Global OpEx Deployment Lead

AAK; Hull and East Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

AAK is looking for a Global Operational Excellence Deployment Lead based in Hull, UK. This role is crucial for implementing AAK's Operational Excellence vision globally. You will drive transformation, partner with multiple teams, and coach leaders to enhance performance and problem-solving capabilities.

The ideal candidate has over 10 years of experience in Operational Excellence or related fields, with a strong emphasis on Lean and Continuous Improvement methodologies. A Bachelor's degree is required, with a Master's being advantageous.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Operational Excellence or related fields.
• Proven experience in multi-site deployment and transformation.
• Fluent in English, additional languages are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the deployment of Operational Excellence initiatives.
• Develop deployment roadmaps aligned with business priorities.
• Provide coaching and facilitate capability building.

Skills

Operational Excellence

Continuous Improvement

Leadership

Lean methodologies

Strong influencing skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in relevant field

Master's degree (advantage)

Tools

Six Sigma

Daily Management Systems (DMS)

Job description

This position is based in one of our locations: Zaandijk (NL), Jundiaí (BR), Zhangjiagang (CN), Aarhus (DK), Karlshamn (SE), Louisville (US) or Hull (GB).

About The Role

Are you passionate about driving transformation and building a culture of continuous improvement? As Global Operational Excellence Deployment Lead, you will play a key role in bringing AAK's Operational Excellence vision to life across our global manufacturing network and value chain functions. Acting as the bridge between strategy and execution, you will help embed sustainable ways of working that deliver measurable business results and lasting capability growth.

Partnering with leaders and teams across Operations, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, Procurement, Commercial, R&D, and Go-to-Market functions, you will coach, challenge, and inspire the organization to strengthen problem-solving capabilities, improve performance, and drive meaningful, sustainable change.

Responsibilities

• Lead the deployment and embedding of AAK's global Operational Excellence roadmap across assigned production sites and value chain functions, ensuring consistent adoption of OWOW and OWOZ frameworks, standards, and ways of working.
• Develop and execute maturity-based deployment roadmaps aligned with site readiness and business priorities, conducting capability assessments, identifying gaps, and co-creating improvement plans with site and functional leaders.
• Provide coaching, facilitation, and capability building to leaders across Operations, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, Procurement, Commercial, R&D, and Go-to-Market functions, strengthening leadership effectiveness, problem-solving capabilities, and end-to-end performance.
• Act as the key link between global strategy and local execution, driving governance routines, performance management, cross-functional alignment, and the sustainable implementation of Operational Excellence methodologies while proactively addressing deployment risks and capability gaps.
• Partner with Global OpEx Specialists and stakeholders to deploy new standards, methodologies, and tools, while capturing and sharing best practices and field insights to continuously improve AAK's global OpEx framework and transformation journey.

About You

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, or a related field; Master's degree is an advantage.
• 10+ years of experience in Operational Excellence, Continuous Improvement, manufacturing, or supply chain operations, including multi-site deployment and transformation experience in complex operational environments.
• Proven track record of leading cross-functional Operational Excellence transformations, with strong expertise in Lean, TPM, Six Sigma, Daily Management Systems (DMS), structured problem solving, and preferably TRACC or comparable OpEx frameworks.
• Exceptional coaching, facilitation, stakeholder management, and influencing skills, with the ability to develop leaders at all levels, drive alignment across matrix organizations, and achieve sustainable adoption without formal authority.
• Analytical, execution-focused, and hands-on, with experience designing deployment roadmaps, conducting maturity assessments, translating insights into measurable actions, and working effectively with both frontline teams and senior leaders in global, multicultural environments.
• Fluent in English; additional languages are an advantage.

AAK prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, religion, veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in any aspect of the access to, admission, or treatment of students in its programs and activities, or employment and application for employment.