Senior Manager - Plant Store Operations

Responsibilities & Key Deliverables

• The Senior Manager - Plant Store Operations plays a pivotal role in overseeing and optimising all facets of the plant's storage and inventory management functions. This includes comprehensive leadership and accountability for processes such as Receiving, Storing, Issue, Packaging, Preservation, Disposal, and Dispatch. The role demands vigilant monitoring of vendor-aid transactions and supplier rejections to ensure high standards of quality control and regulatory compliance are upheld consistently.
• Integral to this leadership role is fostering a strong culture of occupational health and safety aligned with international standards including ISO45001 and OHSAS, ensuring all team members operate within a secure and safe working environment. The role requires expertly managing diverse teams comprising unionised staff, contract workers, and apprentices with an emphasis on nurturing talent, promoting morale, and developing leadership within the workforce.
• Mastery of SAP modules, particularly Material Management (MM), Sales and Distribution (SD), and Production Planning (PP), is essential for real-time inventory control, perpetual stock tracking, and conducting in-depth inventory ageing analysis. The incumbent will manage capital asset resources while deploying strategies to reduce Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) by addressing scrap reduction, detention costs, premium freight charges, and mitigating risks associated with product expiry and underloading.
• Responsibilities extend to logistic coordination including planning and overseeing Intra-Unit Transfer Note (IUTN) vehicle dispatches, ensuring seamless supply chain flow in alignment with customer plant needs. You will spearhead continuous improvement initiatives aimed at driving operational efficiency and process optimisation across store operations, collaborating closely with manufacturing, logistics, procurement, and support functions.
• Financial stewardship is fundamental to this role; implementing disciplined revenue and spend management controls is required to balance cost efficiency without compromising service excellence. Experience in utilising green and returnable packaging solutions is a significant advantage that supports the company's sustainability objectives. Championing ISO, TS, TPM, and SHE standards, you will contribute strategically to environmental stewardship and quality excellence within the plant store environment.
• This senior management position demands a forward-thinking approach and operational excellence to sustain and enhance the storage and supply chain systems vital to the high-performance tractor manufacturing environment, ensuring they remain resilient, responsive, and innovative in meeting evolving business needs.

Preferred Industries

Education Qualification

The role requires candidates to hold a Diploma in Engineering, ideally in Mechanical Engineering, or alternatively a Graduate degree in Science, providing a robust technical foundation requisite for managing complex storage and logistics operations within an industrial manufacturing context.

Complementary qualifications and certifications related to supply chain management, logistics, quality assurance frameworks such as ISO45001, and occupational health and safety standards will be considered highly advantageous. Ongoing professional development through targeted training or formal education demonstrates commitment to continuous improvement and alignment with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd's values of innovation and operational excellence.

Knowledge acquired through education and practical applications in the automobile or heavy equipment manufacturing sectors will enhance the candidate's effectiveness in managing inventory dynamics, coordinating production planning integration, and interacting effectively within multifaceted, cross-functional teams.

General Experience

The ideal candidate will bring between 5 to 7 years of progressive experience in plant store management or related inventory supervisory roles, particularly within the automobile or heavy machinery manufacturing sectors. Demonstrable experience in end-to-end storage management, cost control strategies, and leading diverse teams is essential.

Proficiency with ERP systems, specifically SAP involving modules such as Material Management (MM), Production Planning (PP), and Sales and Distribution (SD), is required for effective control and planning of inventory and procurement processes. The candidate should have managed interactions with vendor teams, orchestrating logistics activities including vehicle dispatch and resource scheduling.

Expertise in occupational health and safety compliance regimes including OHS, ISO45001, and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) frameworks is necessary to maintain robust safety standards and foster a culture of risk mitigation within the plant environment. Experience driving continuous improvement initiatives, waste reduction programs, and cost containment measures will position candidates as leaders in operational optimisation.

Critical Experience

Crucially, the candidate must possess hands-on experience managing storage operations within a large-scale manufacturing environment, ideally in farm or tractor production. A strong track record in conducting detailed inventory analysis, including ageing studies and management of capital assets, demonstrates capacity for strategic resource management.

Expertise in managing Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) through identification, mitigation, and control of scrap, detention costs, premium freight expenses, underload issues, and product expiry is vital. Competency in SAP MM, SD, and PP modules is expected to enable real-time inventory oversight and effective process optimisation.

Proven experience handling vendor-aid transactions, addressing supplier rejections, and expertly planning dispatch schedules in collaboration with customer plants is essential for ensuring seamless supply chain operations.

A comprehensive understanding and application of health and safety standards, including ISO, TS, TPM, and SHE, alongside experience implementing green and returnable packaging solutions, will contribute to a safe, compliant, and sustainable workplace culture.

Leadership excellence in managing unionised and contract workforce groups, coupled with a consistent record of driving operational excellence and cultivating high-performing teams through continuous development initiatives, is critical for success in this senior managerial position.

System Generated Core Skills

System Generated Secondary Skills