Plant Director

Amcor; Deutschland; On-site; EUR 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Amcor is seeking a Plant Director for a major German manufacturing site. You will lead safety, sustainability and compliance while driving world-class operations and profitability.

The role requires building a high-performing team, advancing continuous improvement, and maintaining strong customer and regulatory relationships. As a senior leader, you will own strategic planning, budgeting, and capital investments, develop leadership pipelines, and ensure clear accountability across all functions.

Qualifications

• Significant senior leadership experience in large-scale manufacturing.
• Full P&L accountability for a major operation.
• Proven track record in continuous improvement and productivity gains.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams in a regulated environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide safety, sustainability and compliance leadership for the site.
• Drive operational excellence across safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Build a high-performing, inclusive workforce and succession plans.
• Strengthen employee relations and site stakeholder engagement.
• Own site performance including strategic planning, budgeting and capital initiatives.
• Represent the site with customers, suppliers and authorities.

Skills

Senior leadership

P&L accountability

Lean Six Sigma / CI

Stakeholder management

People development

Education

Engineering degree

MBA or Lean Six Sigma (advantage)

Job description

We are seeking an exceptional Plant Director to lead a significant manufacturing operation in Germany.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced manufacturing leader with Sales background to drive operational excellence, build a high-performance culture, and deliver sustainable business results. Reporting to the Regional Operations Director, you will be a key member of the leadership team with full responsibility for site performance, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, safety, quality, and profitability. As a visible ambassador for the site, you will maintain strong relationships with key local customers, working closely with the sales and commercial teams to enhance customer intimacy, support business development opportunities, and reinforce Amcor's reputation as a trusted partner. The ability to build credibility and influence with customers and stakeholders is essential to success in this role.

As the senior leader on site, you will provide direction across all aspects of the operation, ensuring strong performance today while developing the capabilities, processes, and talent required for future success.

The Opportunity

Lead Safety, Sustainability & Compliance

• Provide visible leadership for health, safety, environmental, and sustainability performance.
• Foster a proactive safety-first culture with a focus on continuous improvement and risk reduction.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory, legal, and company standards.

Drive Operational Excellence

• Lead the site leadership team to achieve best-in-class performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and customer satisfaction.
• Establish clear operational priorities aligned with business objectives.
• Drive productivity, efficiency, and waste reduction through continuous improvement initiatives.

Build a High-Performing Workforce

• Create an engaged, inclusive, and accountable culture where employees can perform at their best.
• Develop leadership capability and succession pipelines across the business.
• Champion talent development, coaching, and employee engagement.

Lead Employee & Industrial Relations

• Build strong and constructive relationships with employee representatives and works councils.
• Promote a culture of open communication, trust, and collaboration.
• Lead organisational change initiatives in a fair, transparent, and effective manner.

Own Site Performance

• Take full responsibility for operational and financial results.
• Lead strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, and capital investment activities.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability, efficiency, and long-term competitiveness.

Strengthen Customer & Stakeholder Relationships

• Serve as the senior representative for the site with key customers, suppliers, regulatory authorities, and industry stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with strategic and local customers, acting as a trusted partner and executive sponsor for key accounts.
• Work closely with the sales and commercial teams to develop deep customer intimacy, understand evolving customer needs, identify growth opportunities, and support retention and business development initiatives.
• Proactively engage with customers through regular site visits, business reviews, operational discussions, and executive-level interactions to strengthen partnerships and enhance customer satisfaction.
• Ensure customer expectations are consistently met through operational excellence, responsiveness, innovation, and strong cross-functional collaboration.
• Support the sales team in customer presentations, contract discussions, audits, and strategic growth opportunities, demonstrating the site's capabilities and commitment to customer success.
• Build credibility and influence both internally and externally, promoting Amcor as a preferred partner and employer within the local market and industry.

Drive Innovation & Business Improvement

• Champion automation, digitalisation, operational excellence, and manufacturing innovation.
• Lead major improvement projects and investments that enhance performance and competitiveness.
• Create an environment where teams continuously seek better ways of working.

Lead by Example

• Be a visible and approachable leader with a strong presence across the operation.
• Set high standards for performance, accountability, collaboration, and customer focus.
• Demonstrate resilience, integrity, and a commitment to excellence in all aspects of leadership.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for a proven manufacturing leader with substantial experience leading complex production operations and delivering transformational business results.

• Significant senior leadership experience within manufacturing, industrial, packaging, plastics, automotive, FMCG, chemicals, or related process-driven environments.
• Full P&L accountability for a large-scale manufacturing operation.
• Proven success driving operational excellence, productivity improvements, and sustainable business performance.
• Experience leading large, multi-disciplinary teams in a complex manufacturing environment.
• Strong background in continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, or equivalent.

Leadership Capabilities

• Inspirational people leader with the ability to engage, develop, and motivate teams at all levels.
• Strong change management capability with experience leading transformation and organisational improvement.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Commercially minded with the ability to balance customer, operational, and financial priorities.
• Data-driven decision-maker with strong problem-solving and strategic thinking abilities.

Technical & Functional Expertise

• Deep understanding of manufacturing operations, quality systems, engineering, maintenance, supply chain, and EHS.
• Experience working within regulated manufacturing environments.
• Knowledge of industrial relations and employee representation structures within Germany is highly desirable.

Education

A degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Management, Business, or a related discipline is preferred. An MBA, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification, or equivalent advanced qualifications would be advantageous.

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to lead a strategically important manufacturing operation, influence business performance at a regional level, and shape the future direction of a high-performing site. You will have the autonomy to make a meaningful impact while working in an environment that values leadership, innovation, operational excellence, and the development of people.

Location: Germany
Reporting To: Regional Operations Director
Travel: Occasional regional and international travel as required.