Position:- PLANT HEAD
Company: Gursimar Pharma Private Limited
Location: Ludhiana, Punjab
Department: Plant Operations
Reporting to: Managing Director/Director
Direct reports: Production, Engineering & Utilities, Warehouse, EHS and Plant Administration teams
Functional coordination: Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Purchase, HR, Projects and Finance
1*. Role Purpose*
The Plant Head shall be responsible for establishing and operating the manufacturing facility as a safe, compliant, productive and commercially disciplined pharmaceutical plant.
During the project and pre-operational stage, the incumbent will lead plant readiness, equipment and utility commissioning, recruitment, SOP implementation, validation coordination and regulatory inspection preparedness. After commercialisation, the incumbent will assume end-to-end responsibility for manufacturing performance, resource utilisation, maintenance, safety, cost control and timely execution of the production plan.
The role requires a hands-on plant leader capable of resolving operational issues on the shop floor—not merely coordinating through departmental reports.
2*. Key ResponsibilitiesA. Project Completion and Operational Readiness*
- Review the facility, equipment and utility requirements from an operational and GMP perspective.
- Coordinate completion, installation, commissioning and handover of production equipment and plant utilities.
- Ensure closure of project punch points and deficiencies affecting safety, compliance or operability.
- Participate in equipment trials, FAT/SAT, commissioning and qualification activities.
- Establish production workflows, material and personnel movement, manpower deployment and shift requirements.
- Coordinate preparation and implementation of SOPs, formats, logbooks, preventive-maintenance plans and operating controls.
- Develop the plant-readiness plan and track completion against agreed milestones.
- Support preparation for regulatory, customer and third-party inspections.
B*. Manufacturing Operations*
- Lead manufacturing operations for tablets, capsules, external preparations and other approved dosage forms.
- Convert sales and production requirements into practical production, manpower and machine plans.
- Ensure adherence to approved batch manufacturing records, SOPs, process parameters and production schedules.
- Monitor daily output, yield, rejection, wastage, downtime and capacity utilisation.
- Ensure timely availability and efficient utilisation of manpower, equipment, utilities and production areas.
- Review production constraints and take timely corrective action to prevent avoidable delays.
- Establish effective shift handovers, daily production review and escalation mechanisms.
- Ensure orderly scale-up and introduction of new products in coordination with QA, QC and formulation functions.
C*. Engineering, Utilities and Maintenance*
- Ensure reliable operation of HVAC, purified water, steam, compressed air, chilled water, electrical systems, boilers and other plant utilities.
- Ensure implementation of preventive and predictive maintenance schedules.
- Monitor breakdowns, recurring failures, utility consumption and critical spares.
- Review equipment and utility performance and initiate improvements to reduce downtime and operating cost.
- Ensure maintenance activities are properly planned, documented and coordinated with Production and QA.
- Oversee calibration and qualification support without diluting the independent review and approval responsibilities of Quality Assurance.
D*. GMP and Quality Compliance*
- Ensure that plant operations comply with applicable GMP requirements, approved procedures and regulatory commitments.
- Build a culture in which production targets are never achieved by bypassing approved systems or quality controls.
- Ensure proper documentation, data integrity, line clearance, status labelling, housekeeping and production discipline.
- Ensure timely investigation and closure of deviations, incidents, breakdown-related quality risks, CAPAs and change controls assigned to plant functions.
- Participate in management reviews, quality-risk assessments, validation planning and inspection responses.
- Ensure audit observations are addressed within agreed timelines.
- Respect the independent authority of QA regarding batch disposition, deviations, change control and GMP compliance.
E*. Safety, Environment and Statutory Compliance*
- Ensure safe operation of machinery, utilities and material-handling systems.
- Enforce use of PPE, work permits, lockout/tagout and other applicable safety controls.
- Review accidents, near misses and unsafe conditions and ensure corrective actions.
- Coordinate compliance relating to factory operations, boilers, electrical systems, fire safety, pollution control, hazardous materials and waste management.
- Ensure readiness of emergency-response systems and conduct periodic drills.
- Immediately escalate any condition presenting a serious risk to personnel, product, property or regulatory compliance.
F*. People Leadership*
- Define departmental structures, staffing levels, roles and accountability.
- Participate in recruitment of production, engineering, utility and other plant personnel.
- Establish measurable responsibilities and review departmental performance.
- Ensure personnel are trained and assessed before being assigned independent responsibility.
- Develop capable second-line leaders and reduce dependence on individual employees.
- Maintain discipline, attendance, coordination and professional conduct across plant functions.
- Address poor performance and interdepartmental conflicts promptly and fairly.
G*. Cost and Performance Management*
- Prepare and control plant operating budgets.
- Monitor manufacturing cost, overtime, wastage, energy consumption, consumables, repairs and maintenance expenses.
- Identify opportunities for improving productivity, yield, cycle time and energy efficiency without compromising quality or safety.
- Review proposed expenditure for operational necessity, technical suitability and commercial justification.
- Submit periodic plant-performance reports with clear variances, causes and corrective actions.
3*. Decision-Making Authority*
The Plant Head shall have authority, within approved policies and budgets, to:
- Allocate plant manpower and operational resources.
- Set daily production and maintenance priorities.
- Stop any operation presenting an immediate safety, product-quality or equipment risk.
- Escalate non-performance by employees, contractors and vendors.
- Recommend recruitment, training, disciplinary action, capital expenditure and process improvements.
- Require corrective action from plant departments against agreed responsibilities.
Capital expenditure, unbudgeted commitments, senior appointments, material changes to approved systems and contractual commitments shall require Management approval.
4*. Key Performance Indicators*
Performance will be assessed against:
- Completion of plant-readiness and commissioning milestones.
- Regulatory and inspection readiness.
- Achievement of production plans.
- Equipment and utility availability.
- Capacity utilisation and manufacturing cycle time.
- Batch yield, rejection, rework and material wastage.
- Deviation, CAPA and audit-observation closure.
- Preventive-maintenance compliance and breakdown frequency.
- Safety incidents and statutory compliance.
- Manufacturing and utility cost control.
- Employee productivity, training and retention.
- Quality and timeliness of management reporting.
5*. Qualification and Experience*
- B.Pharm, M.Pharm, B.Tech, M.Tech or equivalent relevant qualification.
- Preferably 15–20 years of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, including at least 5 years in a senior plant leadership role.
- Substantial experience in oral solid dosage manufacturing is essential.
- Experience in external preparations and sterile manufacturing will be advantageous.
- Prior involvement in commissioning, expansion, technology transfer or operationalisation of a pharmaceutical facility is strongly preferred.
- Working knowledge of GMP, validation, production planning, engineering utilities, EHS and applicable statutory requirements.
- Experience handling regulatory and customer audits.
6*. Required Competencies*
- Strong shop-floor and operational leadership.
- Ability to convert plans into time-bound execution.
- Sound understanding of pharmaceutical manufacturing and plant utilities.
- Effective interdepartmental coordination without blurring functional accountability.
- Structured problem-solving and root-cause analysis.
- Commercial awareness and cost discipline.
- Clear written and verbal reporting.
- Ability to take firm, timely decisions under pressure.
- High standards of integrity, documentation and regulatory discipline.
7*. Preferred Candidate Profile*
The preferred candidate will have personally led a pharmaceutical facility through commissioning, GMP readiness or significant capacity expansion and subsequently managed commercial operations. The candidate should be comfortable working in an evolving organisation, establishing systems from the ground up and remaining directly engaged with day-to-day plant execution.
8*. How to Apply*
Interested candidates may submit their updated CV to [email protected] with the subject line “Application for Plant Head – Ludhiana.”
Pay: ₹1,500,000.00 - ₹2,000,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
