Chief People Officer — Manufacturing-Technology Programme

The mandate

Following two years of uneven execution, the board is addressing leadership and workforce redesign as the strategy changes within a multinational-owned fabless, foundry or semiconductor-systems enterprise. The immediate arena is the manufacturing-technology programme during an export-control response. For mandate 504, the successful executive inherits decisions that have been deferred, competing stakeholder expectations and a need to establish facts before committing further capital.

The Chief People Officer operating perimeter covers approximately ₹9,350 crore in design, manufacturing and customer programme portfolio, with activity spanning several manufacturing-technology programme customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single asset. The Chief People Officer Semiconductor remit carries direct influence over roughly 575 colleagues and third-party capacity.

The board and its investment committee want a Chief People Officer who can convert ambiguity into a short list of explicit choices for the manufacturing-technology programme. The Chief People Officer Semiconductor seat must resolve an export-control response, while preserving the underlying strengths of the manufacturing-technology programme. For mandate 504, value will come through sharper allocation, stronger leaders and an operating cadence that exposes variance early.

The Chief People Officer’s first year on the manufacturing-technology programme is expected to end with critical-role depth, productivity and an executable people plan. In mandate 504, authority covers resources and leadership appointments; material trade-offs go directly to the board sponsor.

Why this seat is open

This is a newly created Chief People Officer — Manufacturing-Technology Programme seat, established because an export-control response now requires one accountable executive rather than distributed ownership. The board has classified the appointment as urgent and intends to move from qualified shortlist to offer within 6–8 weeks. Interim governance protects the manufacturing-technology programme, but it is not a substitute for a permanent appointee. The external search remains confidential to avoid unnecessary disruption before the appointment is agreed.

What you will own

• Set the Chief People Officer value-creation thesis for the manufacturing-technology programme, translate it into no more than five enterprise priorities and stop work that does not support them.
• Carry stewardship of approximately ₹9,350 crore in design, manufacturing and customer programme portfolio, including allocation, risk acceptance and board forecasts.
• Lead the Chief People Officer Semiconductor organisation of about 575 employees and partners, appointing a team with clear decision rights and credible succession for every critical seat.
• Resolve the manufacturing-technology programme economics and execution constraints created by an export-control response, with Chief People Officer-approved owners, dated milestones and transparent escalation thresholds.
• Establish one Chief People Officer operating review across commercial, customer, financial, people, technology and risk outcomes for the manufacturing-technology programme; remove reconciliations that obscure accountability.
• Have changed an executive structure and workforce economics while sustaining critical talent and employee relations in mandate 504.
• Build the Chief People Officer’s three-year succession and capability plan for the manufacturing-technology programme, reducing dependence on individual executives and improving mobility across the wider Semiconductor organisation.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate the manufacturing-technology programme baseline, meet the 30 stakeholders most consequential to leadership and workforce redesign as the strategy changes, assess the leadership team, stabilise immediate delivery risks and agree a board-owned scorecard with explicit decision gates.
• Months 4–9: Make the principal Chief People Officer portfolio and organisation choices for the manufacturing-technology programme, install the new operating cadence, fill critical leadership gaps and deliver the first measurable release of cash, capacity or customer value.
• Months 10–12: Demonstrate a repeatable manufacturing-technology programme trend against critical-role depth, productivity and an executable people plan, lock the following year’s capital and talent plan, evidence control sustainability and present a credible three-year value case with downside actions.

What the board will measure

• Delivery of the Chief People Officer’s agreed first-year manufacturing-technology programme value case within a 10% tolerance, with variance explained before rather than after the relevant quarter closes.
• A Chief People Officer forecast that remains decision-useful across three consecutive quarters and reconciles the manufacturing-technology programme’s operating, cash, customer and people assumptions.
• Closure of the Chief People Officer mandate’s highest-priority manufacturing-technology programme risk and execution issues by their board-approved dates, with independent evidence that fixes are sustained.
• Retention of at least 90% of critical manufacturing-technology programme talent and ready-now successors for at least 70% of the Chief People Officer’s direct reports.
• A quantified Chief People Officer-owned improvement in the manufacturing-technology programme operating constraint behind an export-control response, supported by a clean baseline and named data owner.
• Clear stakeholder confidence in mandate 504: no unresolved high-severity escalation older than 30 days and no material surprise withheld from its agreed governance forum.

The person

You are currently a CHRO, Chief People Officer or Regional HR Director in a multinational-owned Semiconductor or adjacent enterprise. In relation to the manufacturing-technology programme, your Chief People Officer track record includes a transition where the original plan was no longer sufficient; you can explain your choices, evidence and numerical impact. Candidates from semiconductors, electronics, embedded systems, advanced manufacturing or engineering services will be considered where the operating model, customer stakes and governance intensity match this Chief People Officer brief.

As a Chief People Officer candidate, you bring 22–28 years of progressive Semiconductor or adjacent-sector experience, consistent with the 22-28 experience band. At minimum, you have carried a P&L, book, budget or accountable portfolio of ₹5,400 crore and led an organisation of at least 400 people.

For mandate 504, the board wants two transitions: a difficult manufacturing-technology programme portfolio choice and a leadership-system change during an export-control response. As the prospective Chief People Officer for this manufacturing-technology programme, you must challenge optimistic cases and still create followership. References for mandate 504 must distinguish your contribution from the institution around you.

The Chief People Officer role in Semiconductor is based in Pune; relocation is expected, although a structured weekly commute may be considered during the first quarter.

Non-negotiables

• Current or recent accountability at the level of CHRO, Chief People Officer or Regional HR Director, with direct exposure to a board, investment committee or equivalent Semiconductor governance forum.
• Proven Chief People Officer ownership of at least ₹5,400 crore and leadership of no fewer than 400 employees in a comparable manufacturing-technology programme context.
• One completed Semiconductor or adjacent-sector example of leadership and workforce redesign as the strategy changes with outcomes sustained for at least two reporting periods after the initial intervention.
• Sector credibility from semiconductors, electronics, embedded systems, advanced manufacturing or engineering services; experience that is purely functional and lacks Chief People Officer-level manufacturing-technology programme consequences will not meet the bar.
• Willingness to meet the Pune location expectation, complete conflicts and background diligence, and protect the confidentiality of mandate 504.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated Chief People Officer package is ₹2.2–3.0 crore fixed + performance variable, calibrated to the final manufacturing-technology programme scope and the candidate’s current mix. Any long-term participation for mandate 504 follows standard vesting and performance conditions. The Chief People Officer appointment in Pune, centred on the manufacturing-technology programme, offers regular exposure to the board and its investment committee. A notice period of up to 6 months can be accommodated for the selected executive in mandate 504.

Confidentiality

The client name, precise footprint and transaction history are outside this brief for mandate 504. They will be shared with qualified candidates under a mutual undertaking, and the composite facts here must not be reverse-engineered or circulated for mandate 504.