Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Industry: Laboratory Furniture | Scientific Infrastructure | Life Sciences Equipment Manufacturing
Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Experience: 15+ Years
Employment Type: Full-Time
Reporting To: Board of Directors
Travel: Regular travel to manufacturing facilities, client locations, partners and business locations
About the Opportunity
We are looking for an experienced Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead the end-to-end operations of an established and rapidly scaling manufacturing business operating in the laboratory furniture, scientific infrastructure and life-sciences equipment sector.
The business has an established market presence, a multi-decade operating history, a strong completed-project portfolio, certified quality systems and a well-developed domestic and international customer base.
This is not a start-up or business-building-from-zero role . The mandate is to take an established manufacturing operation and build it into a highly scalable, professionally managed and performance-driven organization with strong domestic and export growth.
The COO will be the senior-most operational leader and will have broad responsibility across manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, quality, exports, commercial operations, organizational capability and P&L performance .
Key Responsibilities 1. Manufacturing & Operations
- Own end-to-end manufacturing and operational performance across the business.
- Drive plant productivity, capacity utilization, cost efficiency and delivery reliability.
- Assess and optimize manufacturing capacity, plant layout, processes, equipment and capability requirements.
- Strengthen procurement, vendor management and supply-chain processes.
- Identify opportunities for automation, lean manufacturing, process improvement and cost optimization.
- Establish robust operating systems and performance metrics across manufacturing and operations.
- Ensure consistent on-time delivery and effective production planning.
2. Business & P&L Leadership
- Take overall accountability for the financial and operational performance of the business.
- Work closely with the Board on annual budgets, business plans, forecasts and strategic priorities.
- Drive revenue growth while protecting gross margins, contribution and working capital.
- Translate business objectives into clear functional and site-level targets.
- Establish a disciplined operating review mechanism to track performance and corrective actions.
- Identify opportunities for new markets, customers, products and strategic partnerships.
- Balance growth investments with operational efficiency and financial discipline.
3. Quality, Compliance & Risk
- Maintain and continuously strengthen the organization’s certified quality management systems.
- Ensure compliance with applicable industry, customer, export and regulatory requirements.
- Drive improvements in product quality, defect reduction, rework and customer satisfaction.
- Ensure successful completion of customer, certification and regulatory audits.
- Identify operational, commercial, quality and reputational risks and establish appropriate mitigation plans.
- Build a culture where quality and compliance are treated as business priorities.
4. Export & Commercial Operations
- Lead and strengthen the organization’s domestic and international business operations.
- Develop and expand relationships with international customers, distributors, institutional clients and channel partners.
- Drive export revenue growth and expansion into new international markets.
- Work closely with sales and commercial teams on pricing, margins, customer commitments and delivery feasibility.
- Strengthen commercial processes, forecasting and pipeline visibility.
- Represent the organization in strategic customer and partner engagements.
5. Organization & Leadership
- Build and develop a strong second-line leadership team across operations, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, finance and commercial functions.
- Define clear responsibilities, KPIs and performance expectations for leadership teams.
- Recruit, develop and retain high-quality functional talent.
- Establish structured performance reviews and operating rhythms.
- Build a culture based on accountability, transparency, ownership, quality and continuous improvement.
- Coach senior leaders and make timely performance and organizational decisions.
6. Strategy & Business Transformation
- Develop and execute a 12–36 month operating and growth plan .
- Evaluate current capabilities, systems, processes, people and capacity and identify areas requiring transformation.
- Lead initiatives required to scale the business rapidly and sustainably.
- Develop the operating footprint and capacity roadmap in line with projected demand.
- Introduce stronger management systems, reporting structures and governance processes.
- Drive organizational readiness for the next phase of growth.
7. Board & Governance
- Provide the Board with concise, data-driven updates on business performance, forecasts, risks, opportunities and strategic initiatives.
- Establish a strong management information and reporting framework.
- Ensure adherence to delegated authorities, company policies and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
- Work cross-functionally with finance, HR, legal, sales, quality and other stakeholders.
- Act as the senior operational representative of the organization with key external stakeholders.
Candidate Profile Essential Experience
- 15+ years of progressive experience in operations, manufacturing, general management or business leadership.
- At least 5 years in a COO, VP Operations, Business Head, Plant Head or equivalent senior leadership position .
- Strong experience in manufacturing-led businesses is essential.
- Demonstrated experience managing large-scale manufacturing operations with responsibility for multiple functions.
- Proven experience with P&L ownership and financial performance management .
- Strong exposure to supply chain, procurement, manufacturing, quality and operational excellence.
- Experience managing exports and international customers/distributors .
- Demonstrated ability to scale an established manufacturing business through a significant growth phase.
Preferred Industry Experience
Candidates from the following sectors would be particularly relevant:
- Laboratory furniture and scientific infrastructure
- Laboratory equipment
- Scientific instrumentation
- Life-sciences equipment
- Industrial furniture
- Capital equipment
- Precision engineering
- Industrial manufacturing
- Cleanroom / controlled-environment equipment
- Pharmaceutical or biotechnology equipment
- Engineering products with significant export exposure
Educational Qualification
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations or a related discipline .
- MBA or equivalent management qualification will be an advantage.
Leadership Competencies
The ideal candidate will demonstrate:
- Enterprise Leadership: Ability to make decisions for the long-term health and growth of the business.
- Commercial Acumen: Strong understanding of customers, pricing, margins, contracts, cost structures and profitability.
- Operational Excellence: Deep understanding of manufacturing systems, productivity, quality and supply-chain performance.
- Builder Mindset: Comfortable creating structure, systems and accountability while remaining hands-on when required.
- Growth Orientation: Proven ability to scale businesses and build new markets.
- People Leadership: Ability to attract, develop and retain strong leadership talent.
- Executive Presence: Strong communication and stakeholder-management capabilities.
- Decision Making: Data-driven, decisive and comfortable operating in complex and high-growth environments.
- Integrity & Accountability: High ethical standards, resilience and ownership of outcomes.
First-Year Priorities First 30 Days
- Conduct a comprehensive diagnostic of manufacturing capacity, quality, supply chain, talent, systems and key business risks.
- Establish a clear baseline for operational and financial performance.
- Identify immediate operational bottlenecks and quick-win opportunities.
First 60 Days
- Present a comprehensive operating and growth plan.
- Finalize organization structure and critical hiring requirements.
- Develop manufacturing capacity, quality and supply-chain improvement roadmaps.
- Establish a structured management and performance-review cadence.
First 90 Days
- Establish the core leadership operating rhythm.
- Validate business forecasts and financial assumptions.
- Activate priority customer and export growth initiatives.
- Begin execution of critical operational improvement initiatives.
First 6 Months
- Demonstrate measurable improvement in delivery performance, manufacturing efficiency, quality and commercial controls.
- Build a stronger leadership team and operating infrastructure.
- Establish a credible pipeline for domestic and international growth.
First 12 Months
- Deliver agreed financial and operational targets.
- Demonstrate meaningful progress in export and commercial growth.
- Build a capable second-line leadership team.
- Establish a scalable, professionally managed and sustainable operating platform.
Compensation & Location
Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Work Arrangement: Full-time, on-site leadership role
Travel: Regular travel to manufacturing facilities, customer locations, partners and other business locations.
The compensation package will include a meaningful performance-linked component aligned with financial, operational, quality, commercial and strategic outcomes.
Confidentiality
This is a confidential senior leadership search. The organization’s identity and detailed business information will be shared with shortlisted candidates at the appropriate stage of the selection process.
Interested and qualified candidates may apply in confidence.