Chief Operating Officer

- Work with a PE backed firm in the paper and packaging industry

- Be part of the expansion journey to becoming a packaging solutions player

About Our Client

The company is a well-established organization within the paper industry, listed on the NSE and are backed by a large PE firm. They are expanding their operations across packaging solutions

Job Description

1. Strategy & P&L Execution

- Translate the promoter / board vision into 3-5 year operational plan for paper and corrugation businesses.

- Deliver annual operating plan: volumes, capacity utilisation, conversion costs, OTIF, quality, EBITDA margin targets.

- Evaluate and drive new plant locations (Chennai/Bangalore belt), capacity expansion, debottlenecking and automation.

2. Manufacturing & Operations

- Own performance of all plants (paper mill + corrugated plants): production planning, maintenance, quality, safety.

- Improve capacity utilisation, machine uptime, yield, power & fuel efficiency, and wastage levels.

- Standardise SOPs, 5S, TPM / lean practices across locations.

- Ensure statutory and environmental compliance (Pollution Control Board, safety norms, boiler and factory regulations).

3. Supply Chain & Logistics Oversight

- Work with Head - Logistics & SCM to optimise raw material sourcing (waste paper / kraft), freight, warehouse footprint.

- Decide make vs buy for corrugated capacity, satellite units, stock points near key customer clusters (Chennai, Bengaluru, etc.).

- Build reliable demand forecasting + production planning interface with sales.

4. Customers & Commercials

- Support sales team in key account management with large FMCG, e-commerce, auto ancillary and industrial customers.

- Oversee costing, pricing logic, and margin discipline at product / customer / plant level.

- Resolve major service issues, quality complaints and credit / payment escalations.

5. People, Organisation & Culture

- Build a strong second line: plant heads, SCM head, quality head, project managers.

- Move the organisation from promoter-centric to process-driven without losing agility.

- Install performance management: KPIs, monthly reviews, dashboards, incentive structures for operations.

6. Systems, Data & Governance

- Champion ERP / MIS implementation, ensuring single source of truth for production, inventory, cost and profitability.

- Provide monthly ops pack to promoters / PE investors with clear metrics and variance analysis.

- Strengthen internal controls, approvals, and risk management in operations.

The Successful Applicant

- 15-25years' experience with at least 5+ years heading multi-plant operations in Paper / packaging / corrugated boxes manufacturing

- Strong exposure to South India ecosystem is a plus (Tamil Nadu / Karnataka).

- Proven track record of scaling plants, reducing costs, and professionalising mid-sized companies.

- Comfortable working with promoter-driven + investor-backed environment, hands-on and on the shopfloor.

- Good communications, should speak Tamil

What's on Offer

- Competitive salary package.

- Opportunities for professional growth and advancement.

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