Head of Operational Excellence, BA Cartonboard

Stora Enso; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Stora Enso in Helsinki is seeking a Head of Operational Excellence to lead practical improvements across the Cartonboard Business Area, building sustainable performance through clear standards and routines.

You will own the OE system, drive cross-site maturity, coach leaders, and translate Lean and daily management into measurable business impact. Travel to mills in Finland or Sweden may be required; strong engineering background and Lean Six Sigma are valued.

Qualifications

• Solid experience with Operational Excellence tools and hands-on deployment.
• Proven experience in continuous improvement or manufacturing transformation.
• Strong Lean, Shop Floor Management, daily management, problem-solving, and visual performance management.
• Ability to influence and coach senior leaders across sites and functions.
• Analytical, pragmatic mindset linking improvements to KPIs.
• Lean Six Sigma certification is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Build, own and continuously develop the Business Area OE system.
• Lead cross-site maturity journey, set roadmaps and adapt standards locally.
• Coach mill and Business Area leaders to embed routines and data-driven management.
• Build internal capability and share best practices across the network.
• Ensure improvement activities deliver measurable business impact.

Skills

Lean

Shop Floor

Daily Management

Problem Solving

Visual KPIs

Capability Building

Leadership Coaching

Stakeholder Influence

Education

Engineering or technical degree

Lean Six Sigma certification (advantage)

Job description

We are looking for a Head of Operational Excellence to lead practical operational excellence across Business Area Cartonboard and help our mills build sustainable performance through clear standards, strong routines and practical continuous improvement.Key responsibilitiesBuild, own and continuously develop the Business Area Operational Excellence system, including Shop Floor Management, daily management, structured problem-solving and maturity assessment.Lead the cross-site maturity journey, set the roadmap and support mills in adapting Operational Excellence standards to their local context.Coach mill and Business Area leaders to embed routines, accountability, process confirmation and fact-based performance management.Build internal capability, share best practices across the network and ensure improvement activities deliver measurable business impact.About youWe are looking for candidates with following qualifications:Solid experience and strong practical knowledge of Operational Excellence tools is a must. You have used these tools hands-on in different practical cases and know how to translate methods into sustainable ways of working.Proven experience in Operational Excellence, continuous improvement or manufacturing transformation in an industrial environment.Strong competence in Lean, Shop Floor Management, daily management, structured problem-solving, visual performance management and capability building.Ability to influence and coach senior leaders, drive accountability and build trust across sites and functions.Analytical and pragmatic mindset, with the ability to connect operational improvements to business impact and performance KPIs.Relevant technical or engineering education is preferred; Lean Six Sigma certification is considered an advantage.Location: Helsinki or one of our mill locations in Finland or Sweden. Frequent travel is part of the role.You will join a culture where we achieve together, learn continuously and take accountability for creating value for our customers, our people and society.Additional Information:Please submit your application in English via our recruitment system. Questions regarding the position can be directed to Flavia Silva, [e-mail] .Depending on the role, we might invite you to a video interview and/or aptitude tests. Also, our recruitment process could include pre-employment actions such as background, reference and health checks as well as a drug test.Welcome to work to The renewable materials company!Stora Enso is a global leader in renewable materials with a strong focus on packaging. Our purpose is to replace non-renewable materials with renewable solutions. Together with our customers, we design and deliver competitive, high-quality packaging materials and solutions, made from fresh and recycled fibers, accelerating the transition to a circular bioeconomy.We believe diversity strengthens our competitiveness and contributes to better decision-making. Diverse working teams help us to explore different perspectives and challenge our way of thinking. We work actively to increase diversity in the workplace and welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds. Stora Enso is an equal opportunity employer and follows non-discriminatory practices.