| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Operations |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | General Manager Operations |
| Direct reports | Senior Operations Manager, Operations Manager, MIS Coordinator |
| Experience | 12 to 15 years in plant, site or logistics operations, including 4 years heading a site or cluster |
DGM Operations job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: DGM Operations
Department: Operations
Reports to: General Manager Operations
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A DGM Operations (Deputy General Manager) runs day-to-day operations for a cluster of sites, a region or a large unit, one step below the General Manager. Common in manufacturing, logistics, infrastructure and public sector style organizations, the role converts the GM's plan into production or service schedules, manpower deployment and cost control on the ground. A good DGM keeps output, safety and budget on track across sites and settles problems before they reach the GM's desk.
Key responsibilities
- Break the annual operations plan into monthly site targets for output, dispatch or service volume, and agree them with each site manager.
- Hold a daily call with site managers on yesterday's output, breakdowns, manpower shortfall and pending dispatches, and assign actions with owners.
- Deploy manpower across sites, including contract workers, and shift people between locations when one site is short and another has slack.
- Control site operating costs such as power, fuel, consumables, overtime and hired equipment against budget, and explain variances every month.
- Enforce safety rules on every site, including work permits, PPE and toolbox talks, and personally review every reportable incident.
- Coordinate with maintenance, procurement and stores so spares, raw material and equipment are available before planned work starts.
- Resolve escalations from customers, unions or local authorities at site level, and involve the GM only when policy or budget decisions are needed.
- Review site compliance files such as licences, statutory registers and contractor documents ahead of inspections and customer audits.
- Evaluate site managers against their KRAs, identify weak sites and agree turnaround plans with clear dates.
- Prepare the monthly cluster report for the GM with output, cost, safety and manpower figures and the actions taken.
Requirements
- BE or BTech in mechanical, civil, production or a related branch, or a graduate with long operations experience
- An MBA in operations or a plant management program is an advantage
- Safety training such as NEBOSH IGC or an equivalent is an advantage
- 12 to 15 years in plant, site or logistics operations, including 4 years heading a site or cluster
KRAs and KPIs for a DGM Operations
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Output against plan | Cluster output or service volume at 95 percent or more of the monthly plan |
| Site cost control | Site operating cost within 3 percent of budget each month |
| Safety | Zero lost time injuries, with every near miss reported and closed within 7 days |
| Asset utilization | Equipment and capacity utilization at 85 percent or above across the cluster |
| Manpower productivity | Output per worker per shift improved by 4 percent over last year |
| Inspection readiness | No major non-compliance found in statutory or customer inspections at any site |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: ERP such as SAP PP or MM, MS Excel, Daily production or dispatch reports, Safety permit system, Power BI dashboards.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: General Manager Operations, AVP Operations
Interview questions for a DGM Operations
- Two of your sites are short of workers on the same day and a customer dispatch is due. What do you do in the first hour?
- How would you explain a 6 percent overrun in power and fuel cost to your GM?
- Tell me about a serious safety incident on a site you ran. What changed afterwards?
- How do you deal with a site manager who meets output targets but keeps crossing the overtime budget?
- What do you check before a factory inspector or customer auditor visits a site?
- How have you handled a union or contractor dispute that threatened production?
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What is the role of a DGM Operations?
A DGM Operations manages operations for a group of sites, a region or a large unit, reporting to the General Manager. They set site targets, deploy manpower, control operating costs, enforce safety and handle escalations from customers, unions or authorities. In short, the DGM makes the GM's plan happen on the ground every day.
What is the full form of DGM in a company?
DGM stands for Deputy General Manager. It is a senior management grade above Assistant General Manager or Senior Manager and below General Manager. The title is common in manufacturing, infrastructure, public sector undertakings and many large Indian groups, and it appears in every function, such as DGM Operations, DGM Finance or DGM HR.
What is the difference between a DGM Operations and a General Manager Operations?
The GM owns the operations plan, budget and strategy for the business unit and answers to the COO or managing director. The DGM executes that plan across a cluster or region, manages site heads directly and handles daily escalations. A GM spends more time on planning and capital decisions, while a DGM spends more time on sites.