifecycle Planning
- Operational Automation & Mechanisation
- Lean Six Sigma & Continuous Improvement
- Project & Programme Management
- Operational Analytics & Decision Support
- Engineering Drawing & Layout Review (AutoCAD/Visio or equivalent)
- Microsoft Office, Power BI and Planning & Analytics Tools
Behavioural Competencies:
- Strategic Thinking
- Enterprise Leadership
- Business & Commercial Acumen
- Customer Centricity
- Analytical & Systems Thinking
- Innovation & Future Readiness
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Stakeholder Influencing & Negotiation
- Decision Making & Sound Judgement
- Problem Solving
- Team Leadership & Capability Development
- Change Leadership
- Integrity & Ethical Conduct
- Execution Excellence
- Continuous Improvement Mindset
Key Performance Indicators: |
KRAs | KPIs |
KRAs | KPIs |
Infrastructure Planning | Timely delivery of infrastructure planning proposals, alignment with business growth plans, planning accuracy |
Capacity & Facility Planning | Capacity utilisation, facility readiness, infrastructure scalability, operational throughput planning |
Business Case Governance | Timely BCA reviews, quality of operational recommendations, investment justification accuracy, post-implementation benefits realised |
Infrastructure Standards | Compliance with operational design standards, facility standardisation, infrastructure optimisation initiatives |
Automation & Innovation | Automation initiatives implemented, operational productivity improvements, technology adoption and measurable efficiency gains |
Cross-functional Delivery | Timely support to Operations, Finance, Real Estate, Procurement and Projects, stakeholder satisfaction and project readiness |
Infrastructure Optimisation | Facility utilisation improvements, expansion and consolidation effectiveness, operational space optimisation |
Continuous Improvement | Productivity gains, cost optimisation through infrastructure planning, process improvements and operational efficiency initiatives |
When you join us, you're not just taking a job-you're becoming part of a purpose-led movement that's reshaping the future of logistics across India and the world. At Blue Dart, we don't just deliver parcels-we deliver excellence, innovation, and opportunity every day.
Here's what makes us stand out:
- Great Place to Work® Certified-a testament to our people-first culture, inclusive environment, and commitment to your growth and well-being.
- Competitive payand performance-linked rewards that truly recognize your impact.
- Structured learning,global exposure, and on-the-job coaching to help you grow faster than ever.
- Best-in-class benefits-from comprehensive medical cover (including optional parental care) to financial wellness and generous time off.
- A culture that celebrates
