Director, EXO North America

Wella Operations US LLC; New Jersey; On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid holidays and PTO

Life and disability insurance

Job summary

Wella Company seeks a Director of External Operations (EXO) for North America to lead the regional external manufacturing network, driving service, quality, cost, cash and stewardship improvements. You will be the business owner and virtual plant leader, aligning TPM strategies with Procurement, Planning, Quality and Manufacturing Operations.

You will define the regional EXO strategy, build capabilities, and partner across R&D, Commercial, and Supply Chain to deliver sustainable growth and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a related field.
• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Procurement or External Manufacturing.
• Minimum 5 years leading cross-functional and people organizations.
• Demonstrated success managing external manufacturing networks and third-party supplier relationships.
• Strong understanding of supply chain management, manufacturing operations, procurement and supply network design.
• Proven track record delivering Service, Quality, Cost and Cash improvements.
• Advanced proficiency in SAP, Microsoft Office and analytics tools.
• Ability to travel approximately 20-30%.

Responsibilities

• Develops and executes the North America External Operations strategy aligned with company objectives and Supply Chain priorities.
• Owns TPM network performance across Service, Quality, Cost, Cash, Compliance and Stewardship.
• Acts as the regional representative for External Operations in business and supply chain leadership forums.
• Ensures alignment between business growth plans and TPM capability, capacity and investment requirements.
• Establishes long-term TPM operating strategies and capability roadmaps across all categories.
• Leads External Operations participation in Supply Network Design initiatives.
• Partners with Procurement on TPM portfolio strategy and network optimization decisions.
• Evaluates sourcing models, manufacturing footprint opportunities and capability requirements to improve competitiveness and resilience.
• Sponsors TPM qualification, onboarding, expansion, transfer and exit activities.
• Ensures TPM network strategies support growth, agility and risk mitigation objectives.
• Service: Deliver world-class service performance through a resilient, responsive and reliable TPM network.
• Quality: Build TPM quality excellence through capability development, compliance and continuous improvement.
• Cost: Drive competitiveness through productivity, network optimization and sustainable savings delivery.
• Cash: Maximize working capital efficiency through agile supply chain design and inventory optimization.

Skills

Leadership

External manufacturing

Supply chain

Stakeholder management

SAP

Microsoft Office

Analytics tools

Power BI

Cross-functional leadership

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Office

Power BI

Analytics tools

Job description

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Position: Director - External Operations (EXO) - North America

Location: Morris Plain, New Jersey, USA

ABOUT THE WELLA COMPANY

WE enable individuals to look, feel, and be their true selves.

Wella Company is one of the world's leading beauty companies, comprised of a family of iconic brands such as Wella Professionals, Clairol, OPI, Nioxin and ghd. With 6,000 employees globally, presence in over 100 countries, Wella Company and its brands enable consumers to look, feel, and be their true selves. As innovators in the hair and nail industry, Wella Company empowers its people to delight consumers, inspire beauty professionals, engage communities, and deliver sustainable growth to its stakeholders.

Position Summary & Mission :

The Director, External Operations (EXO) - North America is accountable for delivering superior supply chain value across Service, Quality, Cost, Cash and Stewardship through Wella Company's Third-Party Manufacturing (TPM) network.

The role serves as the business owner and virtual plant leader for the North America external manufacturing network, ensuring that business strategies are translated into operational execution through capable, compliant and competitive TPMs.

The Director is responsible for defining and executing the regional EXO strategy, developing organizational capabilities, and ensuring the delivery of business objectives through strong partnerships with Procurement, Planning, Quality, Manufacturing Operations, Supply Network Design, R&D and Commercial organizations.

The Director leads the North America EXO organization and develops the culture, capabilities and operating discipline necessary to support sustainable growth, innovation, operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Key Accountabilities

Regional Strategy & Business Leadership

• Develops and executes the North America External Operations strategy aligned with company objectives and Supply Chain priorities.
• Owns TPM network performance across Service, Quality, Cost, Cash, Compliance and Stewardship.
• Acts as the regional representative for External Operations in business and supply chain leadership forums.
• Ensures alignment between business growth plans and TPM capability, capacity and investment requirements.
• Establishes long-term TPM operating strategies and capability roadmaps across all categories.
• Leads External Operations participation in Supply Network Design (SND) initiatives.
• Partners with Procurement on TPM portfolio strategy and network optimization decisions.
• Evaluates sourcing models, manufacturing footprint opportunities and capability requirements to improve competitiveness and resilience.
• Sponsors TPM qualification, onboarding, expansion, transfer and exit activities.
• Ensures TPM network strategies support growth, agility and risk mitigation objectives.
• Service: Deliver world-class service performance through a resilient, responsive and reliable TPM network.
• Quality: Build TPM quality excellence through capability development, compliance and continuous improvement.
• Cost: Drive competitiveness through productivity, network optimization and sustainable savings delivery.
• Cash: Maximize working capital efficiency through agile supply chain design and inventory optimization

Leadership & Organization Development

• Leads, coaches and develops the North America External Operations organization.
• Creates a high-performance culture focused on accountability, ownership, collaboration and results.
• Establishes talent development plans and succession pipelines for critical positions.
• Promotes capability building across Supply Chain Leaders, Site Initiative Leaders and Technical Leaders.
• Ensures clear role clarity, objective setting and performance management across the organization.

Risk Management, Compliance & Stewardship

• Owns regional TPM Business Continuity Planning (BCP) governance.
• Ensures TPM compliance with corporate policies, internal controls and regulatory requirements.
• Leads strategic risk assessment and mitigation planning across the TPM network.
• Ensures effective escalation and resolution of critical supply, quality and operational risks.
• Champions safety, environmental stewardship and responsible manufacturing practices.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Stakeholder Management

• Builds strong partnerships with Procurement, Planning, Quality, Manufacturing Operations, Finance, R&D and Commercial organizations.
• Represents External Operations in category and business planning discussions.
• Aligns stakeholders around TPM operating strategies and network decisions.
• Influences business leaders through fact-based recommendations and supply chain expertise.

The Director is expected to role model Wella's SSAI - Speed, Simplification, Accountability, Intensity - leadership framework.

Qualifications & Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business or related discipline.
• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Procurement or External Manufacturing.
• Minimum 5 years leading cross-functional and people organizations.
• Demonstrated success managing external manufacturing networks and third-party supplier relationships.
• Strong understanding of supply chain management, manufacturing operations, procurement and supply network design.
• Proven track record delivering Service, Quality, Cost and Cash improvements.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Advanced proficiency in SAP, Microsoft Office and analytics tools.
• Ability to travel approximately 20-30%.

Preferred

• MBA or advanced business degree.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent certification.
• PMP or equivalent project management certification.
• Experience leading regional or global supply chain transformations.
• Experience with advanced analytics and Power BI.

We disclose the compensation range for positions in compliance with local law. Actual salaries will vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors including but not limited to location, experience, skills and in comparison to internal incumbents currently in similar roles - pay Range: ________________salary per year plus bonus. The range listed is just one component of Wella Company's total rewards package for employees. Other rewards may include annual bonus plan or variable pay, depending on the role. In addition, Wella Company provides a rich variety of benefits to employees, including health insurance, life and disability insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, paid holidays and paid time off (PTO).

NOTICES

• All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected status.
• If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, please email [e-mail]. This email account will not respond to inquiries regarding the status of a candidate’s application.
• [For CA located postings ONLY]: Qualified Applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.