Operations Director-(UK, Belgium and Switzerland)

IPL Schoeller; Coton Farm; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

IPL Schoeller is recruiting an Operations Director to lead manufacturing across the UK, Belgium and Switzerland. You will drive safety, quality and customer service while delivering sustainability objectives and financial performance.

Responsibilities include coaching plant managers, implementing Lean and Six Sigma, standardising processes, and collaborating with engineering, quality and supply chain teams. Expect travel between sites and a strategic leadership role across seven plants.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 7 years' experience in manufacturing operations leadership.
• Proven track record of leading high-performing teams and delivering operational results.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficient in operational systems, reporting, and data analysis tools.
• Demonstrates strategic thinking, leadership courage, and resilience.
• Customer-focused with strong relationship-building skills.
• Results-driven, action-oriented, and solutions-focused.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for manufacturing operations across seven sites.
• Lead, coach and develop plant managers and leadership teams with a safety-first culture.
• Deliver operational and financial performance in line with budgets and forecasts.
• Establish and monitor KPIs including safety, quality, productivity, and cost.
• Drive continuous improvement through Lean, Six Sigma, standard work and root-cause analysis.
• Ensure capacity, labour, equipment and resources meet customer requirements.
• Promote standardisation of processes and best practices across sites.
• Collaborate with engineering and maintenance to improve asset reliability and automation.
• Ensure compliance with health, safety, environmental, quality, and regulatory requirements.
• Champion a safety culture and manage risks, incidents and corrective actions.
• Partner with quality teams to maintain product quality and customer satisfaction.
• Collaborate with supply chain and procurement to improve planning and on-time delivery.
• Support capital investment plans and site improvement initiatives.
• Lead transformation and change programmes with effective communication.
• Identify opportunities for energy efficiency and waste reduction.
• Succession planning, talent development and workforce engagement.
• Provide regular performance updates and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Undertake regular travel between UK, Belgium and Switzerland.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Manufacturing operations

Lean Six Sigma

Team leadership

Budgeting

Stakeholder management

Safety culture

ISO standards

Education

Bachelor's degree in Operations Management

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

ERP systems

Data analysis tools

Job description

Who We Are

IPL Schoeller is a leading manufacturer of sustainable rigid packaging solutions serving a range of end market segments, including returnable transit packaging, consumer and industrial packaging, environmental containers and agricultural packaging. Following the merger of IPL Plastics and Schoeller Allibert on July 1, 2025, the company operates across North America and Europe, with approximately 4,100 employees and manufacturing sites across both regions. Sustainability, operational excellence and continuous improvement are central to our long-term success.

The role

As Operations Director for the UK, Belgium and Switzerland, you will: Lead and develop manufacturing operations across multiple sites, ensuring a safe, efficient and high-performing environment that delivers quality products and excellent customer service. You will provide strategic and operational leadership to plant management teams, drive continuous improvement and standardisation, and ensure that operational performance supports the company’s commercial, financial and sustainability objectives. Working closely with commercial, supply chain, engineering, quality, finance, human resources and research and development teams, you will promote a culture of accountability, collaboration and operational excellence across the region.

Key responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for manufacturing operations across seven

• Lead, coach and develop plant managers and operational leadership teams, creating a culture focused on safety, quality, service, cost and people development.

• Deliver operational and financial performance in line with agreed budgets, forecasts, targets and business plans.

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators, including safety, quality, productivity, efficiency, delivery, waste, downtime and cost performance.

• Drive continuous improvement through Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, standard work, root-cause analysis and structured problem-solving methodologies.

• Ensure production capacity, labour, equipment and resources are effectively planned to meet customer and business requirements.

• Promote the standardisation of processes, systems and best practices across all sites while recognising local operational requirements.

• Work with engineering and maintenance teams to improve asset reliability, equipment effectiveness, automation and preventative maintenance programmes.

• Ensure that all operations comply with applicable health and safety, environmental, quality, employment and regulatory requirements.

• Champion a strong safety culture and ensure that risks, incidents, near misses and corrective actions are actively managed.

• Partner with quality teams to maintain product quality, customer satisfaction and compliance with relevant ISO, food safety and customer standards.

• Collaborate with supply chain and procurement teams to improve planning, inventory management, material availability and on-time delivery.

• Support the development and execution of capital investment plans, including business cases, equipment upgrades, automation projects and site improvement initiatives.

• Lead operational transformation and change programmes, ensuring effective communication, stakeholder engagement and sustainable implementation.

• Identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency, reduce waste and support the company’s environmental and sustainability objectives.

• Ensure effective succession planning, talent development and workforce engagement across the operational organisation.

• Provide regular performance updates, risks, opportunities and recommendations to the senior leadership team.

• Undertake regular travel between sites in the UK, Belgium and Switzerland, with additional travel as required.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field.

• Minimum 7 years' experience in manufacturing operations leadership.

• Proven track record of leading high-performing teams and delivering operational results.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement methodologies.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

• Proficient in operational systems, reporting, and data analysis tools.

• Demonstrates strategic thinking, leadership courage, and resilience.

• Customer-focused with strong relationship-building skills.

• Results-driven, action-oriented, and solutions-focused.

• Committed to delivering performance in line with IPL Schoeller values.