Managing Director, Germany

A.W. Chesterton Company; München; On-site; EUR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Chesterton International GmbH in Germany seeks a proven Managing Director to lead the German organization, own the P/L for two entities, and drive performance and growth. You will align regional operations with global strategy, champion a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, and build a strong leadership pipeline across sites.

The role requires exceptional people leadership, broad operational credibility, and the ability to transform traditional manufacturing into lean,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Operations or related discipline.
• Significant senior leadership experience in manufacturing, industrial or operations environments.
• Proven experience leading multi-functional teams and developing leaders across multiple sites internationally.
• Demonstrated success in managing organizational change and transformation.
• Strong commercial, operational and financial acumen.
• Fluent in English and German (verbal and written).

Responsibilities

• Serve as Managing Director of Chesterton International GmbH and oversee P/L for two German entities.
• Lead the German organization in alignment with the strategic direction set by the ELAA leadership.
• Drive performance, employee engagement, operational excellence and customer satisfaction.
• Develop a high-performing leadership team and succession pipeline.
• Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, governance, quality, safety requirements.
• Represent the company with employees, customers, authorities and external stakeholders.
• Partner with Global Operations to execute the global strategy in Germany.
• Provide leadership across manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, quality, service operations and excellence.
• Drive improvements in safety, quality, delivery, inventory and productivity.
• Promote standardization and continuous improvement across two production locations.
• Support capacity planning, infrastructure development and strategic growth initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Change management

People development

Executive presence

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Engineering/Operations

MBA preferred

Tools

Six Sigma

Job description

The Managing Director, Germany serves as the Managing Director of Chesterton International GmbH.

The role has dual accountability:

• Direct report to the VP & Managing Director ELAA for the leadership, performance compliance and development of the German organization
• Works in close partnership with the D-A-Ch Regional Sales Managing Director, building a collaborative relationship and shared accountability for developing and executing business growth plans for Germany.
• Dotted-line report to the VP Global Operations for the alignment, coordination, and execution of operational priorities for the German operations

This role acts as a critical bridge between regional business leadership and Global Operations, ensuring that strategy is effectively translated into execution while building a high-performing and engaged organization.

The successful candidate will be a highly visible leader with strong people leadership capabilities, proven operational credibility, and the ability to lead organizations through growth, change, and transformation.

Key Responsibilities

Managing Director Germany

• Serve as Managing Director of Chesterton International GmbH.
• Be responsible for the P/L of the two legal entities in Germany.
• Lead the German organization in alignment with strategic direction established by the VP & Managing Director ELAA
• Drive business performance, employee engagement, organizational effectiveness and customer satisfaction
• Develop a high-performing leadership team and strong succession pipeline
• Ensure compliance with all legal, regulatory, governance, quality, environmental and safety requirements
• Represent the company with employees, customers, authorities, and external stakeholders
• Partner with the VP Global Operations to support the execution of the Global Operations strategy in Germany
• Provide leadership and coordination across manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, quality, service operations, and operational excellence activities
• Drive improvements in safety, quality, delivery, inventory, productivity and customer experience
• Promote standardization, continuous improvement, operational discipline, and best-practice sharing for 2 production locations in Germany
• Support operational transformation, capacity planning, infrastructure development, and strategic growth initiatives

Leadership & Organisational Development

• Provide visible, credible, and inspiring leadership across all locations and functions.
• Build a culture of accountability, trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Lead people through change while maintaining engagement and performance
• Coach and develop leaders to strengthen organizational capability
• Foster an environment where employees understand the vision, feel valued, and contribute to business success
• Exceptional people leadership and team-building skills.
• Strong executive presence and credibility
• The ability to inspire, engage, and create followership
• Courage to make difficult decisions and hold people accountable
• High emotional intelligence and strong communication skills
• A visible leadership style with regular presence at the sites and among employees
• The ability to balance operational excellence with people leadership

Qualification & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Operations, or related discipline. MBA or technical degree preferred.
• Significant senior leadership experience in manufacturing, industrial or operations environments
• Proven experience leading multi-functional teams and developing leaders across multiple sites internationally
• Demonstrated success in managing organizational change and transformation
• Strong commercial, operational and financial acumen are a must
• Fluent in English and German (verbal and written)
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally
• Experienced in transforming traditional manufacturing environment into lean processes is highly desirable
• Six Sigma Green Belt – Black Belt is a differentiator

Organizational Positioning

The role provides overall leadership for the German production locations and part of the German and Europe leadership structure. It provides operational leadership and coordination in partnership with the VP Global Operations.

Critical Success Factors

• Demonstrates a strong sense of ownership and an entrepreneurial mindset, taking full accountability for business results.
• Makes sound decisions on equipment investments, attracts and hires the right talent, invests in the growth and development of employees, and designs processes that enable the sustainable development of the German business.
• Trusted and respected leader across the organization
• Strong employee engagement and leadership effectiveness.
• Effective execution of operational priorities across Europe, with focus in Germany
• Sustainable business performance and continuous improvement.
• Successful development of people, leaders, and organizational capability.

Most importantly, this role requires a leader who is visible, engaged, and able to bring people along on the journey while delivering results.