General Manager Operations

The  General Manager – Production & Plant Operations  will be responsible for  end-to-end manufacturing and plant performance  of the ice cream factory. The role ensures  safe, hygienic, compliant, and cost-effective production , manages seasonal demand fluctuations, maintains cold-chain integrity, and drives continuous improvement across production, maintenance, quality, utilities, and people management.

This is a  plant head role  with full ownership of  output, efficiency, food safety, cost control, and team leadership .

Key Responsibilities

1. Production & Manufacturing Operations
Lead daily and long-term  production planning  aligned with sales forecasts and seasonality
Ensure achievement of  volume, yield, and SKU-wise production targets
Manage  batch processing, freezing, extrusion, molding, filling, and packing operations
Minimise  process losses, rework, wastage, and downtime
Ensure uninterrupted production during  peak summer demand

2. Quality, Food Safety & Compliance
Ensure strict compliance with  FSSAI, GMP, GHP, HACCP, ISO 22000  and internal quality standards
Own product quality from  raw milk/ingredients intake to finished goods dispatch
Lead audits, inspections, and customer quality reviews
Maintain high standards of  hygiene, sanitation, allergen control, and traceability
Drive zero critical quality deviations and recalls

3. Cold Chain & Utilities Management
Ensure effective operation of  cold rooms, blast freezers, hardening tunnels, and deep-freeze storage
Maintain cold-chain integrity across production and storage
Oversee utilities including  ammonia refrigeration, compressors, boilers, DG sets, water treatment, and ETP/STP
Drive energy efficiency and cost optimisation initiatives

4. Maintenance & Asset Reliability
Lead  preventive and predictive maintenance programs
Ensure high uptime of  production lines and refrigeration systems
Plan and execute  capex, line expansions, and new equipment commissioning
Manage AMC vendors and critical spares inventory

5. Cost Control & Productivity
Own plant operating costs including  manpower, utilities, consumables, and maintenance
Drive  cost per litre / cost per unit reduction
Monitor plant budgets, variances, and corrective actions
Improve  OEE, labour productivity, and material efficiency

6. Inventory & Dispatch Coordination
Ensure availability and quality of  raw materials, flavours, inclusions, and packaging
Control WIP and finished goods inventory, especially frozen stock ageing
Coordinate with logistics for  timely dispatch and freezer loading

7. People Leadership & Industrial Relations
Lead production, quality, maintenance, stores, and utilities teams
Build a culture of  discipline, accountability, and food safety ownership
Handle  manpower planning, shift rosters, contract labour, and training
Manage industrial relations and statutory labour compliance
Develop second-line leadership and succession planning

8. Continuous Improvement & Systems
Implement  Lean manufacturing, Kaizen, TPM, and 5S  initiatives
Use MIS, dashboards, and KPIs to drive performance reviews
Support automation, digitisation, and ERP-led controls

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Production volume & schedule adherence
Yield, wastage, and rework levels
OEE & equipment uptime
Quality complaints, audit scores, and deviations
Cold-chain compliance
Cost per unit & budget adherence
Safety & hygiene metrics

Qualifications & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in  Dairy Technology / Food Technology / Mechanical / Chemical Engineering
MBA / Post-graduate qualification preferred
12–20 years of experience in  ice cream, dairy, frozen foods, or FMCG manufacturing
Prior experience as  Plant Head / Production Head / Factory Manager  preferred
Strong exposure to  high-volume, seasonal production environments