Assistant Product Manager

Job Title: IT Assistance Product Manager – AI for Manufacturing

Location: UniOps Bangalore

ABOUT UNILEVER:

Be part of the world’s most successful, purpose-led business. Work with brands that are well-loved around the world, that improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We promote innovation, big and small, to make our business win and grow; and we believe in business as a force for good. Unleash your curiosity, challenge ideas and disrupt processes; use your energy to make this happen. Our brilliant business leaders and colleagues provide mentorship and inspiration, so you can be at your best. Every day, nine out of ten Indian households use our products to feel good, look good and get more out of life – giving us a unique opportunity to build a brighter future.

Every individual here can bring their purpose to life through their work. Join us and you’ll be surrounded by inspiring leaders and supportive peers. Among them, you’ll channel your purpose, bring fresh ideas to the table, and simply be you. As you work to make a real impact on the business and the world, we’ll work to help you become a better you.

Background:

Unilever is digitally rewiring its supply chain, focusing on generating real-time & democratized information, capitalizing on advanced technologies, and building digitally connected factories. This will help deliver competitive, volume-driven growth while supporting an increasing demand for agility and will have to be underpinned by sustainable cost reduction. The Supply Chain Transformation is expected to enable –

• Improved agility and customer-centricity across end-to-end supply chains through the facilitation of faster recognition of customer preferences and feedback. This, in turn, will allow quick adjustments to manufacturing flows and material flows in factories.

• A competitive edge through supply-chain resilience – thereby requiring connected, reconfigurable supply ecosystems.

• Speed and productivity through increased levels of automation and workforce augmentation coupled with upskilling and reskilling effort.

• Being cost-efficient and resource-efficient, to boost growth and support investment.

Supply Chain cost savings are an essential part of the virtuous cycle of growth and support the business efforts to increase the core operating margin. These savings will be driven by improvements in efficiency.

Supply chain leadership seeks continuous improvement in manufacturing to drive cost savings and higher returns, providing extra fuel for growth as cash is redeployed in new strategic opportunities.

The “AI in Manufacturing” strategy aims to accelerate net productivity in Unilever’s      
     manufacturing by leveraging AI to optimize processes, reduce costs, and improve product
     quality. Based on discussion with the BGs, five focus themes have been agreed - 

• Asset Utilization: AI solutions will address changeover optimization, minor stops, breakdowns, and speed losses, reducing production costs by up to 2%.

• Labour Productivity: AI-enabled smart labour planning will improve productivity by 2-5%.

• Superior Quality: AI will enhance product quality and reduce waste by 5-11%.

• Energy Management: AI-driven energy management will cut energy costs by 6-10%.

• Zero Harm: AI will enhance safety by monitoring and orchestrating proactive safety measures.

Main purpose of job:

The Assistant Manager – AI for Manufacturing will be responsible for driving AI-based solutions and deployments across Unilever’s manufacturing sites globally. This role requires a strong understanding of AI model development, deployment strategies, and the ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful business outcomes.

Key accountabilities:

AI Deployment & Scale-Up

• Lead end-to-end deployment of AI solutions across manufacturing sites.

• Ensure seamless integration of AI models into existing manufacturing systems and processes.

• Drive adoption and change management for AI initiatives across regions.

 AI Model Development

• Collaborate with data scientists and engineering teams to design, build, and validate AI models for manufacturing use cases.

• Understand and contribute to model architecture, training, and optimization for performance and scalability.

Innovation & Use Case Identification

• Identify opportunities for AI-driven improvements in efficiency, quality, and sustainability within manufacturing.

• Work closely with business stakeholders to prioritize and deliver high-impact AI use cases.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with global and regional teams, including operations, IT, and data analytics, to ensure alignment and successful execution.

• Act as a liaison between technical teams and business stakeholders to translate requirements into actionable AI solutions.

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure AI deployments adhere to Unilever’s data governance, security, and ethical AI standards.

• Monitor and report on performance metrics and ROI for AI initiatives.

Experience and qualifications required:

• 6-8 years of overall work experience with a strong background in systems engineering, Azure Landscape fundamentals, product development, and/or product management.

• Expert in Agile application development and DevOps

• Good understanding of cloud capabilities (preferably Microsoft Azure)

• Understanding of Supply Chain process (Manufacturing & Maintenance knowledge is a must)

• Good knowledge on data analytics and artificial intelligence

• Good understanding of MES (Manufacturing execution systems) 

• Good understanding of factory data acquisition layers (SCADA systems, PLCs, etc)

• Good understanding of core ECC production process

• Extensive, real-world experience designing technology components for enterprise solutions and defining solution architectures and reference architectures with a focus on cloud technologies.

• Self-motivated: able to handle multiple workstreams, prioritize, and manage time efficiently

• Travel – 20%

Desirable Skills:

• Strong knowledge of AI/ML concepts, model building, and deployment lifecycle.

• Hands-on experience with AI tools and frameworks (e.g., Azure ML).

• Understanding of manufacturing processes and Industry 4.0 technologies.

• Proven ability to manage end-to-end deployments and coordinate across multiple stakeholders.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

• Ability to work in a global, cross-functional environment.

Key interfaces:

Major internal customers and external contacts:

• Unilever Business – Cluster/Regional Leads, Directors, VPs and team

• IT Platform/Enterprise Architect/Supply Chain, D&A Tech 

• External partners

• Other team members in same team specially within process development role

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