Plant General Manager (PERSONAL CARE)

– General Manager – Operations (Cosmetics & Personal Care Manufacturing)

Position Summary

The General Manager – Operations will lead the overall manufacturing operations of a cosmetics and personal care manufacturing facility, ensuring safe, efficient, GMP-compliant, and cost-effective production. The role will oversee Production, Filling & Packing, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Warehouse, Planning, Procurement Coordination, and EHS while driving operational excellence, productivity, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Plant Operations

• Lead end-to-end plant operations, including manufacturing, filling, packaging, engineering, maintenance, warehouse, and dispatch.
• Ensure achievement of production plans while maintaining quality, safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Improve plant productivity, capacity utilization, and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
• Optimize manpower and machine utilization to maximize operational efficiency.

Production Management

• Oversee manufacturing of creams, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, serums, oils, face wash, body wash, gels, deodorants, perfumes, and other personal care products.
• Ensure adherence to batch manufacturing records (BMR) and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Coordinate production planning to achieve delivery commitments.
• Minimize changeover time and production losses.

Filling & Packaging Operations

• Manage filling, labeling, coding, sealing, cartoning, and secondary packaging operations.
• Improve line efficiency and packaging productivity.
• Reduce packaging material wastage and optimize packaging costs.

Quality & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with GMP, ISO 9001, ISO 22716 (Cosmetic GMP), and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Work closely with QA/QC to reduce deviations, rejections, and customer complaints.
• Ensure successful completion of customer and regulatory audits.

Engineering & Maintenance

• Develop preventive and predictive maintenance programs.
• Improve equipment reliability and minimize downtime.
• Lead automation, debottlenecking, and plant expansion projects.
• Monitor utilities including boilers, compressors, HVAC, purified water systems, and ETP/STP.

Supply Chain Coordination

• Coordinate with Procurement for timely availability of raw materials and packaging materials.
• Ensure inventory optimization without affecting production continuity.
• Work closely with Planning, Sales, and Logistics for timely dispatches.

Cost Optimization

• Prepare and manage annual operating budgets.
• Drive initiatives to reduce manufacturing costs, energy consumption, and wastage.
• Improve material yield and reduce batch losses.

Safety & Environment

• Ensure compliance with EHS policies and statutory regulations.
• Promote a zero-accident culture through regular safety audits and training.
• Ensure proper waste management and environmental compliance.

Continuous Improvement

• Implement Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and 5S initiatives.
• Lead productivity improvement and operational excellence projects.
• Monitor KPIs and implement corrective actions to achieve operational targets.

Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor Production, QA, QC, Maintenance, Engineering, Warehouse, and Planning teams.
• Build a high-performance culture through coaching, performance management, and employee development.
• Drive employee engagement and succession planning.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Production target achievement
• OEE improvement
• Capacity utilization
• Manufacturing cost reduction
• Batch Right First Time (RFT)
• Rejection and scrap reduction
• Customer complaint reduction
• On-time delivery
• Equipment uptime
• Energy consumption reduction
• Inventory accuracy
• Safety performance (Zero Lost Time Incidents)

Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Production Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Pharmacy, Cosmetic Technology, or a related discipline.
• MBA in Operations or Manufacturing is preferred.

Experience

• 20 –25 years of experience in cosmetics, personal care, FMCG, skincare, haircare, toiletries, or beauty product manufacturing.
• Minimum 5 years in a Plant Head, Operations Head, Factory Manager, or General Manager – Operations role.

Required Skills

• Plant Operations Management
• Cosmetic Manufacturing Processes
• GMP & ISO 22716
• Production Planning & Control
• Filling & Packaging Operations
• Lean Manufacturing
• TPM
• Six Sigma
• Kaizen & 5S
• Cost Control & Budgeting
• SAP/ERP
• Inventory Management
• Preventive Maintenance
• Quality Systems
• Team Leadership
• Continuous Improvement
• CAPEX & Project Management

Preferred Industry

• Cosmetics
• Personal Care
• Skin Care
• Hair Care
• Toiletries
• Beauty Products
• Contract Manufacturing (Third-Party Manufacturing)