JD - Regional COO Asia and ME.docx

The Role
This role provides end-to-end leadership for major manufacturing capital investments, acting as the single-point owner for project delivery from early definition through commissioning readiness. The mandate is to ensure capital projects deliver strategic value, financial discipline, and operational readiness, while meeting the highest standards of safety, quality, and execution excellence.

The role requires strong delivery authority, structured governance, and the ability to lead complex, cross-functional teams in high-pressure environments.

Location: Bucharest, Romania

Key Responsibilities 

• Own full lifecycle delivery of large, complex capital projects, including greenfield builds and major site expansions
• Translate business requirements into a clearly defined technical scope, delivery roadmap, milestones, and governance structure
• Establish and maintain disciplined project execution routines covering cost, schedule, risk, and change control
• Drive adherence to approved baselines and manage deviations through formal escalation and decision-making processes
• Lead multi-functional project teams across Engineering, Operations, Finance, Quality, Supply Chain, HR, and external partners
• Facilitate effective decision-making through structured project reviews and steering forums
• Act as the primary interface with senior stakeholders, ensuring alignment, transparency, and confidence in delivery
• Manage EPCs, OEMs, contractors, and consultants through clear performance expectations and accountability
• Ensure suppliers deliver to agreed scope, schedule, budget, and safety requirements
• Act as the central integrator between business, technical, and operational stakeholders
• Ensure clear communication, alignment, and accountability across all parties
• Partner closely with site leadership to ensure readiness for commissioning and handover
• Ensure safety-by-design principles are embedded throughout project execution
• Drive readiness for commissioning and transition to operations, working closely with operational leaders

Qualifications and Experience

• 15+ years in capital program governance, portfolio PMO, engineering PMO, or large-scale investment governance.
• Exposure to major capital portfolios in FMCG, life sciences, chemicals, or similar asset-intensive industries.
• Strong command of capex governance, project controls, risk management, and portfolio visibility.
• Proven ability to operate at senior leadership level with confidence, structure, and influence.
• Strong digital literacy (dashboards, PPM tools, data storytelling, Power BI/Tableau).
• Predictable, on-time, on-budget delivery of capital projects
• Strong stakeholder confidence and governance discipline
• Smooth transition from project execution to operational start-up

The Role
This role anchors project governance, controls, and transparency for major manufacturing capital projects. Acting as a central PMO and project controls leader, the role ensures consistent execution discipline, early risk detection, and decision-ready visibility for senior project and site leadership.

The position balances analytical rigour with pragmatic, site-aware execution.

Location: Bucharest, Romania

Key Responsibilities 

• Design and operate project governance frameworks covering cost, schedule, scope, risk, and benefits
• Establish reporting cadence, dashboards, and performance reviews to track delivery against approved baselines
• Ensure consistent application of project controls standards, templates, and KPIs
• Drive readiness for commissioning and transition to operations, working closely with operational leaders
• Translate project data into clear, actionable insights for senior leaders
• Identify early warning signals and facilitate timely escalation of risks and deviations
• Support structured decision-making through scenario analysis and forward-looking projections
• Partner closely with Project Directors and site teams to reinforce execution discipline
• Act as the interface between site-level delivery and broader portfolio or enterprise standards
• Support capability building in project management and controls practices

Qualifications and Experience

• 10+ years in PMO, project controls, or capital governance roles
• Strong experience in manufacturing environments (FMCG, food, pharma, chemicals)
• Solid command of cost control, scheduling, risk management, and reporting tools
• Pragmatic, delivery-oriented mindset with the confidence to challenge constructively
• Comfortable working with senior engineering and operational stakeholders
• Clear, reliable visibility of project performance at all times
• Reduced delivery surprises through early risk identification
• Strong governance discipline and improved delivery predictability

The Role

We are seeking a high-impact leader to drive the start-up and ramp-up of new manufacturing assets, ensuring the facility reaches design performance safely, reliably, and in the shortest possible time. This role will lead the operational start-up engine across people, processes, systems, and equipment, acting as the bridge between project execution and stable production.

You will be accountable for commissioning integration, readiness, capability building, and performance ramp-up, ensuring smooth handover to operations and building strong confidence with senior stakeholders.

Location: Romania

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute the full start-up and ramp-up strategy, including readiness planning, commissioning integration, trials, and early production phases
• Establish clear performance milestones and ramp-up curves aligned with operational and financial objectives
• Lead recovery planning and corrective actions where performance gaps or delays arise
• Act as the operational anchor during commissioning, ensuring alignment across engineering, quality, and production readiness
• Build and lead a cross-functional start-up team and ensure readiness across operators, technicians, engineers, and support functions
• Own training and qualification plans, including certification pathways, standard work, and technical upskilling
• Coach teams on structured problem solving, performance routines, and continuous improvement
• Ensure operational roles are staffed and trained ahead of start-up to avoid ramp-up constraints
• Drive rapid achievement of design capacity and performance through disciplined performance management routine
• Own key start-up KPIs including OEE, yield, waste, quality, safety, downtime and reliability
• Identify and eliminate early-stage losses through root cause analysis and cross-functional corrective action
• Monitor and manage trade-offs between speed, stability, quality, and cost, ensuring decisions are escalated appropriately when needed
• Ensure readiness of critical plant systems including utilities, automation, maintenance systems, and quality controls
• Drive the integration and adoption of digital manufacturing tools such as MES, SCADA, CMMS, and real-time performance tracking
• Ensure structured handover processes and documentation are completed to support stable long-term operations
• Lead smooth transition to operations, ensuring predictable, repeatable performance and clear ownership post-start-up

Qualifications and Experience

• 10+ years in FMCG manufacturing with strong commissioning / start-up exposure
• Solid knowledge of utilities, process & packaging equipment, automation, and quality systems
• Experience leading ramp-ups for large capital projects
• Familiarity with digital manufacturing tools
• Good understanding of plant economics and key performance drivers
• High-energy leader who thrives in fast-paced start-up environments
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Proven ability to build capability, coach teams, and drive cross-functional alignment

Alcott Global is retained by a leading global consumer goods company to identify an Engineering Director to be based in India.

The Engineering Director is a senior leadership role accountable for the conception, planning, and delivery of long-term industrial development programs, including greenfield projects and multi-year capital investment roadmaps. The role provides strategic direction for future manufacturing footprint development while ensuring disciplined execution of complex projects that support sustainable growth, capacity expansion, and operational resilience. This position balances forward-looking industrial planning with hands-on oversight of high-impact projects.

Key Responsibilities:  

• Lead the end-to-end development and execution of greenfield & brownfield  projects, including site evaluation, concept design, investment planning, and operational readiness.
• Define and maintain long-term industrial and capital investment master plans aligned with business growth, market demand, and capacity requirements.
• Translate strategic business objectives into multi-year project portfolios and phased execution roadmaps.
• Oversee large-scale capital projects such as new site builds, major expansions, and transformational upgrades, ensuring delivery against safety, quality, cost, and timeline commitments.
• Establish governance frameworks for long-term project planning, capital allocation, and portfolio prioritization.
• Ensure internal stakeholder management of leaders at Country/ Regional and Global level. Also manage all relevant stakeholders externally. 
• Drive early-stage feasibility studies, technical assessments, and scenario planning for future manufacturing and infrastructure needs.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration to align engineering, operations, supply chain, finance, and external partners on long-range project plans.
• Manage external engineering partners, contractors, and equipment suppliers involved in greenfield and strategic projects.
• Ensure that sustainability, regulatory compliance, and safety principles are embedded into greenfield design and long-term investment decisions.
• Conduct post-implementation reviews to capture lessons learned and continuously strengthen future project planning and execution.

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline; postgraduate education preferred.
• Extensive experience leading greenfield manufacturing projects and long-term capital investment programs in complex industrial environments.
• Strong background in industrial master planning, capacity strategy, and multi-year capital roadmap development.
• Demonstrated success in managing large project portfolios from early concept through commissioning and ramp-up.
• Proven ability to operate at both strategic and execution levels, with strong financial and risk management acumen.
• Deep understanding of manufacturing systems, asset lifecycle planning, and industrial infrastructure development.
• Excellent leadership and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across functions and senior leadership levels.

Alcott Global is retained to search for a Chief Commercial Officer with one of our global clients in the Infrastructure/ Transport & Logistics space. The role will be based in India.

Role Overview
The Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) is responsible for shaping and driving the organisation’s commercial vision. This leader oversees revenue strategies, market development, customer engagement, and the overall commercial performance of the business. The role requires a combination of strategic foresight, market intelligence, and hands-on leadership in sales, marketing, and business development.

Responsibilities

Commercial & Market Strategy

• Create and implement comprehensive commercial plans that support business growth, revenue targets, and long-term competitiveness.
• Define pricing principles, customer value propositions, and go-to-market approaches to enhance market positioning.
• Oversee the development of marketing frameworks, promotional programs, and brand communication strategies.
• Continuously analyse market conditions, industry shifts, customer needs, and emerging opportunities to inform strategic decisions.

Business Development & Customer Growth

• Identify new commercial opportunities domestically and regionally, including strategic partnerships, new service offerings, and value-added revenue streams.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key customers, industry stakeholders, and decision-makers to support business expansion.
• Establish structured key-account management practices to maintain a consistent customer experience across the organisation.
• Manage and resolve complex commercial issues, ensuring a seamless customer journey.

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead commercial teams—covering sales, marketing, and customer service—by setting performance expectations, building capabilities, and fostering a results-oriented culture.
• Promote the adoption of best practices within commercial operations and encourage continuous improvement methodologies.
• Guide the development of annual commercial budgets and monitor the performance of revenue-generating functions.

Operational & Analytical Excellence

• Use market data, commercial analytics, and customer insights to optimize strategies and improve commercial effectiveness.
• Oversee preparation of commercial reports, forecasts, and competitor benchmarking studies.
• Support digital transformation across commercial processes, including CRM utilisation, data-driven decision-making, automation, and advanced analytics.
• Ensure compliance with relevant commercial regulations, competition laws, and industry standards.

Stakeholder Engagement & Representation

• Represent the organisation in industry platforms, partner networks, and government-related discussions to support strategic advocacy and collaboration.
• Coordinate commercial matters with internal departments to ensure unified responses to customers and partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, supply chains, or a related field; a master’s degree is an advantage.
• Extensive experience in commercial leadership roles, preferably within B2B Transport or infrastructure-related sectors.
• Proven success in B2B sales and marketing, revenue growth, and strategic business development.
• Strong ability to manage senior-level relationships and navigate complex stakeholder environments.
• Exposure to multimodal logistics, port operations, rail connectivity, or related industries is beneficial.
• Excellent negotiation skills, commercial acumen, and the ability to lead diverse, cross-functional teams.