Chief Operating Officer

Job Description

1. Production & Operations Leadership

•       Own the full production value chain: Scrap Preparation → Induction Furnace → LRF/AOD → CCM → Merchant Mill & Hot Strip Mill → Dispatch

•       Set and monitor daily/weekly/monthly production targets across SMS, Merchant Mill, and HSM

•       Drive capacity utilisation, yield improvement, and melt-to-finish conversion efficiency

•       Coordinate billet/slab allocation between Merchant Mill (long products) and HSM (flat products)

•       Ensure uninterrupted 24/7 shift operations across all production units

2. Quality & Compliance

•       Ensure 100% compliance with BIS standards: IS 1786 (TMT), IS 2062 (structural/flat), IS 10748 (HR coils)

•       Oversee the QA & Laboratory function — spectrometry, mechanical testing, in-process inspection

•       Drive first-pass quality rates and reduce rejection/rework across long and flat product lines

•       Champion process control in LRF/AOD for steel chemistry consistency

3. Maintenance & Asset Reliability

•       Oversee GM Maintenance and the new HOD — Electrical & Automation (PLC/SCADA/drives/Level 2 systems)

•       Drive preventive and predictive maintenance programmes to minimise unplanned downtime

•       Manage capital maintenance budgets and critical spare inventory

•       Ensure AGC/AWC systems in HSM and automation in SMS are optimally maintained

4. Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)

•       Enforce a zero-harm culture across all plant operations

•       Ensure compliance with Nepal’s labour and environmental regulations

•       Review safety incident reports, drive root-cause analysis, and implement corrective actions

•       Oversee hazardous area management (molten metal, gas systems, rolling mills, coil yards)

5. Cost & Efficiency Management

•       Own plant-level P&L: conversion cost per tonne, energy cost, consumable cost, manpower cost

•       Drive energy efficiency — power consumption per tonne of liquid steel and per tonne of rolled product

•       Optimise charge mix (scrap, sponge iron, ferro-alloys) in coordination with Procurement

•       Lead cost reduction projects: yield improvement, process debottlenecking, waste minimisation

6. People & Organisation

•       Lead and develop a team of ~55+ plant personnel across 6 departments

•       Build a high-performance culture with clear KPIs and accountability at every level

•       Drive capability building — operator training, shift leader development, cross-functional exposure

•       Partner with HR on workforce planning, shift scheduling, and succession planning for critical roles

7. Strategic Contribution

•       Provide plant-level input for CAPEX planning (new equipment, capacity expansion, technology upgrades) to the CAPEX & Strategy team

•       Support the CEO on long-term capacity planning, product mix strategy, and new product development

•       Coordinate with Sales & Marketing on order fulfilment, delivery schedules, and product specifications

•       Represent plant operations in Board reviews and investor discussions as needed

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

B.E. / B.Tech in Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline. MBA or PG Diploma in Management is a strong plus.

Experience

18–25 years in steel manufacturing with at least 5 years in a Plant Head / VP Operations / COO role at an integrated steel plant (IF/EAF + secondary refining + rolling).

Technical

Deep understanding of induction furnace melting, LRF/AOD refining, continuous casting, and both long-product and flat-product rolling. Exposure to PLC/SCADA and Level 2 automation systems.

Certifications

Familiarity with BIS standards (IS 1786, IS 2062, IS 10748). Six Sigma / Lean Manufacturing certification preferred.

Languages

Fluent in Nepali and Hindi. Working proficiency in English.

KEY COMPETENCIES

Competency

Expectation

Operational Excellence

Proven track record of running a steel plant at high utilisation with industry-benchmark conversion costs and yields.

Leadership

Ability to lead large, multi-shift blue-collar and technical teams. Strong floor presence and credibility with operators and engineers alike.

Safety Mindset

Demonstrated commitment to safety in heavy-industry environments. Experience implementing behavioural safety and incident investigation frameworks.

Problem Solving

Structured approach to process troubleshooting, breakdown analysis, and continuous improvement (PDCA, RCA, Kaizen).

Commercial Acumen

Understands the link between plant decisions and financial outcomes — product mix, yield, energy, and cost per tonne.

Stakeholder Management

Comfortable interfacing with the CEO, Board, regulatory bodies, and equipment OEMs.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIS)

KPI

Measure

Production Volume

Tonnes of liquid steel / finished product per month vs. target

Yield / Conversion Efficiency

Melt-to-billet, billet-to-finished ratios

Quality First-Pass Rate

% of production meeting BIS specs without rework

Conversion Cost per Tonne

Total plant operating cost per tonne of finished product

Equipment Availability

% uptime of critical equipment (furnaces, casters, mills)

Energy Consumption

kWh per tonne of liquid steel / rolled product

Safety

LTIFR, near-miss reporting rate, safety audit score

On-Time Delivery

% of dispatches meeting committed delivery dates

REPORTING STRUCTURE

The COO reports directly to the CEO and is based full-time at the plant. The COO has 6 direct reports covering all plant operations:

#

1 Head Melt shop / GM - SMS

Steel Melting Shop

IF + LRF/AOD + CCM + Scrap Prep (11 positions)

2 GM - Merchant Mill

Merchant Mill

TMT, WR, Angles, Channels (7 positions)

3 GM - Hot Strip Mill

Hot Strip Mill

HR Coils & Sheets (8 positions)

4 GM - Quality Assurance

QA & Laboratory

Chemical, Mechanical, In-Process QC (5 positions)

5 GM - Maintenance / Chief Eng.

Maintenance

E&A, Electrical, Mechanical, Instrumentation (11 positions)

6 Manager - EHS

EHS

Safety across all plant areas (3 positions)