Overview:
The Manufacturing lead provides strategic and operational leadership for PepsiCo India Foods’ manufacturing set-up, covering existing company-owned plants and the national Contract Manufacturing network.
The role ensures safe, compliant, cost-efficient, quality production meeting PEPSICO standards and all the local regulatory requirements while building technical and operational capabilities, co-driving expansion, raising the bar on talent in manufacturing team, driving continuous improvement, productivity and sustainability initiatives in manufacturing operations, driving world class operating standards, co-leading Front Line Experience and Employee relations agenda.
Responsibilities:
A. Company-Owned Plants
1. Manufacturing Operations Leadership
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Lead end-to-end operations across operational plants, delivering volume, service, efficiency, cost, productivity, quality, safety and people KPIs.
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Drive readiness, commissioning, and stabilization for new green-field plant and brownfield expansions.
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Ensure execution of production schedules, capacity utilization, waste control, and True efficiency/ OEE improvement.
2. Quality, Food Safety & Compliance
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Ensure 100% compliance with PepsiCo Quality Mandates, FSSAI standards, GMP, and regulatory requirements.
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Strengthen internal controls (GCS, AIB, statutory audits) and enable timely resolution of audit findings.
3. People Leadership & Capability Development
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Lead Plant Managers, and Co-man operations manager.
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Drive capability uplift (M&W, digital tools, operational excellence) and talent development across plants.
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Foster a strong culture of safety, ownership, and frontline empowerment.
4. Cost & Productivity Management
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Deliver cost-optimization initiatives (MUV reduction, energy efficiency, waste reduction, automation etc).
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Manage annual manufacturing budgets and ensure AOP/forecast adherence.
5. Capital Projects & Infrastructure Expansion
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Oversee execution of new manufacturing lines and ensure delivery on timelines, budgets, and performance outputs.
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Lead the full lifecycle of the ‘upcoming green field projects’—including site evaluation, layout approval, commissioning, trials, and ramp-up.
6. Cross-functional Collaboration
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Partner with R&D, Procurement, PPGA, HR, Legal and Finance to drive Business, Supply Chain and People agenda
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Effective collaboration with SC verticals viz Agro, Productivity & Performance, Sustainability, Quality & Foods Safety, EHS, SC Planning & Logistics and Engineering to drive Business and SC priorities.
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Represent Manufacturing in Supply Chain and Cross functional forums.
7. People Leadership & Capability Development
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Embed PepsiCo values and leadership behaviours across plant leadership teams, ensuring consistent culture, ethics, and ways of working across legacy and greenfield sites.
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Partner closely with HR to drive workforce planning, succession readiness, leadership pipeline development, and capability building for critical manufacturing roles.
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Champion a strong frontline engagement culture across permanent and contractual workforce, driving ownership, inclusion, and high-performance behaviours.
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Support industrial relations stability by proactively shaping plant-level leadership capability in people management, employee relations, and statutory compliance.
8. Sustainability
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Drive PepsiCo’s sustainability agenda across company-owned plants and Coman sites, with clear ownership for water stewardship, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and emssions intensity improvement.
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Lead deployment of sustainable manufacturing practices including zero waste to landfill, renewable energy adoption, water positivity initiatives, and resource circularity across the manufacturing network.
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Embed sustainability goals into plant and CoMan operating rhythms, capital investment decisions, and productivity programs to ensure cost, efficiency, and sustainability outcomes are jointly delivered.
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Partner with Sustainability, Engineering, HR, and Procurement to build frontline and leadership capability on sustainable operations and responsible manufacturing practices.
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Ensure sustainability standards, reporting, and compliance requirements are met across all sites, including third-party manufacturers, aligned to PepsiCo global commitments and external audit expectations.
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Champion a culture of environmental ownership and accountability across plant leadership teams, driving measurable improvements through data, governance, and continuous improvement.
B. CoMan Network (Current Sites + Expansion Pipeline)
1. CoMan Governance & Performance Management
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Lead operational oversight for all CoMan partners delivering 100K+ annual volumes.
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Ensure compliance with PepsiCo quality and food safety and applicable statutory requirements.
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Drive consistency in performance through scorecards, KPIs, and regular business reviews.
2. Capability Building & Operational Excellence
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Deploy PepsiCo tools (M&W, digital MIS, process control, quality & food safety protocols) across CoMan sites.
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Build the technical and operating capability of CoMan teams through structured training, audits, and coaching.
3. Commercial, Contractual & Governance Responsibilities
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Oversee administration of CoMan agreements including compliance, audit closures, controls, and risk mitigation.
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Partner with Finance, Legal, Procurement, and Supply Chain to shape contract terms, cost structures, and renewal decisions.
4. Network Expansion & New Site Development
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Lead technical due diligence, project scoping, feasibility, and layout approvals for new CoMan sites.
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Oversee trials, quality validation, commissioning, and stabilization of new lines (e.g., Kurkure, Puffs).
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Enable innovation and renovation launches routed through the CoMan network.
5. Supply Planning & Materials Management Support
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Align with Planning and Procurement on monthly SIP requirements and available CoMan capacities.
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Oversee RM/PM stock controls, obsolescence avoidance, and inventory discipline across CoMan sites.
3. Key Deliverables / KPIs
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AOP Volumes delivery across COSO plants & Coman at agreed service linked KPIs (viz Schedule adherence)
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Manufacturing Lines Efficiencies and Material Usage Efficiency
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Quality & Food safety compliance: PepsiCo mandates, AIB, internal audits
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Safety performance (viz TRIR, LTI, behavioural safety compliance)
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Cost KPIs and Productivity
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Controls and Governance KPIs in manufacturing operations
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Coman performance scorecards, audit closures, contractual compliance
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Talent development & bench KPI.
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ER/ Culture and Org Health Score for manufacturing.
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Statutory Compliance
4. Future-Facing Responsibilities (Strategic Outlook)
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Lead modernization and automation across Company owned manufacturing & Coman sites .
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Shape long-term manufacturing footprint strategy, including brownfield expansions and new Coman partnerships.
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Drive sustainability agenda across all sites—water, energy, waste, carbon reduction.
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Develop a future-ready talent pipeline aligned with global PepsiCo capability frameworks.
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Build a resilient, agile manufacturing network supporting innovation, SKU complexity, and volume growth.
Qualifications:
- 12–15+ years in FMCG manufacturing or supply chain; multi-site leadership preferred.
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Strong background in plant operations, technical manufacturing, CoMan/partner management, and project leadership.
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Experience in large-scale capability building and driving operational excellence.
Critical Competencies
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Strategic Manufacturing Leadership
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Technical and Operational Excellence
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Partner Influence & Governance
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Change management & Project Leadership
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Transformation mindset.
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People Leadership & Frontline Capability Development
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Cross-functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Management
