Officer - Technology

Role Summary

This position sits within the Center for Technology Excellence in Bengaluru and focuses on executing pilot initiatives and replication programs for new technologies in biscuit manufacturing. The role combines technology scouting, engineering execution, project leadership, and process improvement. It is suited to someone who enjoys solving practical manufacturing problems, reducing operating costs, and driving innovation across food production lines.

Work Location and Travel

The base location is Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The role also involves travel to factory locations, and some project assignments may require extended stays during installation, commissioning, or commercialization phases.

Technology and Innovation Focus

The job calls for active monitoring of new technologies across food manufacturing and related industries. The selected candidate will assess whether solutions can improve labor, energy, and fuel efficiency, including end-of-line automation. Vendor discussions and techno-commercial evaluation are important parts of the role. Priority areas include high-speed and flexible production lines, more fuel-efficient baking systems, robotics, automation, and AI-enabled inspection tools.

Project Execution

The role involves end-to-end ownership of capital projects, covering concept development through commissioning. This includes both greenfield and brownfield work, as well as planning and running pilot trials for promising technologies. A key expectation is to build a scalable rollout plan for successful solutions so they can be deployed across multiple manufacturing lines in India. Project governance responsibilities include defining scope, preparing budgets, building timelines, managing risks, and keeping stakeholders informed. Delivery must be on schedule, within budget, and aligned with quality and performance targets.

Manufacturing and Process Improvement

The position requires strong familiarity with food manufacturing processes and automation systems used in biscuit plants. This includes equipment and systems for powders and liquids, mixers, depositors, aerators, ovens, injectors, primary and secondary packaging, and end-of-line automation. The role also requires applying TPM and CLIT practices to improve stability, strengthen autonomous maintenance, and raise equipment effectiveness. Data analysis, including OEE review, will be used to find bottlenecks and identify opportunities to improve process reliability, equipment performance, and overall efficiency.

Stakeholder Collaboration

The role requires regular coordination with a wide range of internal stakeholders, including manufacturing managers, factory leaders, regional manufacturing heads, maintenance teams, and quality functions, to ensure projects progress smoothly and objectives are met.

Qualifications and Experience

A bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering is required, preferably in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Production Management, or a closely related discipline. The ideal candidate should bring 8 to 10 years of relevant field experience in a similar environment. Experience in FMCG manufacturing, especially biscuits, is preferred, and familiarity with cake, rusk, and wafer production is an added advantage. Practical experience with 2D and 3D CAD tools, along with PMP or ZOHO exposure, is also needed.

Skills and Attributes

The right person should be energetic, self-driven, and eager to keep learning. Strong communication, relationship-building, analytical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to work both independently and in a team are essential. Solid project management capability is also a key requirement.

Rewards

This position offers the chance to work with a team focused on learning and innovation, build and deploy advanced technologies in food manufacturing, and contribute directly to cost reduction and operational efficiency improvements.