Chief Operating Officer — Powertrain Division

The mandate

The board has concluded that incremental adjustment will not resolve operating complexity that has outgrown the current governance model within a listed integrated automotive and components manufacturer. The immediate arena is the powertrain division during a software-defined vehicle transition. For mandate 271, the successful executive inherits decisions that have been deferred, competing stakeholder expectations and a need to establish facts before committing further capital.

The Chief Operating Officer operating perimeter covers approximately ₹15,900 crore in regional revenue and programme portfolio, with activity spanning several powertrain division customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single asset. The Chief Operating Officer Automotive remit carries direct influence over roughly 1,800 colleagues and third-party capacity.

The group board and the relevant risk and people committees want a Chief Operating Officer who can convert ambiguity into a short list of explicit choices for the powertrain division. The Chief Operating Officer Automotive seat must resolve a software-defined vehicle transition, while preserving the underlying strengths of the powertrain division. For mandate 271, value will come through sharper allocation, stronger leaders and an operating cadence that exposes variance early.

The Chief Operating Officer’s first year on the powertrain division is expected to end with delivery reliability, productivity and end-to-end accountability. In mandate 271, authority covers resources and leadership appointments; material trade-offs go directly to the board sponsor.

Why this seat is open

The Chief Operating Officer — Powertrain Division requirement was not included in the approved hiring calendar. It became urgent after a software-defined vehicle transition created an immediate need for one accountable owner of the powertrain division. Interim coverage protects essential decisions, but split ownership cannot continue through the next operating gate. The board intends to move from qualified shortlist to offer within 4–6 weeks while preserving confidential, evidence-led diligence.

What you will own

• Set the Chief Operating Officer value-creation thesis for the powertrain division, translate it into no more than five enterprise priorities and stop work that does not support them.
• Carry stewardship of approximately ₹15,900 crore in regional revenue and programme portfolio, including allocation, risk acceptance and board forecasts.
• Lead the Chief Operating Officer Automotive organisation of about 1,800 employees and partners, appointing a team with clear decision rights and credible succession for every critical seat.
• Resolve the powertrain division economics and execution constraints created by a software-defined vehicle transition, with Chief Operating Officer-approved owners, dated milestones and transparent escalation thresholds.
• Establish one Chief Operating Officer operating review across commercial, customer, financial, people, technology and risk outcomes for the powertrain division; remove reconciliations that obscure accountability.
• Have carried end-to-end delivery accountability across multiple sites, channels or markets with quantified service and cost outcomes in mandate 271.
• Build the Chief Operating Officer’s three-year succession and capability plan for the powertrain division, reducing dependence on individual executives and improving mobility across the wider Automotive organisation.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate the powertrain division baseline, meet the 30 stakeholders most consequential to operating complexity that has outgrown the current governance model, 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 Operating Officer portfolio and organisation choices for the powertrain division, 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 powertrain division trend against delivery reliability, productivity and end-to-end accountability, 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 Operating Officer’s agreed first-year powertrain division value case within a 10% tolerance, with variance explained before rather than after the relevant quarter closes.
• A Chief Operating Officer forecast that remains decision-useful across three consecutive quarters and reconciles the powertrain division’s operating, cash, customer and people assumptions.
• Closure of the Chief Operating Officer mandate’s highest-priority powertrain division risk and execution issues by their board-approved dates, with independent evidence that fixes are sustained.
• Retention of at least 90% of critical powertrain division talent and ready-now successors for at least 70% of the Chief Operating Officer’s direct reports.
• A quantified Chief Operating Officer-owned improvement in the powertrain division operating constraint behind a software-defined vehicle transition, supported by a clean baseline and named data owner.
• Clear stakeholder confidence in mandate 271: 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 COO, EVP Operations or Business Operations President in a listed Automotive or adjacent enterprise. In relation to the powertrain division, your Chief Operating 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 automotive, industrial manufacturing, mobility, components or engineering services will be considered where the operating model, customer stakes and governance intensity match this Chief Operating Officer brief.

As a Chief Operating Officer candidate, you bring 18–22 years of progressive Automotive or adjacent-sector experience, consistent with the 18-22 experience band. At minimum, you have carried a P&L, book, budget or accountable portfolio of ₹9,200 crore and led an organisation of at least 1,250 people.

For mandate 271, the board wants two transitions: a difficult powertrain division portfolio choice and a leadership-system change during a software-defined vehicle transition. As the prospective Chief Operating Officer for this powertrain division, you must challenge optimistic cases and still create followership. References for mandate 271 must distinguish your contribution from the institution around you.

The Chief Operating Officer role in Automotive 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 COO, EVP Operations or Business Operations President, with direct exposure to a board, investment committee or equivalent Automotive governance forum.
• Proven Chief Operating Officer ownership of at least ₹9,200 crore and leadership of no fewer than 1,250 employees in a comparable powertrain division context.
• One completed Automotive or adjacent-sector example of operating complexity that has outgrown the current governance model with outcomes sustained for at least two reporting periods after the initial intervention.
• Sector credibility from automotive, industrial manufacturing, mobility, components or engineering services; experience that is purely functional and lacks Chief Operating Officer-level powertrain division consequences will not meet the bar.
• Willingness to meet the Pune location expectation, complete conflicts and background diligence, and protect the confidentiality of mandate 271.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated Chief Operating Officer package is ₹3.2–4.6 crore fixed + performance variable and LTI, calibrated to the final powertrain division scope and the candidate’s current mix. Any long-term participation for mandate 271 follows standard vesting and performance conditions. The Chief Operating Officer appointment in Pune, centred on the powertrain division, offers regular exposure to the group board and the relevant risk and people committees. A notice period of up to 6 months can be accommodated for the selected executive in mandate 271.

Confidentiality

The organisation will be identified only after reciprocal interest and a confidentiality undertaking for mandate 271. The market, scale and situation in this brief are intentionally composite and are not a coded description of a named enterprise for mandate 271.