Area Production Leader — Safety, Quality & Growth

What’s Cooking Group; Wanze; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Wide range of benefits

Growth opportunities

International reach

Job summary

What’s Cooking Group is a Belgian food group with several plants and 1,650 colleagues. We are seeking a Production Leader to steer operational activity, optimize safety, quality and cost, and to implement continuous improvements across the site.

You will lead a multi-plant production area, align with the plant strategy, develop your team and drive performance through data-driven decisions, while maintaining FSQ compliance and a strong safety culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration or related field.
• 10–15 years of experience in Production Management, Operations or similar role.
• Experience in leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong operational leadership to translate strategy into execution.
• Production excellence mindset focused on safety, quality, efficiency and continuous improvement.
• Strategic thinker with hands-on approach to operational challenges.
• Excellent problem-solving with root-cause analysis.
• Organized, decisive and able to own area results.
• Fluency in French and English.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all operational activities within your assigned production area.
• Translate plant objectives into operational targets and ownership of safety, quality, maintenance and performance.
• Contribute to Plant Leadership Team with insights on area performance, risks and opportunities.
• Monitor KPIs, analyse deviations and implement corrective actions for sustainable results.
• Ensure compliance with FSQ standards and drive continuous product quality improvements.
• Promote safety culture and ensure compliance with safety, quality and environmental standards.
• Oversee maintenance, equipment availability and reliability improvements.
• Manage budgets (OPEX/CAPEX) and achieve financial targets.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives and home grown best practices.
• Ensure audit readiness and follow up on findings and actions.
• Coach and develop your team, ensuring staffing and succession planning.

Skills

People leadership

Production management

OEE focus

Quality & FSQ

Safety culture

Root cause analysis

Bilingual FR/EN

Budget mgmt

Education

Operations/Industrial mgmt degree

Job description

What’s Cooking Group is a Belgian food group with several plants and 1,650 colleagues. We are seeking a Production Leader to steer operational activity, optimize safety, quality and cost, and to implement continuous improvements across the site.

You will lead a multi-plant production area, align with the plant strategy, develop your team and drive performance through data-driven decisions, while maintaining FSQ compliance and a strong safety culture.