Operational Excellence Lead

What Does an EMEA Operational Excellence Leader Do?

As the EMEA OpEx Leader, you are the driving force behind our lean transformation across Protective Packaging plants in the region. You champion Lean and continuous improvement by working directly with production teams, leadership, and cross‑functional departments to implement world‑class manufacturing practices. Your role isn’t just about tools and frameworks — it’s about building a culture of excellence, coaching teams at all levels, and ensuring measurable performance improvement across multiple sites. You'll lead impactful Kaizen events, deliver practical training on Lean principles, and provide strategic insight that shapes how our operations evolve.

Why do we need you?

• Implement Lean across manufacturing and supply chain teams
• Apply hands‑on tools like Value Stream Mapping, Kanban, Supermarket design, 6S, SMED / QCO, and TPM to streamline operations.
• Drive cultural transformation through training
• Lead Lean education sessions, coach teams, and embed new ways of thinking into daily routines.
• Lead and facilitate Kaizen events and improvement projects
• Guide cross‑functional teams in structured problem‑solving that generates real business value.
• Ensure consistency in Lean deployment
• Standardize approaches across sites and sustain progress by mentoring plant teams and aligning with regional strategy.
• Solve complex operational problems with data
• Perform deep dive analysis using SAP, PowerBI, and other tools to uncover root causes and propose impactful solutions.
• Share and scale best practices across the network
• Facilitate collaboration between plants to ensure high performance is replicated, not reinvented.
• Influence at all levels of the organization
• Partner with senior leaders to prioritize initiatives and provide visibility to continuous improvement opportunities.

Qualifications

• Experience in Project Management, Continuous Improvement, and Production Operations (Proven success in driving and sustaining change on the shop floor)
• Degree in Engineering, Science, or Business (BSc, MSc, or PhD) (Technical foundation to understand complex manufacturing systems)
• Certified Lean Expert and Six Sigma Black Belt (Advanced training in tools like SMED, Kaizen, VSM, and flow‑through systems)
• Strong communication and leadership skills (Able to inspire teams and influence stakeholders across EMEA)
• Hands‑on experience with 50+ Kaizen events (From planning to facilitation to post‑event sustainment — you're comfortable being on the production floor)
• Fluent in English and willing to travel (You're based near Bellusco, Italy and eager to engage directly with teams across Europe)
• Analytical mindset with experience using SAP and PowerBI (Able to interpret data, monitor KPIs, and identify areas for improvement)