Manager-Business Excellence (Global Exports)

Job Summary:

We are seeking a dynamic Business Excellence – Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) professional for Global Exports team with expertise in Fresh Fruits (Priority on Grapes to drive organizational performance, quality transformation, and operational scalability across global Agri-trade and food value chains. The role is designed for a leader who can integrate quality assurance, process optimization, risk management, data analytics, compliance, and cross-functional execution into a cohesive business excellence framework.

The EIR will act as a strategic problem solver, building scalable systems, enabling efficiency, and driving continuous improvement initiatives aligned with Annual Operating Plan (AOP), Contribution Margin (CM%), and EBITDA goals.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Business Process Excellence:

• ● Design, implement, and standardize core business processes across procurement, operations, logistics, and exports.
• ● Establish traceability and process control frameworks to ensure efficiency, compliance, and scalability.
• ● Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and FMEA-based initiatives for reducing inefficiencies and improving cost structures.
• ● Translate operational improvements into measurable business outcomes (CM%, cost per kg, EBITDA contribution).

2. Vendor Ecosystem & Partner Enablement:

• ● Set up and standardize excellence frameworks across vendors, packhouses, and channel partners.
• ● Ensure alignment on PO terms, insurance coverage, cold chain protocols, and settlement processes.
• ● Drive scalable systems that reduce disputes, improve transparency, and pass on economies of scale benefits to partners.

3. Risk & Insurance Management:

• ● Embed risk-control processes into daily operations, covering:
• ○ Credit risk approvals (ECGC, Atradius).
• ○ Forex hedging and standardized FX practices.
• ○ Insurance coverage for shipments from dispatch to sales.
• ● Ensure the business is financially resilient and compliant across global trade flows.

4. Quality & Compliance Leadership:

• ● Drive compliance with BRC, Global GAP, ISO, HACCP, and customer-specific standards across geographies.
• ● Implement quality governance frameworks for food safety, sustainability, and ethical trade.
• ● Set up quality modules within ERP/SAP systems and digitized dashboards for real-time monitoring.

5. Global Market Readiness:

• ● Define and enforce global produce standards for box design, cold chain protocols, labeling, and packaging.
• ● Ensure market-entry readiness for EU, SEA, GCC, UK, and other geographies through certifications, documentation, and compliance preparedness.
• ● Build playbooks that allow seamless entry into new regions without last-minute operational gaps.

6. Data Analytics & Decision Support:

• ● Collect, clean, and analyze operational/business data for fact-based decision making.
• ● Develop scorecards, root cause analyses, and predictive models for supply chain efficiency, vendor quality, and customer satisfaction.
• ● Provide leadership with live dashboards and decision-making insights directly tied to AOP trackers.

7. Packaging & Product Innovation:

• ● Lead packaging material development and cost optimization projects to enhance shelf life, reduce wastage, and improve sustainability.
• ● Implement traceability systems for packaging material and vendor ecosystems.
• ● Drive New Product Development (NPD) support in line with market requirements.

8. Customer &Market Alignment:

• ● Develop customer expectation sign-off documents, ensuring alignment on specifications and service standards.
• ● Build seasonal product calendars at a micropocket level, supporting precise planning for procurement and sales teams.
• ● Standardize customer-facing documentation, ensuring global buyers experience
• consistency and reliability.
• 9. Change Management & Culture Champion:
• ● Identify skill gaps and drive capability building programs across functions and partners.
• ● Champion a culture of proactive planning, ownership, and continuous improvement, shifting teams away from reactive firefighting.
• ● Motivate, retain, and empower teams to build long-term excellence capabilities.
• 10. Product-Focused Excellence (Priority on Grapes):
• ● Take ownership of driving Business Excellence for Grapes as the first priority crop, solving for quality, process efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
• ● Recognize that every efficiency in box design, cold chain, and operational execution contributes directly to improved product quality.
• ● Ensure that lessons learned and frameworks built for grapes are progressively extended to other products in the portfolio.
• ● Performance weightage will be aligned to quality-led improvements in grapes before scaling impact across categories.