Foreground is partnering with a prominent regional food manufacturer to appoint an Operations Excellence Manager to spearhead continuous improvement initiatives across the plants manufacturing and supply chain operations.
This strategic role is designed for a seasoned operations leader who brings both analytical precision and a transformation mindset. The ideal candidate will be tasked with architecting and embedding a high-performance culture, driving operational maturity across functions, and ensuring scalable efficiency through data-driven decision-making, lean methodologies, and cross-functional alignment.
Key Objectives
- Institutionalize a culture of excellence across the plant, grounded in structured problem-solving and measurable outcomes.
- Lead the design and execution of continuous improvement frameworks that elevate performance, enhance cost efficiency, and support long-term scalability.
- Serve as a strategic operations advisor to senior leadership, aligning improvement initiatives with broader business priorities and expansion plans.
Core Responsibilities
- Design, lead, and sustain lean transformation programs across production, logistics, maintenance, and quality functions.
- Facilitate advanced root cause analyses and corrective action plans for systemic performance issues.
- Collaborate with cross-functional leadership to define operational KPIs, cascading targets through all plant levels.
- Develop internal training programs to uplift capability in Lean, Six Sigma, and operational analytics.
- Monitor progress of initiatives using structured governance routines and visual performance management tools.
- Act as an operational advisor during technology implementations, capacity expansion projects, and new product introductions, ensuring readiness and process stability.
- Foster internal alignment between business, operational, and quality objectives while reinforcing cost discipline and output reliability.
Candidate Profile
- Bachelors degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related discipline; Masters degree preferred.
- Minimum of 7 years of experience in industrial or food manufacturing, including 3+ years in a transformation or continuous improvement leadership role.
- Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher (Black Belt preferred).
- Demonstrated success leading large-scale process improvement or turnaround projects.
- Deep familiarity with operational excellence frameworks, TPM, and structured KPI systems.
- Exposure to international food safety regulations (HACCP, ISO 22000) is highly advantageous.
- Executive-level communication and stakeholder engagement skills.