Head of HPS and Maintenance

Henkel; Düsseldorf; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work hours

Hybrid work model

Work from anywhere policy up to 30 d/​

Global growth opportunities

Health and wellbeing programs

Canteen discounts

Job summary

Henkel seeks a visionary leader to design, deploy, and sustain a world-class Henkel Production System (HPS) and Maintenance strategy across global sites. You will drive operational excellence, continuous improvement, and a high‑performance, people‑centric culture.

Set the vision & roadmap for HPS, lead global lean and maintenance teams, and deploy an OE framework with Lean, Six Sigma, TPM and modern practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field.
• 10–15 years of progressive leadership in manufacturing/CI roles.
• Global production system or lean transformation experience.
• Deep expertise in Lean, Six Sigma, TPM and structured problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Set the vision & roadmap for the Henkel Production System and Maintenance strategy.
• Lead global lean and maintenance teams, mentoring regional leaders.
• Deploy an OE framework integrating Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and best practices.
• Standardize daily management systems and problem‑solving routines.
• Drive improvements in value creation, waste elimination, flow, and automation.
• Ensure equipment reliability via autonomous and preventive maintenance.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

TPM

Structured problem solving

A3

5-Why

DMAIC

Digital Manufacturing

Change management

Cross-cultural leadership

Shop-floor orientation

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Master’s preferred

Tools

CMMS

IoT platforms

Real-time dashboards

Job description

About This Position

We are seeking a visionary and hands‑on leader to design, deploy, and sustain a world‑class Henkel Production System (HPS) and Maintenance strategy across all global sites. This role drives operational excellence, continuous improvement, and a high‑performance, people‑centric culture.

What you´ll do

Set the vision & roadmap for the Henkel Production System and Maintenance strategy, aligned with Adhesives Operations objectives. Lead global teams of lean and maintenance experts, mentoring regional leaders and building a culture of operational excellence. Deploy a global OE framework integrating Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and modern best practices, tailored to local site maturity. Build a culture of CI across the E2E value chain, embedding equipment ownership, structured problem-solving, and lean leadership behaviors. Develop people & skills, including global operator skill programs, lean/maintenance training, certifications, and capability roadmaps. Standardize daily management systems, problem-solving routines, and workplace practices (5S, Kaizen, visual management). Drive focused improvements in value creation, waste elimination, material/information flow, automation, and process simplification. Ensure equipment reliability through autonomous & preventive maintenance, CMMS use, structural loss elimination, and spare parts optimization. Leverage digital enablers (IoT, real‑time dashboards, connected worker platforms) with IT to scale lean and predictive maintenance. Collaborate cross‑functionally & with leadership, ensuring alignment with operations, supply chain, quality, and engineering, while reporting performance and risks.

What makes you a good fit

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or related field (Master’s preferred). Minimum of 10–15 years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing and continuous improvement roles – ideally at global, regional and local levelManufacturing site leadership experience Proven success in designing and deploying a global production system or lean transformation program. Experience in successfully designing and deploying an operational excellence framework across global manufacturing operations is a big plus Deep expertise in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, and structured problem solving methodologies (e.g., A3, 5-Why, DMAIC). Experience with / leading Digital Manufacturing technologies deployment and their application in operational excellence. Strong change management and cross-cultural leadership skills; ability to influence at all levels. Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with a hands‑on, shop‑floor orientation.

Preferred Qualifications

Lean, Six Sigma certifications Certifications such as CMRP (Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional) or PMP (Project Management Professional)

Some perks of joining Henkel

• Flexible work scheme with flexible hours, hybrid work model, and work from anywhere policy for up to 30 days per year
• Diverse national and international growth opportunities
• Global wellbeing standards with health and preventive care programs
• Gender-neutral parental leave for a minimum of 8 weeks
• Employee Share Plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares
• Pension Fund
• Disability Insurance
• Health Insurance
• Canteen discount
• 30 days of holidays
• Company car/ car allowance.

At Henkel, we come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe the uniqueness of all our employees is the power in us. Become part of the team and bring your uniqueness to us! We welcome all applications across different genders, origins, cultures, religions, sexual orientations, disabilities, and generations.