Plant Director: Lead Growth & Operational Excellence

Ceres | Recruitment | Interim | Executive | Food & Agri; Emilia-Romagna; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Our client in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, seeks a Plant Director to own full P&L and lead all site operations with a hands-on shop-floor presence. You will drive performance through structured processes, safety, quality, and continuous improvement, while preparing for site expansion and new product industrialization.

You will manage a team of roughly 250 people, alignment with the General Manager and HQ, and collaborate across functions to optimize planning, manufacturing, maintenance, and logistics

Qualifications

• Masters degree in a technical, industrial, economic or related discipline.
• 10+ years of plant leadership or 7+ years as a production manager in a complex manufacturing environment.
• Food service or product leadership experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of food production processes and food safety standards.
• Experience in international matrix organizations and cross-cultural environments.
• Proficient in ERP systems and Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Lead plant operations and own P&L with annual budgeting and cost control.
• Coordinate Production, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain.
• Coach teams, drive Kaizen/Lean initiatives and improve OEE.
• Collaborate with R&D, Procurement, and HQ on new products and site expansion.
• Oversee CAPEX, industrialization of products, and SAP integration preparation.

Skills

Leadership

ERP systems

Data analysis

Lean Manufacturing

Change management

People management

Education

Masters degree in Engineering/Operations/Industrial

Tools

Excel

ERP systems

Job description

Our client in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, seeks a Plant Director to own full P&L and lead all site operations with a hands-on shop-floor presence. You will drive performance through structured processes, safety, quality, and continuous improvement, while preparing for site expansion and new product industrialization.

You will manage a team of roughly 250 people, alignment with the General Manager and HQ, and collaborate across functions to optimize planning, manufacturing, maintenance, and logistics