Technical Director, India

Job description

1. POSITION PURPOSE The Technical Director – India is responsible for leading the technical, manufacturing and engineering agenda across the India organization. The role ensures that current operations at DAH and CHR, as well as the development of Jaipur and future expansion sites, are managed in line with business ambitions and executed in a safe, sustainable and compliant manner. The position plays a key leadership role in building the technical organization in India, strengthening operational excellence, developing capabilities and ensuring that technical strategies, resources and priorities support the growth plans of the business. The role works in close partnership with the Managing Director, India and in strong collaboration with the Technical Director, Asia to ensure alignment of strategy, standards, resource prioritization, local regulatory compliance and conformance with Group requirements. 2. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 2.1 Operational and Technical Leadership Lead and continuously improve technical and manufacturing performance across DAH, CHR and future sites in India. Ensure stable, efficient and cost-effective operations across production, maintenance, quality, projects, safety and environmental functions. Drive high standards in operational discipline, process reliability, product quality and asset performance. Establish and monitor technical priorities to support current operations and future growth requirements. Ensure technical decisions support business continuity, competitiveness and long-term scalability. 2.2 Expansion and Growth Enablement Support the strategic expansion agenda in India, including Jaipur and potential future sites. Provide technical leadership for site development, commissioning, ramp-up and stabilization activities. Build the organization, structure, systems and technical capabilities needed to support expansion plans. Ensure expansion projects are delivered in line with Group standards, local regulations, timing, budget and operational readiness requirements. Anticipate future capability and resource needs to support growth in a structured and sustainable manner. 2.3 Safety, Health, Environment and Sustainability Champion a strong safety culture across all sites and functions, with clear accountability and visible leadership. Ensure full compliance with local laws, permits, internal standards and Group SHE requirements. Lead the integration of safety, health, environmental and sustainability priorities into daily operations and expansion plans. Promote safe and sustainable technical solutions that reduce risk, improve environmental performance and support responsible growth. 2.4 Quality, Maintenance and Continuous Improvement Ensure product and process quality standards are maintained and continuously improved across all operations. Lead preventive and predictive maintenance practices to improve asset reliability and operational uptime. Drive continuous improvement in collaboration with ROPEX and other functional support teams. Promote root cause problem solving, standardization and best-practice sharing across sites and functions. 2.5 Organization Building and Leadership Lead, coach and develop the direct reports and wider technical organization to build a capable, engaged and high-performing team. Strengthen succession planning, talent development and organizational readiness to support current and future business needs. Define clear roles, accountabilities, interfaces and performance expectations within the technical organization. Build a collaborative culture focused on accountability, continuous improvement and delivery excellence. 2.6 Strategic Alignment and Collaboration Collaborate closely with the Technical Director, Asia to align technical strategy, priorities, resource planning and execution support. Ensure India technical plans are aligned with regional and Group objectives, standards and requirements. Work effectively with Group functions and Asia functional support departments, including the Asia Engineering Team, ROPEX and SHE functions. Provide technical input to the Managing Director, India and leadership team to support business planning and decision-making. 2.7 Stakeholder Management Maintain effective relationships with external stakeholders including authorities, customers and suppliers. Represent the technical organization in relevant external technical, regulatory and project-related interactions. Build strong internal interfaces across operations, projects, engineering, SHE, quality and business leadership teams. KEY STAKEHOLDERS External Stakeholders: Authorities and regulators Customers Suppliers and contractors Internal Stakeholders: Managing Director, India Technical Director, Asia Group Functions Asia Engineering Team ROPEX / Continuous Improvement function SHE functions India leadership team and site management teams SUCCESS MEASURES Safe and compliant operations across all current and future sites. Reliable manufacturing performance and continuous improvement in efficiency, quality and asset uptime. Successful technical support of expansion projects, including readiness of Jaipur and future sites. Strong organizational capability and leadership bench within the India technical function. Effective alignment with Asia and Group technical standards, priorities and support functions. Positive regulatory and stakeholder relationships supporting sustainable growth. EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS Degree in Engineering or other relevant technical discipline; advanced qualification is an advantage. Extensive leadership experience in manufacturing, engineering or industrial operations, ideally in a multi-site environment. Proven track record in leading technical teams and building organizational capability. Experience supporting large-scale projects, plant expansion, commissioning or greenfield/brownfield development. Strong knowledge of safety, quality, maintenance, environmental and operational excellence practices. Experience working in matrix organizations and collaborating across regional and Group functions. Strong understanding of local regulatory requirements and the ability to align them with global standards.