Manager Systems Excellence & Operations Controls Europe

Johnson Controls, Inc.; Frankfurt; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson Controls in Germany seeks a senior leader to own and drive Operational Excellence for the EMEA Systems (Controls) business. You will define standards, capabilities, and best practices to support growth.

You will partner with regional leaders to enhance end-to-end operations and improve revenue, margin, cash, risk, and project execution. As the operational champion, you will drive adoption of standardized processes, tools, and change management; lead KPI monitoring, risk mitigation, and

Qualifications

• 10+ years of leadership experience in Operations or related engineering environment.
• Engineering degree required; Lean Six Sigma certification preferred.
• Strong PM and change management capabilities with stakeholder influence.
• Excellent communication and data-driven decision making.
• Experience with process automation and digital transformation is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive Operational Excellence initiatives for the EMEA Systems (Controls) business.
• Define standards, capabilities, and best practices to support growth and market needs.
• Partner with regional and country leaders to improve end-to-end operations.
• Monitor KPIs, identify risks, and implement corrective actions across projects.
• Lead governance, audits, and lessons learned to raise execution standards.
• Collaborate with Service, Finance, Commercial, Procurement, Legal, and L&D.
• Drive adoption of self-service analytics, automation, and AI-enabled insights.

Skills

Leadership experience

Engineering degree

Lean Six Sigma

Project management

Change management

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decision making

Digital transformation

AI-enabled insights

Education

Engineering degree

Lean Six Sigma certification

Job description

• Own and drive Operational Excellence for the EMEA Systems (Controls) business, defining and deploying standards, capabilities, and best practices that support business growth and market needs.
• Partner with Regional and Country Systems Leaders to enhance end-to-end operations, delivering revenue growth, margin improvement, cash performance, risk management, and project execution excellence.
• Act as the operational champion and subject matter expert, driving adoption of standardized processes, tools, and change management initiatives across the business.

What You Will Do

• Own and drive Operational Excellence for the EMEA Systems (Controls) business, defining and deploying standards, capabilities, and best practices that support business growth and market needs.
• Partner with Regional and Country Systems Leaders to enhance end-to-end operations, delivering revenue growth, margin improvement, cash performance, risk management, and project execution excellence.
• Act as the operational champion and subject matter expert, driving adoption of standardized processes, tools, and change management initiatives across the business.

How You Will Do It

• Lead Operational Excellence initiatives that improve business productivity, customer experience, and customer satisfaction through process, tool, and reporting standardization.
• Drive continuous improvement across Systems delivery operations, focusing on efficiency, quality, safety, cost, and delivery performance.
• Develop and implement performance improvement and process standardization programs to increase profitability and operational effectiveness.
• Monitor KPIs and business metrics, identifying trends, risks, and opportunities, and ensuring corrective actions are implemented.
• Manage risk and escalation processes on major projects, ensuring stakeholder alignment and effective mitigation strategies.
• Lead lessons learned, auditing, compliance, and governance processes to promote best practices and improve execution performance.
• Collaborate closely with Service, Finance, Commercial, Procurement, Legal, L&D, and other functional teams to deliver strategic initiatives.
• Drive adoption of self-service analytics, process automation, and AI-enabled operational insights to improve decision-making and operational performance.
• Own key operational and financial metrics, improving backlog conversion, project governance, and execution rigor across the region.

What We Look For

• 10+ years of leadership experience in Operations, Operational Excellence, Project Management, or a related engineering environment.
• Engineering degree required; Lean Six Sigma certification preferred.
• Strong project management and change management capabilities.
• Proven ability to lead in a matrix organization and influence diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and customer-focused mindset.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and data-driven decision-making skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and drive continuous improvement in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with process automation, digital transformation, and AI-enabled operational insights.