Operational Excellence Implementation Lead

Stora Enso; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Stora Enso seeks an Operational Excellence Implementation Lead to translate our System into practical daily routines on the shop floor, leading Lean improvements across mills in Helsinki and other Finnish/Swedish sites.

You will coach leaders and teams, build capability on gemba, and drive adoption of data-driven, AI-enabled solutions for safer, smarter operations.

Qualifications

• Solid experience applying Operational Excellence and continuous improvement tools in industrial environments.
• Strong practical Lean expertise including daily management, visual management and standard work.
• Proven ability to implement new routines, coach others and build ownership close to operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead Shop Floor Management and daily management routines at mills.
• Coach mill leaders, supervisors, operators, and change agents through observation and feedback.
• Enable adoption of digital, analytics and AI-ready solutions to aid decisions.
• Assess maturity and readiness for future mill roll-outs.

Skills

Lean expertise

Daily management

Visual management

Structured problem-solving

Coaching & leadership

Data-driven decision-making

Digital tools adoption

AI-enabled solutions

Education

University degree in Engineering or relevant technical field

Tools

A3 problem-solving

PDCA cycle

Kaizen

8D problem solving

Job description

Are you ready to help shape smarter, safer, and more sustainable ways of working in our mills? We are looking for an Operational Excellence Implementation Lead to turn our Operational Excellence system into practical daily routines, strong shop floor leadership and continuous improvement across Business Area Cartonboard.In this role, you will lead hands-on implementation of Shop Floor Management and daily management routines at our mills. You will coach leaders and teams at the gemba, build local capability and help ensure that new ways of working are owned and sustained by the line organization.Your ResponsibilitiesImplement Shop Floor Management, daily management, KPI routines and structured escalation at roll-out sites.Coach mill leaders, supervisors, operators, and change agents through observation, practice and feedback.Build practical Lean and problem-solving capability through learning sessions, DOJO activities and project waves.Help teams use data, direct observation, and structured methods such as A3, PDCA, Kaizen, or 8D to solve problems.Support disciplined performance management by connecting KPIs, ownership, actions, and follow-up.Enable practical adoption of digital, analytics and AI solutions that simplify work and strengthen decision-making.Assess maturity, document learning and support readiness for future mill roll-outs.What we are looking forSolid experience in Operational Excellence and continuous improvement tools and their practical applications in industrial environment as well as experience in manufacturing transformations.Strong practical Lean expertise, including daily management, visual management, leader in standard work and structured problem-solving.Proven ability to implement new routines, coach others, and build ownership close to operations.Confidence in using operational data and supporting the adoption of digital tools, analytics, and AI-enabled solutions.University degree in Engineering or another relevant technical field.Fluent English and Finnish; Swedish is considered an advantage. Experience from paper, packaging, or heavy-process industry is valued.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.