Head of Operations - White Fused Alumina & Speciality Alumina

We are looking candidates from White Fused Alumina, Speciality Alumina, Fused Material background only.

Plant Location: Kizad, UAE, Head Office: Kolkata

One of our very reputed client is setting up Speciality Alumina Manufacturing plant in Abu Dhabi.

The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility shall deploy European technology and engineering along with equipment from leading European and Indian partners.

The plant will produce:

White Fused Alumina (WFA) – essential for refractories and abrasives.

Specialty Calcined Alumina (SCA) – critical for technical ceramics, refractories, and batteries.

Role Summary

The Head of Operations will lead production, maintenance, and EHS for UAE facility. This role requires domain understanding of fused/industrial minerals, transformation leadership in greenfield manufacturing, and a strong orientation toward digitalization and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead operations of multi-product specialty alumina complex, ensuring optimal plant uptime, productivity, and cost efficiency.

• Drive transformation across production, maintenance, and logistics functions through Industry 4.0, IoT, and advanced analytics.

• Oversee commissioning and stabilization of high-temperature fusion, calcination, and sintering units.

• Implement global standards for safety, environmental management, and quality systems.

• Build and mentor a high-performance engineering and operations team.

• Partner with supply chain, projects, and commercial teams to ensure seamless end-to-end execution.

• Champion continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, and digital performance dashboards.

• Report directly to the Managing Director with clear KPIs on output, energy, safety metrics, and OEE.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree required; MBA preferred.

• 15+ years of experience in industrial minerals, refractories, alumina, or fused materials manufacturing. (Mandatory)

• Proven record of leading large-scale plant operations or greenfield commissioning.

• Prior international experience (Middle East, Europe, or Asia) highly desirable.