Senior Manager - Manufacturing Excellence - Foods Division

Sr. Manager - Manufacturing Excellence
Function: ICML - Foods Division
Reporting To: V.P - Technology & Manufacturing
Company: ITC Limited (Foods Division)
1. Job Purpose:
To lead and drive Manufacturing Excellence (ACE - Achieving Continuous Excellence) initiatives across ICML units, delivering sustainable improvements in Conversion Cost, OEE/Productivity, Safety, and Quality. The role will build organizational capability in structured problem-solving, develop excellence culture, and enable Best-In-Class performance across factories.
2. Key Responsibilities:
Strategic & Operational Excellence Leadership:
- Drive deployment of ACE (Achieving Continuous Excellence) framework across ICML factories in India.
- Align Manufacturing Excellence roadmap with business objectives and plant priorities.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing and non-manufacturing processes.
- Launch and sustain Basics & Pillars of Excellence programs.
Productivity & Cost Optimization:
- Drive OEE improvement initiatives using excellence tools and structured methodologies.
- Deliver sustainable reduction in Conversion Cost through waste elimination programs.
- Support factories in identifying productivity improvement opportunities through analytics and performance reviews.
Governance & Performance Tracking:
- Conduct half-yearly ACE internal assessments across ICMLs and drive action plans toward Mission-70 goals.
- Track performance against Master Plan and Business KPIs.
- Present progress updates, risks, and mitigation plans to the leadership team and steering committee.

- Monitor benefits realization and consolidate improvement impact across units.
Capability Building & Culture Development:
- Develop and roll out capability-building modules across factories.
- Train manufacturing teams on TPM/WCM/Lean tools and systematic problem-solving.
- Lead Kaizen events, workshops, and excellence training programs.
- Identify and replicate best practices across factories to ensure standardization.
- Collaborate with HR to manage induction training for new joiners under Excellence framework.
- Guide new joiners through improvement projects to ensure alignment with ACE objectives.
Stakeholder Management:
- Work closely with Operations Heads and Functional Leaders to identify improvement priorities.
- Influence and align plant leadership despite limited direct authority.
- Provide insights and recommendations based on data-driven analysis.
3. Major Challenges:
- Driving multi-site excellence initiatives with limited formal authority.
- Aligning diverse factory leadership teams to common excellence standards.
- Sustaining improvement momentum while managing operational priorities.
4. Key Decisions:
- Facilitate analysis and workshops to define execution roadmap for ACE activities.
- Track unit performance through audits, reviews, and investigations.
- Escalate strategic concerns and provide inputs for leadership decision-making.
5. Qualifications & Experience:
Educational Qualifications:
- Graduate in Engineering (Mechanical / Electrical / Food Technology).
- Post-graduation in Operations Management from a Premier B-School preferred.
Experience:
- Minimum 15+ years of experience in Manufacturing/Supply Chain, preferably in Foods industry.
- At least 5+ years leading Manufacturing Excellence/Operational Excellence across multiple factories.
- Certification in TPM/WCM/TQM/Lean with hands-on multi-site implementation experience (mandatory).
- Six Sigma Black Belt (ASQ certified) - preferred.
6. Key Skills & Competencies:
- Strong knowledge of Foods manufacturing processes and cost structures
- Expertise in TPM, Lean, WCM, TQM frameworks

- OEE improvement & productivity enhancement
- Change management and stakeholder alignment
- Strategic thinking & decision-making
- Strong analytical & problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication & influencing ability
- Planning, coordination & cross-functional collaboration
- Knowledge of foods regulatory environment