Supply Chain Manager

Location: Bangalore - Indraprastha, India

Thales is a global technology leader trusted by governments, institutions, and enterprises to tackle their most demanding challenges. From quantum applications and artificial intelligence to cybersecurity and 6G innovation, our solutions empower critical decisions rooted in human intelligence. Operating at the forefront of aerospace and space, cybersecurity and digital identity, we’re driven by a mission to build a future we can all trust.

Present in India since 1953, Thales is headquartered in Noida and has other operational offices and sites spread across Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru and Mumbai, among others. Over 2200 employees are working with Thales and its joint ventures in India. Since the beginning, Thales has been playing an essential role in India’s growth story by sharing its technologies and expertise in Defence, Aerospace and Cyber & Digital sectors. Thales has two engineering competence centres in India - one in Noida focused on Cyber & Digital business, while the one in Bengaluru focuses on hardware, software and systems engineering capabilities for both the civil and defence sectors, serving global needs. The Group has also established an MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) facility in Gurugram to provide comprehensive avionics maintenance and repair services to Indian airlines and support the growth of the local aviation industry.

Greenfield Site Launch & Industrialization

• Lead the end-to-end Supply Chain workstream for the new plant start-up and industrialization.
• Build Supply Chain processes, systems, governance and organization from a greenfield environment.
• Develop the Supply Chain launch roadmap aligned with plant commissioning and production ramp-up milestones.
• Define and implement planning policies, inventory strategies, warehouse processes and logistics flows.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI), industrial transfers and production readiness reviews.
• Recruit, train and develop the Supply Chain team required for production launch and growth.
• Establish operational KPIs, reporting cadence and governance mechanisms prior to SOP (Start of Production).
• Drive launch readiness reviews and manage supply chain-related risks during ramp-up.

1. Demand Planning & S&OP

• Translate customer demand, sales forecasts and program requirements into an integrated Supply Chain and Production Plan.
• Lead the monthly S&OP process in coordination with Sales, Program Management, Operations, Finance and Engineering.
• Identify demand-supply gaps, capacity constraints, material risks and recovery actions.
• Maintain a rolling 12–18 month supply and capacity outlook.
• Establish clear priorities based on customer requirements, program milestones and business objectives
• Design and implement the site's S&OP / IBP process, governance and decision-making framework.
• Establish demand, supply, inventory and capacity review cycles and escalation processes.
• Lead executive S&OP reviews during plant launch and production ramp-up phases.

2. Production Planning & Control

• Own the Master Production Schedule (MPS) and ensure alignment with available capacity, manpower, materials and customer demand.
• Optimize production loading across manufacturing lines and work centers.
• Ensure timely release and closure of Manufacturing Orders / Work Orders.
• Monitor plan adherence and drive corrective actions for deviations.
• Establish appropriate production lead times, safety stocks and planning parameters.
• Work closely with Production and Engineering to resolve bottlenecks and improve throughput.
• Manage demand, capacity and inventory trade-off decisions during ramp-up phases.

3. Material Planning & MRP

Existing responsibilities plus:

• Own the MRP process and ensure availability of materials in line with the production plan.
• Monitor material shortages, long-lead items, critical components and supplier constraints.
• Establish and maintain accurate ERP planning parameters including:
  • Lead times
  • Lot sizes
  • Safety stocks
  • Reorder levels
  • MOQ
  • Supplier lead times
  • Planning horizons
• Develop material risk dashboards and provide early-warning alerts.
• Drive shortage recovery plans with Procurement, Suppliers and Operations Define and deploy MRP planning policies, parameters and system governance from plant start-up through serial production.
• Validate material planning assumptions, safety stock strategies and inventory buffers required for launch readiness.

4. Procurement & Supplier Management

• Lead procurement planning in alignment with production and material requirements.
• Ensure timely release and follow-up of Purchase Orders / Purchase Requisitions.
• Monitor supplier OTD, quality, lead time and responsiveness.
• Establish supplier recovery plans for critical shortages and delayed deliveries.
• Identify and mitigate single-source and long-lead supplier risks.
• Work with Strategic Sourcing and Quality to develop alternate sources wherever required.
• Support supplier capacity assessments and supplier development initiatives.
• Validate supplier capacity against projected production growth requirements.
• Develop business continuity strategies for critical commodities and components.
• Support supplier localization and supply base development initiatives where appropriate.

5. Inventory Management

• Own factory inventory performance covering raw material, WIP and finished goods.
• Establish inventory targets based on demand, lead time, criticality and customer requirements.
• Drive reduction of:
  • Excess inventory
  • Obsolete inventory
  • Slow-moving inventory
  • Uncontrolled WIP
• Ensure inventory accuracy through cycle counting and robust inventory-control processes.
• Balance inventory investment vs. customer service and production continuity.

6. Warehouse & Logistics

Existing responsibilities plus:

• Provide overall direction to stores, warehouse and material handling operations.
• Ensure timely material receipt, inspection, storage, kitting and issue to production.
• Establish FIFO/FEFO and appropriate storage controls where applicable.
• Ensure traceability and preservation of aerospace/defence materials.
• Optimize internal material movement and point-of-use availability.
• Coordinate finished-goods dispatches and logistics to achieve customer delivery commitments
• Design warehouse layout, storage concepts, inventory locations and material flow processes.
• Define inbound, internal and outbound logistics models for the site.

• Establish receiving, traceability, inventory-control and materials-management processes prior to launch.

Support implementation of traceability systems.

• • Manage customs and import/export activities for materials, components, equipment and finished goods, ensuring compliance with applicable customs regulations and trade requirements.
  • Coordinate with customs brokers, freight forwarders and relevant internal functions to ensure timely customs clearance and minimize supply-chain disruptions.
  • Establish customs documentation, classification, valuation and record-retention processes for import and export transactions.
  • Monitor customs-related risks, duties, taxes, permits and regulatory requirements and drive timely resolution of exceptions.

7. ERP / Digital Supply Chain

Existing responsibilities plus:

• Ensure high data integrity across ERP/MRP systems.
• Establish robust governance for:
  • BOM
  • Material master
  • Routings
  • Lead times
  • Planning parameters
  • Purchase orders
  • Production orders
  • Inventory records
• Drive digitalization of supply-chain dashboards and performance monitoring.
• Improve planning accuracy through data analytics and automation.
• Lead Supply Chain requirements definition for ERP/MRP implementation and deployment.
• Define planning master data structures, transaction governance and reporting requirements.
• Validate BOMs, routings, inventory policies and planning parameters prior to ERP go-live.
• Lead Supply Chain User Acceptance Testing (UAT), training and stabilization activities.
• Ensure ERP/MRP readiness and data integrity prior to production launch.

8. Risk Management & Business Continuity

• Establish a Supply Chain Risk Management framework covering critical materials, suppliers, logistics and capacity.
• Escalate risks early with clear impact, mitigation and recovery actions.
• Develop launch-specific risk mitigation plans covering suppliers, material availability, capacity constraints, systems readiness and logistics.
• Manage greenfield supply chain risk registers and drive closure of critical launch risks.

9. Continuous Improvement

• Lead Supply Chain improvement initiatives using Lean, Kaizen, PDCA, VSM and data-driven problem solving.
• Improve:
  • Planning accuracy
  • Inventory turns
  • Supplier OTD
  • Material availability
  • Production plan adherence
  • Lead time
  • OTIF
  • Supply Chain cost
• Establish standard work and governance across the Supply Chain organization.

10. Product Launch, NPI & Industrial Transfers

• Support New Product Introduction (NPI), engineering changes and industrial transfer programs.
• Ensure planning and procurement readiness for prototype, pilot, qualification and serial production phases.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Quality and Program Management to ensure launch readiness.
• Support customer audits, FAI/PPAP activities and production qualification requirements where applicable.

Candidate Profile

Education :

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Industrial Engineering or equivalent.
• Master's degree / MBA in Supply Chain Management, Operations or Business Administration preferred.

Experience

• 10–15 years of experience in Supply Chain / Operations / Production Planning in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience in aerospace & defence, electronics, electrical, precision engineering or other high-reliability manufacturing is preferred.
• Proven experience managing a factory-level supply chain organization.

Experience in a greenfield / ramp-up environment would be an advantage

• Proven experience leading Supply Chain activities in a greenfield manufacturing facility, plant start-up, industrial transfer, major ERP implementation or production ramp-up environment.
• Demonstrated experience establishing planning, procurement, warehouse and logistics processes from a greenfield or start-up environment.
• Demonstrated success in achieving production readiness, launch readiness and operational stabilization during plant ramp-up.

Technical Competencies

Existing competencies plus:

• S&OP / IBP
• MPS / MRP
• Production Planning & Control
• Material Planning
• Procurement
• Inventory Management
• Warehouse Management
• Supplier Management
• Capacity Planning
• ERP / MRP / PLM systems
• Advanced Excel / Power BI or equivalent analytics tools
• Lean Manufacturing / Six Sigma
• Greenfield Plant Launch & Start-Up
• Industrialization & Manufacturing Ramp-Up
• Project Management
• Program Management
• Change Management
• ERP Deployment & Go-Live
• Master Data Governance
• Launch Readiness & Operational Readiness Reviews
• New Product Introduction (NPI)

Leadership Competencies

Existing competencies plus:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability
• Ability to manage cross-functional teams
• Strong stakeholder-management skills
• Ability to operate in a high growth / high-pressure manufacturing environment
• Strong execution discipline
• Data-driven decision making
• Excellent communication and escalation management
• Ability to build and develop Supply Chain teams
• Proven ability to build Supply Chain organizations, processes and governance from the ground up.
• Experience recruiting, developing and scaling Supply Chain teams during periods of rapid growth.
• Strong project leadership and cross-functional execution capabilities.
• Ability to lead through uncertainty, ambiguity and changing business priorities typical of greenfield environments.

Strong capability to balance launch objectives with operational performance requirements.

At Thales, we’re committed to fostering a workplace where respect, trust, collaboration, and passion drive everything we do. Here, you’ll feel empowered to bring your best self, thrive in a supportive culture, and love the work you do. Join us, and be part of a team reimagining technology to create solutions that truly make a difference – for a safer, greener, and more inclusive world.